Ten Things About Today's Game: Divisional Playoffs, KC 31 Indy 13

[gblowfish]

Ten Things About Today’s Game: Divisional Playoff, KC 31 Indy 13

10. It’s after 10pm and yes, I have been drinking. A lot. I got to Arrowhead around Noon, and finally walked in my front door here in Glorious Independence, MO around 8:30 to peel out of my damp winter survival gear. When I got into my robe and jammies, I had a sammich and started watching the game broadcast. I would just like to sincerely say, **** Mike Tirico, **** Tony Dungy, and especially **** RODNEY HARRISON, who all picked against the Chiefs in the pre-game show. Rodney Harrison was one of the dirtiest players ever, and Dungy wouldn’t have had a coaching career without Marty. So screw all those guys. Excuse me while I crack open another Boulevard Wheat.

9. For those of you outside of KC, I don’t think the game broadcast really showed the significance of the snow. The field had been covered up to a couple hours before kickoff. Outside Arrowhead, we had about nine inches of snow. It was a wet sloppy snow, kind of like lake effect snow. It shovels like wet cement. It snowed all morning and all afternoon, and spit more snow during the game. The fans were rabid and ready for a fight. They were loud and crazy all day long. I was late getting to the stadium because I couldn’t find my parking pass. I never did find it, and had to waste an hour setting up a ticketmaster account for Mrs. B, and transferring the parking pass to her phone. Why the Chiefs won’t just let you print out a goddamn ticket just makes me mad. Anyway, we finally got it figured out, and got in the gate with no issues. They parked me in Olathe although I was there three and a half hours before kickoff. I took a few pictures today which I’ll post later. It was a healthy trudge to the stadium.

8. Over the course of the year I get a lot of guff from the CP trolls about “All you do is read the stat sheet and don’t really add anything.” Well, I sat in the frickin snow and cold with Mrs B today, and I met Rain Main in person. So guys like Prison Bitch can suck it. I’ll make a few general comments on the game itself, but this win is so big, so historic, that it really doesn’t matter how we managed to do it. We just did it. The monkey on our backs has been spanked. Some Native Americans were out on the field before kickoff blessing the field. Will Shields was on drum duty. I promised my friend Gary I would fart on third down to help with crowd noise. Mission Accomplished.

7. For as bad as the defense has been this year, I guess if you’re going to show up and play your signature game of the year, this was a good week to pick for that. Colts had NO FIRST DOWNS for most of the first half, and scored their only first half TD without gaining a first down. The punt block was due to a high snap by Winchester. Just one of those things. A bad special teams play by the Colts near the end iced the game for KC, and we’ll get to that. Who was big today? Everybody on the front defensive wall: Bailey, Nnadi, Chris Jones all were a handful. Edge rush from Ford was good all day, and he played the run much better. Houston had a monster sack and a fumble recovery. He earned his paycheck. Luck officially had no picks, but should have had two: Nelson dropped one that would have been a pick six in the second half, and Murray dropped one that fell right in his lap near the sideline. Luck got sacked three times, and he had only been sacked 18 times in 17 games prior. So that’s bringing some great heat. Plus he had multiple passes batted down. And KC had only one defensive holding penalty on the secondary during garbage time at the very end. All in all a stellar game for the defense. They won the day. Time to crack open another beer.

6. Adam Vinatieri must have contracted Elliot’s Disease. He missed a 23 yard field goal and puked a PAT. Not bad for a guy the national wanks call “the greatest kicker ever.” I think he and Seabass ought to just meet up on a golf course somewhere in Florida and call it a career. Buttkicker was money. Thank God this time we forced Seven Dirty Sanchez punts (versus the dreaded no punt game) and although Colquitt had one blocked, he also did a nice job selling the running into the kicker near the end of the fourth quarter to sustain KC’s final scoring drive. Well done, and helped seal the deal.

5. Special kudos to Damien Williams, who did a pretty impressive impersonation of Kareem Hunt today, without kicking any drunken party chicks. He rushed for 123 yards and a TD. That’s January rushing production. The line gets some love for converting three out of four fourth down attempts, blowing the Colts front wall right off the ball. Fisher had a couple of rough penalties, as did Irving. Mahomes got sacked four times, but he attempted over 40 passes. So some sacks are going to happen when you throw that much.

4. Today was the first time in NFL playoff history that a team had a wide receiver, running back and QB score TDs on running plays. So, although Mahomes didn’t throw for a TD, his three main guys had big days. Hill rushed for a TD and caught 72 yards on what looks to be a still tender ankle. Kelce ate the Colts alive in the middle with 108 yards, and Sammy Watkins return was productive with 62 yards. His second half fumble could have been a momentum changer, but Ford tomahawked the ball from Luck two plays later, Houston fell on it to get it back for Mahomes.

3. Final game stuff to consider: Indy was ZERO for NINE on third down. That’s championship defense. KC held Luck’s offense to 263 total yards and only one offensive TD. Colts had nine penalties, with a bunch of those being defensive guys jumping offsides on Mahomes hard count. You'd think it would be their O-line jumping off, but it was mostly D-line offsides.

2. It was 24-7 at the half. When KC came out and failed to move the ball in the third quarter, I was having ugly flashbacks of last year when Alex Smiff’s anemic offense got shut out the entire second half by the Tits. But this year, both teams were scoreless in the third quarter. And when Luck managed to hit one to TY Hilton (or KY Jelly as I like to call him), we got the ball right back, and rammed it right down their throats. Biggest stat in this game was time of possession. KC was double Indy, 40 mins to 20 mins.

1. I couldn’t help but cry when we won. I don’t usually yell a lot anymore at Arrowhead. I’m old, and I yelled at Stabler, and Fouts, and Elway, and Marino, and Five Head, and Flacco, and others and other and others. I don't have the voice for it anymore. Today in the second half I yelled like when I was 20. And when they actually won a home playoff game for the first time in 25 years I cried. I kissed Mrs. B, and thought about my dad who passed in 2011 a week after we lost to the Ravens with Casshole as our QB. I thought about my friend Derrek who killed himself in March the spring after we lost the debacle to Pittsburgh three years ago. I thought about all the great Chiefs fans in this city and elsewhere, who had endured six straight crushing home playoff losses. The last playoff win was 25 years ago with Joe Montana. And he had to do it in OT. This game was a blowout. It was just what the doc ordered. I don’t want to think much about what happens next weekend, and who we play. I just hope the Pats and Bolts beat the crap out of each other tomorrow, then come what may, we’ll deal with it. Congratulations to all of us on the CP on this wonderful snowy Saturday in KC. It was indeed our finest hour in a long, long, long time.

Game Highlights can be seen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr2v...feature=onebox

[big nasty kcnut]

Great read george and yes we won a home game.

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by eDave

Migraines are the worst man. Next time, heat up a wet wash rag and hold that against your closed eyes. Do it until it's gone. Works great for me. Every time. Heat to they eye ballies.

Thanks it's the second migraine i've had in a week I hope they don't start become frequent thing.

[HemiEd]

Good job as usual George. Such a wonderful feeling of satisfaction the morning after a home playoff win.
Kudos to all of you that were there and were a part of it, in spite of the weather!

I just keep thinking about the job Chris Jones did and I am in awe of how the entire team performed.

[displacedinMN]

even before I read this-god bless you GB

[cabletech94]

this game was such a reward.
i waited to read 10 things because i'm so happy right now. i'll admit that i just teared up a little bit, especially reading about your pops and your friend. and the horrible history that us Chiefs fans have suffered for the last 25 years.
this was a true gem. thanks blowfish. can't wait for next week, im on call so i won't be able to have my moonshine that calmed my nerves yesterday.
its been a fun ride this year.

p.s. bonus points for blasting PB.......(what an unsuffereable prick. lol)

[Oxford]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

...... And the offensive line? Holy cow, the offensive line. What a game. It seemed like the coaching staff knew that the line was going to blow the Colts line up whenever we needed a few yards. There was no hesitation in going for it on several fourth downs, and it paid off. And the last drive with Damien killing the clock and the Colts was a thing of beauty. It planted a stake into their evil hearts.

Marty would have said "there's a gleam gentlemen". I hope Marty remembers this victory for as long as he possilbly can.

[InChiefsHeaven]

After the game, I opened my garage door and screamed "Lets go CHIEEEEEFS!!" and listened to the echo in my quiet Nebraska neighborhood. No tears (surprisingly actually, considering the whiskey consumption...) but I had a satisfied smile for a moment by myself.

Wish I could be there for next week, but I'll be there in spirit. Let's get that trophy for Clark and for all of us. Bring that puppy home. GO CHIEFS!!!

[WhiteWhale]

[Sassy Squatch]

That's pretty awesome that this game affected people enough that they cried tears of happiness when we won. Maybe if the game had been a fight into the 4th quarter I would've been right there with you but this game was done before halftime. Seeing the TOP I figured the defense would just continue to dominate.

Also only old enough to remember back to the 2003 game where we didn't punt and half of my family lives in Indiana so I don't really have the burning hatred some of you do. Still an incredibly special game and the true beginning of our luck in the playoffs turning for the better.

[Reerun_KC]

I really wish I could of spent the day with family. My grandpa would of loved the game today. I’ve teared up several times listening to Mitch call the game.

[VAChief]

Thanks George, always a great read.

I was a wreck the past 48 hours. I was at the ice bowl in 96 and that was a soul crusher. If I had known then it was only the beginning it would have been even worse.

I moved away in 97, so my agony has been mostly by myself except through this place. Yesterday morning when I saw the snow outside the stadium, and what looked like it would be a sparse crowd, those old familiar feelings returned.

Then at game time I see a packed house (no visible yellow seats), we win the toss, the defense holds and we score. I dared to believe again...the rest you and others have covered.

Oh, just one minor grammatical correction...telling Prison Bitch to “suck it” is redundant.

[RedRaider56]

Nice read, George. I really enjoy your Ten Things Postings

[scho63]

For the first time in many, many, many years, I had so much confidence and calmness heading into this game and during the entire game I never flinched once, even after the blocked punt for a Colts score. When that play occurred, all five of us at the Phoenix meetup were unfazed and simply said, "no big deal, Mahomes will get the 7 points back."

in my lifetime, that feeling of confidence with the Chiefs has NEVER been there or been higher. It truly is a new era of POST SEASON SUCCESS with Patrick Mahomes. The confidence he instills in the rest of the team elevates everyone to another level.

Thanks GBlowfish and glad you witnessed the exorcism of playoff failures past!

[Marcellus]

Awesome George! Just awesome!

[threebag]

As always, thank you mr. blowfish.