Chiefs Play With Fire Once Too Often, Exit Playoffs

Chiefs Play With Fire Once

Too Often, Exit Playoffs

Laddie Morse

It’s late on Sunday evening as I write this… and it’s painful to write but… the Kansas City Chiefs just lost a divisional playoff game to the Pittsburgh Steelers because they played with fire once too often and got burnt badly. All year long, the Chiefs pulled out a victory in the last quarter and grabbed one victory after another from the jaws of defeat. Not this time. This time, the Chiefs couldn’t overcome their own flaws and mistakes and ultimately lost one of the biggest games in franchise history because of it.

So, what are these flaws? Or, why did they lose? In his pot game interview, Alex Smith summed it up best,

 

“Everybody had a hand in it: stalling out on 3rd downs, putting ourselves in negative situations, penalties, missed opportunities. All that stuff played into it.”

The Critical Mistake

When LT Eric Fisher was called for holding on the Chiefs key 2-point conversion — which they made — and he essentially sealed the fate of the team. It moved the ball back to the 12-yard line and left the team in a 12-and-goal situation in order to tie the game — which they didn’t.

It was accurately pointed out to me by BigRed that Andy Reid could have given Fisher some help and at least had someone chip on Harrison so that Fisher wasn’t left on an island all alone.

However, that’s not really the reason the Chiefs lost… is it?

Wasted Opportunity

What happened in this game, which has happened in so many of their other games this season, is that they wasted opportunities to score when they had them. The Chiefs scored a touchdown early and led 7-to-3 and again 7-to-6 but once the Steelers kicked their third field goal, K.C. never led in the game again. So, they scored early… and then late… then Eric Fisher did his magic… but it wasn’t nearly enough.

There’s a bit of irony about the way the Chiefs lost this game. One of my criticisms of the Chiefs throughout this year has been that their offense has stalled on so many drives and ended up having to kick field goals to stay alive in games. So, what happened in this game? The Steelers kicker Chris Boswell kicked 6 FGs to set a record for the most field goals in a postseason game… and that’s how the Chiefs season comes to an end. I guess it’s fitting. If the Chiefs had been able to score in a more consistent manner in this game, they wouldn’t have been held to 16 measly points.

If there’s any real reason Chiefs fans should be unhappy about this performance it’s that their defense held the vaunted Steelers attack to 18 points… but their offense couldn’t even muster up 19 points. If you would have told me before the game that the defense would keep the hallowed Pittsburgh offensive machine out of the end zone in this game… I would have bet my life that the Chiefs would win. I guess that makes me dead right now… which isn’t far from how I’m feeling as a K.C. Chiefs fan. After all, it’s been a lifetime… 47 years… since the Chiefs last appeared in a Super Bowl. It’s always an ironically sad day to see another team hold up the trophy named after the first Chiefs owner, Lamar Hunt. How many years can a heart be broken? Shhh… please don’t ask a Cubby fan!

No, Travis Kelce has to act like he’s in middle school again and shoves a Pittsburgh defensive back, Ross Cockrell, helping to stall another Chiefs drive. The Chiefs… from top to bottom… have no one to blame for this loss but themselves.

Travis Kelce also decided to go off on the referee who called the last flag on Eric Fisher and what he’s done in the process is get himself a fine — coming next week, you can bank on it — and now every game that a referee calls with Kelce in it… he’ll be looking out for #87. Not smart on Kelce’s part. Kelce might be right but the game was over. History. Who’s he kidding? Does Kelce think his comments will force some kind of commissioner’s action. Does that sound like Roger Goodell to you? No, Kelce is just PO’d like the rest of us but, now he’ll be a few thousand lighter in the wallet.

Learning

Hopefully, the Chiefs won’t be losing general manager John Dorsey because I think the whole organization is on the verge of taking another step forward and the loss of Dorsey would get in the way of that happening. One of the strengths of this team is making in game adjustments. I think they did that against Le’Veon Bell as the game went along. Having learned how to defense him, I don’t think these Chiefs would lose to the Steelers should they face them in a playoff game again.

These opportunities only come along every so often so the team needs to learn how to “expect” to win.” I once heard Eric Berry yelling at his teammates, “We SHOULD win, we SHOULD win.” Somehow, that understanding may still be missing from this group of player’s DNA.

It’s hard to believe that a team with so many playmakers could not win one playoff game at home this season. Travis Kelce has been called the best TE in the NFL. Tyreek Hill is the fastest player in the league. Jeremy Maclin is still the Chiefs #1 WR and an excellent player. On the defensive side, there are 6 players who have been to the Pro Bowl: Tamba Hali, Dontari Poe, Eric Berry Marcus Peters, Derrick Johnson and Justin Houston. Plus, Chris Collinsworth recently called DL Chris Jones a Superstar.

It’s clear to me that the offensive line is basically treading water. They’re not involved in the race to be the best in the league that’s for sure. I know Andy Reid is big on having his offensive linemen carry over from year to year and by playing “together” they become better. However, I think there’s a ceiling for this O-line and we have seen that ceiling this year. I know some are waiting for Parker Ehinger to return and that he should help make them better. Perhaps, but he’s not going to make them a top ten line.

If I had to say in 20 words or less why the Kansas City Chiefs lost this game it was because… they couldn’t catch the ball, they made mistake and their offensive line didn’t play well enough.

I’m not an Alex Smith apologist but the lack of solid offensive line play has had a big negative impact on him this year… and it showed up again in this game.

On the other hand, post game comments led to a discussion of who the last four QBs are in the NFL Lombardi tournament? That would be Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan (who many think may win the league MVP honor). The question was raised: are these the four best QBs in the NFL? Well, if not then the list is close to it. And THAT… once again raises the question about Alex Smith. Can a team with Alex Smith win the Super Bowl.

The answer to that is:

+ … well, not yet,

+ … well, if he has a better offensive line,

+ … he hasn’t been in this system long enough. Oh, wait!

What may be true of this team is… they never settled in on an identity. I know, I know… Andy Reid teams are changing from year to year based on the skills of the players he has in any given year. Still, if you can say, this is who this team is, how can you say, this is “a team?” St. Louis had, “The greatest Show on Turf”………. You get the idea. It felt like the 2016 Chiefs became about Kelce and Hill on offense and that was partially true but they only had 9 catches together in this game and I’d say that’s a few touches shy of what they needed in order to bring a ring home. Or take a step closer.

Next year should be a great year if the Chiefs:

– the Chiefs need another good RBs (Charcandrick West may have sealed his fate). Ware would be good paired with another good RB, I just don’t think that’s West anymore.

– Ramik Wilson had 15 tackles (whoever cut him last year should be tasered)

– “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”… and by flowers I mean Justin Houston. He’s clearly not his old self. Now I wonder if he ever will be.

– the DBs had a very good game and the whole “Fear Antonio Brown” thingy never materialized… until the Steelers last first down and then we found OLB Justin Houston covering Mr. Brown and now we all know how that turned out. Several times in this game I found myself crying skyward, “Why, God, Why?” and this was the last nail in the 2016 season coffin.

– Dee Ford had a 0.5 sack… you “G_ Bo_!” (you see, he gave us ½ a sack so I gave him ½ the letters… oh well, it was hardly worth it).

– Tamba had 1.0 tackle(s). Are you done Tamba? You can tell me. Really.

– Eric Berry’s immaculate INT made me believe the Chiefs would win this one. Apparently, none of the other Chiefs had that feeling.

Now the offseason work begins. Signing Eric Berry and Dontari Poe seems like a dauntless task. I don’t want to give the typical response but it’s still true, this was a step forward. I just thought this was the Chiefs year. Of course, I thought DJ and JC would be a part of it. Maybe they’ll come back completely next season… when the Chiefs go through the year without any injuries… because it’s their year to have no injuries you know.

Yeah right.

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