All Aboard? What Happens When it’s the Chiefs vs. the Zebras and Their Opponent?

I am not sure what to make of our Kansas City Chiefs. Yet, here we are with week 16 coming up. What in heaven’s name is going on with the Chiefs? The Chiefs came off two prayer-and-hope wins versus the Broncos and Texans. In the latter case, it took Overtime to chalk up another game in the win column. In both games, the Chiefs shot themselves in the foot so many times I have lost count.

There are Accomplishments and also Questions and Concerns

Chiefs Accomplishments

•  Are the Chiefs a team that wins more games than they lose? Yes.

•  Does the team have the playmakers to win out and possibly earn the playoff bye? Yes.

•  Have we built a team with a dynamic offense? Yes.

• Have we built a team to win the division? Yes.

•  Do we have a QB that is an MVP for 2022? Yes, most likely.

•  Will PMII pass for over 5000 yards and throw more than 50 TD passes? It is Unlikely he will fall short. +

•  Have we built a team that can get into post-season play? Yes.

•  Have we built a team that gets an Arrowhead Playoff Game? Yes

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That which… remains to be seen… category

•  Have we built a team that gets the playoff Wildcard round bye? Remains to be seen.

•  Have we built a team that can get to the Super Bowl? Remains to be seen.

•  Have we built a team that can win the Lombardi? Remains to be seen. Yes. Any team that makes it to the playoffs can win the Super Bowl.

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+ It’s almost assured that PMII will exceed 5K yards. He needs to get a bit more than 500 yards over the next three games. He will not make the 50 TDs I posted about before the season started. He leads all NFL QBs in almost every category:

PM II 2022 stats: 4,496 YRDs | 372/552 | 67.4 Comp % | 35 TD | 11 INT | 8.5 YPA | 105.0 PR.

Sunday, Mahomes threw an incomplete pass just before the half. His target was Jody Fortson on the right side of the end zone. That was his last incomplete pass of the game for him.

PMII Sunday Stats: 336 YRDs | 36/41 | 87.8 Comp% | 2 TDs | 0 INTs | 8.1 YPA | 117.1 PR.

In his Monday article, Seth Keysor yielded:

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“Yep, I’m sitting comfortably on my fence here. While the Chiefs have shown some genuine flaws, they remain one of the best teams in the league and an obvious Super Bowl favorite. No team has been dominant this year (the closest team to dominant, the Eagles, has escaped with several “lucky” wins of their own and has some apparent flaws as well), and that’s the way the NFL is meant to be. The Chiefs are no exception, but they remain a team with a genuine shot to go all the way. And in a year they were supposed to be rebuilding/resetting, that’s wildly impressive.

“BUT… some of the flaws they’ve shown are of the sort that can decide close games against good teams. And that’s exactly what they’re going to be facing soon in the gauntlet that is the AFC playoff picture. Of the legitimate concerns they have, they need to get at least half of them in order if they want to seriously contend. Otherwise even having Mahomes won’t be enough to hoist another Lombardi Trophy.”

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I echo those sentiments, primarily since the Chiefs have so many new faces in starting roles, including several rookies. Remarkably, we are seeing a team that is likely to finish the season with a 13-4 or 14-3 record. However, that doesn’t prevent me from having a negative view of the possible outcome of the season.

Back To Earth Observations

The Chiefs are playing down to the competition each week. They are not playing at a championship level as a team. The players make too many mistakes in the flow of the game. Witness the game vs. the Texans as the latest example. I foresee an early win in the playoffs at Arrowhead, but if they don’t get it all in gear simultaneously, they won’t make the AFC Championship Game. One of our frequent observers says A1 is too much “HYPE and HOPE.” When I compare that to other NFL teams and their wins and losses or participation in “One Score Games,” I don’t see a difference… except for maybe, the Philadelphia Eagles. Still, while I write this, the Chiefs are not playing championship-caliber football.

I am not going to review the game tape. Sunday’s win was too Ugly. In fact, it was downright Disgusting. I don’t see the point, having suffered through mistake after mistake by the Chiefs in the game in real time.

It Should Be Open Season for Zebras

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Every game played has questionable calls by the officials due to human error. What I am seeing too often the missed calls or calls in error are “flagrant.” I watched two specific games this weekend in which the Zebras owned the games. That should never be the case. Too many times, the missed calls or calls in error are horrible. There were three times in the Chiefs game against the Texans in which the Referees picked up flags. With no explanation. That doesn’t even address the calls they missed, or the calls they made which were, as I said, horrible.

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You know the problem is really bad when the wife of a QB recognizes the horrendous non-calls:

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I watched two specific games in which the Zebras owned the games. That should never be the case. Does the NFL want the games to become referee-centric and all about the fouls? That’s the direction the NFL appears to be headed.

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The problem is wider than just one game, or one team, or even one season… every game played has questionable calls by the officials. It’s a difficult job, but there are clearly errors or prejudices that emerge. Part of t he problem is that none of the referees are full time paid employees of the NFL.

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Consider the refereeing in these three games:

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1. The Dolphins at the Vikings

2. The Chiefs at the Texans

3. Raiders vs. Patriots

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All three were fraught with Officiating errors. As a result, it was an insult heaped atop insult. In the Chiefs game, Carl Cheffer’s crew was horribly wrong several times. In the Vikings game? Ditto with Tra Blake’s crew. Both need to have a Flagrant Penalty flag tossed at their feet. In those games, you’d be able to understand if Travis Kelce threw a flag at them! Even the explanations from both crews and the NFL overseer of officiating make no sense when you review the game film. It’s even worse than stuff and nonsense.

In the 3rd case, the Raiders were invalidly awarded a TD. The PAT tied the game. Later, on the game’s last play, the Raiders scored and won. This was a case where the lack of the proper calls changed the outcome of a game. One of A1’s readers and sometimes author observed:

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“After watching the Raider game and them (refs) giving the tying touchdown to the Raiders when it clearly showed his toe on the line during replay….I now have to wonder if they purposely alter games for entertainment purposes.”

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NFL senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson explained the ruling on the field after the Vikings game.

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“The original ruling on the field was that the runner that was in the pile was down by contact, Anderson told pool reporter Chip Scoggins. Subsequently, a Minnesota player got it back. We had a look and could tell right away that the runner was still up when the ball came loose. We had a good view that it was a clear Recovery by Minnesota No. 39. But the ruling on the field was the runner was down by contact.” Subsequently, a Minnesota player got it back. We had a look and could tell right away that the runner was still up when the ball came loose. We had a good view that it was clear. Recovery by Minnesota No. 39. But the ruling on the field was the runner was down by contact.”

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Anderson later noted that while it’s technically a dead ball, when the officials rule that a runner is down by contact, you can award the opposing team the ball with a clear recovery, but with no advancement. That’s more nonsense from the NFL. If it was a dead ball, who had the ball? When was the play called dead? Why was it called dead?

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In the 2021 NFL season, referee’s called 2,553 Penalties and this year, in the 2022 NFL season, they’ve already thrown more Penalty flags: 2,568.

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Gary McKenzie, RGR Football Stats analyst, pointed out that when Carl Cheffers’ (pictured above with Roger Goodell) crew officiates the Chiefs game, the Chiefs are 1 in 6 of covering the Vegas spread. He gave the odds of that occurring… as 5.5%.

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What if My Conspiracy Theory is Spot On?

I will verbalize this once more: what if Vegas is the reason why NFL games and officiating are why we’re seeing what is happening? There are just too many ties to the Oddsmakers, and those Oddsmakers are tied to Vegas. Even the various analyst sites are now linked to it. Go back and think about all the multiple prognosticators and their advertisements for Sports betting. NFL Officiating appears to favor this or that team or circumstance. I genuinely have no trust in these types of connections. It’s becoming more of a factor than I trust.

Are you listening “NFL East of the Hudson?

The Vegas influence and corruption is what I fear is really going on with Sports Betting, thus affecting game outcomes. It has made me question my participation as a fan, observer, and something of a poor man’s analyst. You see, I remember the accusations against Lenny Dawson in 1969.

Has it come full circle? Back in the 60s and before, any hint of Vegas influence caused a great uproar in Fandom all over the NFL.

The Jaded and World-Weary Fan Group

In my view, the Chiefs do not deserve the accomplishments of 2022 — but they exist. Fortune has shined on them. For two games in a row, they have played mistake-prone football. In reality, both of those games and opponents fit the, “on any Sunday” scenario. The games also fall into the category of the NFL Parity Program, doesn’t it? Obviously, the Chiefs are not to have a winning record by design. They have, thus far, foiled the NFL’s intent.

It’s still possible that the Chiefs can win out, facing Seattle, the Raiders, and the Broncos for the final three games. That would be a great accomplishment in its own right: finishing 14-3. In fact, in my prognostications, that is what I think will happen for those three games. I also think the Bills will falter and lose one game. If both of these things happen, the Chiefs will earn the playoff bye, giving them a leg up for getting to the AFC Championship Game. Winning the Lamar Hunt Trophy is a different story. This is the top goal in the AFC.

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Right now? I am Jaded and Chiefs-Weary. Getting another Lombardi is the true goal of every season. At least, that is what the players say. I just heard Josh Allen voice the same construct in the last two days.

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I remain a Chiefs fan and have been an ardent fan since 1963. I suppose that the views expressed in this piece make me a “Jaded Chiefs Fan Since 63″… so sue me.

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David Bell – ArrowheadOne

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