Laddie Morse
Chiefs 16, Broncos 14
I have relatives in the Denver area and I’m quite sure they will not be happy with this outcome. With 00:1 second left on the clock, the Broncos head coach, Sean Payton, called time out setting up the final play of the game, a field goal kick by Will Lutz. The kicker is (no pun intended) that the attempt was blocked by Chiefs Leo Chenal… giving the Chiefs an unexpected victory. They indeed did it, snatching the win out of the “Jaws of Defeat.”
BTW… a friend of a friend, her name is Sally, had predicted that Leo Chenal would block this field goal attempt by Will Lutz, just like he did in the last Super Bowl. Head Coach Andy Reid talked about the block in his post game comments:
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Here’s the block in slow-motion:
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(0:23)
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Once again, the Kansas City Chiefs played a game which came down to the final play. Now they are…
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If I wasn’t already a heart patient, I’d be one now. The Chiefs were losing at halftime, 14-to-10. The Chiefs had made it a 13-to-14 game on another field goal to bring it to a one point down affair. Then, in the fourth quarter, Harrison Butker nailed another FG to make it a 16-to-14 game. The Broncos then used up the final 5:57 of the game clock to bring it down to a last second field goal try from 35 yards out. Prior to this block by Chenal, Broncos’ Place Kicker Will Lutz was 100% accurate from 35 yards out. So, we should give Leo Chenal his due. He deserves it.
It doesn’t seem to matter if your team wins the Time of Possession battle or not, they could certainly lose regardless of that outcome. The Chiefs won the ToP battle in this game, 33:21 to the Broncos 26:39. Yet, the Broncos nearly won this game. Same with FGs. The Chiefs kicked three Field Goals, the Broncos made zero… and yet the Chiefs won this game.
It’s no secret, I abhor Field Goals, especially when a Touchdown is there for the taking. With the Mahomes led Chiefs scoring so frequently on third downs, I would be more likely to try to make a fourth down play, instead of trying to kick a field goal. The Kansas City Star has an article called, “How the Kansas City Chiefs became the NFL’s best team at converting third downs” by Blair Kerkhoff, and in it he says:
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“No NFL offense is winning on third down this
season as often as the Kansas City Chiefs.”
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Since these Chiefs are so proficient on 3rd downs, why not try to make it every time a 4th down opportunity arises… unless it’s 4th-and-forever.
Here’s Andy Reid to the team as Leo Chenal gets just a little bit of his acknowledgment:
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(0:49)
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Player(s) of the Game
Special Teams
Although I truly dislike field goals (instead of touchdowns… and if I haven’t made that point clear by now, at least we’re crystal clear at this point) it was field goals, three of them, that won the game for the Chiefs. Yes, Leo Chenal blocked the Broncos try at a 35 yard FG that would have won the game for them… but guess what… Chenal was playing defense on special teams at the time. So, that was a Dave Toub call.
Besides the outstanding play of Leo Chenal and Harrison Butker, who was responsible for kicking those game-winning Field Goals, Punter Matt Ariza had a great game too. He had 4 punts totaling 213 yards, but his average was 53.3. While most of his punts went into the end zone, he did have one that landed inside the 20 yard line.
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Quote of the Game
David Bell, one of our great writers, said:
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“It’s still below my old magic number.”
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David Bell often talks about the numbers 17 (Bell’s old magic number), or sometimes 20, as being the target number(s) the Chiefs Defense should stay at or below to help guarantee a K.C. victory. With the Chiefs winning this game by a 16-to-14 score, he’s right on the money.
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Tweet of the Game
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Chiefs don’t seem to be able to lose a game. Even if they’re trying. Not that I think they were trying to lose… but, I’m just saying.
What do you think?
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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