K.C. Road Trip: The AFC Championship Game – The final whistle blew for the Divisional win over the Bills. A small group of the MKE CHIEFS fan group was already at it planning a trip. We agreed on a Saturday AM departure and Monday travel day home. We, like the Chiefs, hit K.C. for the AFC Championship Game. It was a trio of MKE CHIEFS fans, and our friend, Titans Anthony. Anthony and I always planned to attend the game. In Nashville. There was no way in “H” the Bengals were knocking off the Titans in King Henry’s return… until they did. Sucked for him, but a trip to K.C. with us was a nice consolation.
I make the drive to K.C. a few times a year at this point. My hometown of Hays, KS is the one standing trip, and K.C. is on the way. Hitting a Chiefs game at Arrowhead is an annual target as well. Just so happened this year’s game was the AFC Championship. My wife and Adrian — the other MKE CHIEFS Fan — who is from Wichita, fall in the same boat. This was the first real trip to K.C. for Anthony, so we aimed to come proper. This means the first stop in town was obvious.
Favorite BBQ
Everyone with Kansas City ties has a favorite BBQ spot, and we are all more than happy to announce and speak for at a moment’s notice. Adrian and I are the ties and for us it’s Joe’s. For me it’s a simple reason: Z-Man sandwich. My local friend Drew was joining for the game, so we picked one close to him. The gas station is the OG, but not in the cards for this one. About an hour north of K.C. we popped the Leawood Joe’s into maps and rallied Drew and other local friends.
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This was lining up like the 2020 AFC Champ game:
- Adrian, two others and I drive to KC
- We hit Joe’s for food
- Drew meets us for dinner
- Tailgate plans discussed
It was all lining up, and, as expected, there was a line out the door of Joe’s. The last interesting thing that happened was meeting a line friend. Thirty plus minutes next to someone and a conversation starts. The guy right in front of us was a brewer for Boulevard, and interestingly enough, had worked with New Glarus setting up infrastructure. The chats at the food table that followed were awesome.
A Proper Tailgate
Kansas City is know for many things, and tailgating at the Truman Sports Complex is high on the list. I have only seen 2 things that caused a Chiefs tailgate comparison:
- Packers game at Lambeau Field
- NASCAR race in the South
Both are a blast, and have their own unique charm. I will always call a Chiefs tailgate #1 because it is my thing, but I will never chide a Packer or NASCAR fan for preferring their thing. Highly recommend both and will shoot to do a full column about them. (I have a strong list of offseason topics in mind. They may not be all about Chiefs, but I will tie them all back.)
Most of my Arrowhead experiences include an organized tailgate with a group of friends, and we link with the neighbors. For this one we went bigger and joined the Lot J group. The folks are loud, proud and legit. Everything from the food to the music to the jello shots to the shot ski was straight-up on-point. I cannot recommend this group enough and will stop in every Arrowhead trip moving forward.
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Quick Side Note About that Beer
I mentioned the Joe’s trip included a visit with a guy named Steve, who I met in line to order my Z Man. Our chat revealed my Wisconsin and K.C. ties, and prompted a story. Steve is an engineering project manager for insulation and piping for breweries. His career took him many places, but he mentioned Boulevard and New Glarus as notable projects. I am glad he mentioned them as they are favorites of mine. Interactions like that remind me why I am always down for a casual conversation, and I thank Steve and friends for it.
Everyone with K.C. connections knows Boulevard Beer. The other brewery mentioned is a Wisconsin gem, and if ya know, ya know. New Glarus‘ flagship is called Spotted Cow, and is a Farmhouse Ale. The site’s tasting notes call that it pairs with anything worth eating including breakfast and I agree. A case of Cow accompanies me to all Arrowhead trips and I always make new friends with it. The only “issue” is New Glarus only distributes in Wisconsin. I live here, so it works for me. Make sure to let any Sconnies in your circle know a case should always been in tow when they visit. My Chicago family has made that abundantly clear to me.
The Math Problem
Sports is a math problem for me. A game of any sort is some form of adding the most and fastest, and that leads to victory. The format or situation dictates the odds. An individual game between 2 NFL teams is 50/50 for a result. This assumes no tie, which is fine because they are a rounding error at best. The Chiefs had a 50/50 chance of winning the AFC Championship game. Vegas and gamblers will argue this point, but there were 2 outcomes: Bengals or Chiefs representing the AFC in the Super Bowl.
The great teams, players, etc. skew the math. Every game has 2 outcomes, but the winners prevail through a combination of talent, preparation, determination and luck. The goal of a competitor is to build, utilize the first 3, and hope for the best on the last. Success in this endeavor leads to bigger games and more chances at true glory. I end this philosophical commentary with this: the great ones manipulate the math and the legends simply break it.
My Tom Brady Thoughts
My friends and wife were confused by my Brady retirement annoyance. Why after all of the cheating allegations and general thorn-in-the-side of the Chiefs of the last 22 years was this my biggest annoyance? Well, because I am a Brady admirer and dare I say fan. After the story developed I don’t think the leak was any more him than ESPN scooping a story. I consider Tom Brady the single greatest to put on football pads, and I don’t consider it close. His entry to the league and ascension to starter was interesting, and his Super Bowl win over the Rams was compelling. It was the most — underdog and unlikely — thing since Kurt Warner a couple years earlier. That type of stuff is why we love sports.
The other thing I will make clear: I don’t consider Brady a cheater. At all. The Spygate thing is laughable and I refuse to believe the Patriots were the only ones. I also recall high school football coaches saying things like,
“I will send every offensive play we will run in order to the
other locker room because they still have to stop us.”
Deflategate is joke and the NFL looks dumber as time passes. Brady, like every instance of greatness, is part of a system. His system is a perfect symbiotic relationship with Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft. They were a machine for 2 decades. The results are not the same if you change any of the 3 legs of this stool.
Multiple Time HoFer
There is talk that Brady played 2-3 hall worthy careers in one. This is true. Here is how I break it down:
- 2001-2007: Brady hits the League, and
- Made the playoffs 6 of 7 seasons
- Played in 5 AFC Championship games
- Made 4 Super Bowls and won 3
- 2008-2015: Brady tears his ACL, comes back, and
- Made playoffs 7 of 8 seasons (only missed the torn ACL year)
- Played in 5 AFC Championship games
- Made 2 Super Bowls and won 1
- 2016-2021: Brady closes hard by
- Made playoffs all 6 seasons
- Played in 4 more Conference Championship games
- Made 4 Super Bowls and won 3
Tom Brady consistently put himself if a position to attain glory and won more than 50% of the time. The big games consistently happened in his house and he capitalized. He is the best we’ve seen, I enjoyed watching him play, and I’m glad he’s retired.
It’s Patrick Mahomes time now.
Back to Our Group
Patrick Mahomes is our guy and his system includes Andy Reid, Clark Hunt and Brett Veach. This is the making of the next perfect crew. Reid has offensive knowledge for days, and Patrick Mahomes is a coachable learner. Brett Veach has an eye for talent, a quick hand to correct problems, and support from his owner in Clark Hunt. This crew is both positioned and motivated to win the math problem. And that is why I feel good about this team… even in this defeat.
Patrick Mahomes was drafted in 2017 and played a single game that season. He has started 4 seasons since, and has an MVP, a Super Bowl win, a Super Bowl MVP, 4 Pro Bowls, and he also brought Whataburger to Kansas City. Many fans are choosing to focus on the missed opportunity in the loss to the Bengals. I understand and agree to a point. These opportunities for glory do not grow on trees. I choose to focus on this math:
- Played in 4 AFC Championships and won 2 (50%)
- Competed in 2 Super Bowls and won 1 (50%)
My Head Space
Mahomes and company are giving themselves the chances for glory at a perfect rate. I look forward to watching them work to beat the math on attaining glory. Patrick Mahomes is four (4) full seasons of play into his career, and has already accomplished Hall of Fame credentials. Plus, he is young. This is the beginning of the ride. I cannot stay down because we witnessed his first slump and playoff disappointment. Bailing on this team now is equivalent of selling all of your Bitcoin. It is a horrible idea, a path to what if, and a negative thought tendency you should explore.
My degree is in marketing, so I went through business school. Like all degrees it is a combination of general education, general discipline education, and a major. None of these are my specialty, but I have college credit in accounting, finance, supply chain, and economics. Econ taught me principles of supply, demand and long-term trends. The lesson I will never forget: anyone who had money in the stock market on 1929 and left it there through 1939 ultimately made money.
My Feelings Processed
I am over the AFC Championship game. It sucked, the Chiefs blew a chance to make a Super Bowl, and I spent a ton of time and money to watch it live. That was not a stock market crash, it was a bad Q4. I am Chiefs, ride or die and my money is staying this market baby!! Brett Veach will burn down the NFL bolstering the D line and WR corp much like he did the OL last year. Mahomes signed a contract that gives him flexibility, and Clark Hunt will not question any spending spree. The Chiefs will be force in the 2022 regular season, they will win the AFC West, and there is a good chance they play in the AFC Championship… again… for the 5th year in a row. Which will tie the 1973-77 Raiders for second longest streak (Patriots 2011-18).
The other thing I am doing is taking a step back to recognize a few things:
- Many NFL fans have never seen their team in a Conference Championship let alone attended one. I have attended 2.
- I have watched the Chiefs lose 7 playoff games in 21 years, and then watched them 9 in 7 years.
- Also, I’ve watched the Chiefs go 2-14 to “secure” the #1 overall draft pick a year after Andrew hit the NFL.
If the guy in #3 heard a single complaint from the guy in #1 he would whack him upside the head. We are living in a golden age of Chiefs football and I am grateful to be on the ride. Which is not over.
Into Arrowhead
I have been to Arrowhead many times, but it is always an experience. The great venues do that. Arrowhead has 3 things going for it:
- Electric atmosphere courtesy of the best tailgating around!!
- Imposing size as it is the 5th biggest in the NFL (but not a bad seat).
- Undeniable mystique due to history (3rd oldest behind only Soldier and Lambeau), reputation (142.2 baby), and traditions (“and the home of the… CHIEFS!” and the Chop).
We had one stop before we made it to the seats, and that was the Hall of Honor.
The Chiefs have a rich history, and it lives in this section of the stadium. A must stop every trip.
Visitors Section
The Bengals fans made their way to Arrowhead in impressive numbers. Our section in particular had its fair share. They were all cool, genuine people taking advantage of an opportunity to witness history. The vibe I got from the beginning was a, happy to be there. I heard many, “you never know when this will happen again,” “once in a lifetime,” and “I hope they make it competitive,” type comments. They were also in absolute awe of Arrowhead and said as much. I don’t actually think the majority felt a win was possible until the OT interception.
My team lost that day. However, that’s why we love sports. The Bengals and their fans refused to die and won the day. It brought some memories of the Super Bowl Champions I got to watch a couple years ago. I don’t think this is the last we hear of the Cincinnati Bengals, but the vibe won’t be the same next time.
Embracing the Role
“You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.”
– Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent in “The Dark Knight”
The Kansas City Chiefs are either officially the villains of the NFL, or they are on the fast track. None of the NFL media covering sports were pulling for us this season with the notable exception of Nick Wright. I understand his show as a collective equal, opposite reaction, but the rest of the media world was totally unfounded. The media masses spent the 2022 season calling for the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes’ demise with smug glee. It was often off base, blatantly illogical, sometime mean-spirited, and also TOTALLY F#$%ING AWESOME!!
I have have been waiting with extreme impatience for the day the Chiefs become the villains. That is the one true indications that a team has actually made it. Our hero did not die, he became… The Reaper. It’s time to start crushing souls.
— R o l l C r e d i t s —
Every Tarantino film ends with a hauntingly perfect song over the final credits. Here is mine, and I have layers of motivation behind it.
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Josh Kingsley — ArrowheadOne
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You can also follow Josh on Twitter at: @mkechiefsfans
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