Miami CSI (Chiefs Still Indomitable): Finding Ways to Win – I like to get my “game face” set prior to kickoff on a Chiefs Sunday. What I mean is, I find a reason to hate, and/or have disdain for, the team we are playing. With division rivals like the Raiders, Broncos, and the Chargers, that’s a no-brainer. With teams like the Miami Dolphins, that gets more difficult. Doable. But, difficult.
Late Sunday News Flash: The Buffalo Bills beat Pittsburgh Steelers 26-to-15 on Sunday Night Football. The Steelers are now 11-and-2 while the Chiefs are 12-and-1 and take over the number one seed in the AFC.
For the past year, my take on the Dolphins has been positive. After they gifted us the first-round-bye in week 17 last season, I had an “NFL crush” on the Dolphins. They helped smooth the way for my Chiefs, and I appreciated that. However, when you must face them, in their house, that’s no good. Hence the “game face.”
So, in my mind, the Miami Dolphins we faced yesterday, were not the week 17 saviours of our Red & Gold. Rather, they were the low-down, dirty &*%*$@* that beat us on a Christmas Day in 1971 with a kicker whose name I cannot spell and don’t wish to even look it up. The same SOBs that made the best day of ex-Chief running back Ed Podolak’s career all for naught. Those &*%*$@* Dolphins that ended the season and hopes of, perhaps, the best Chiefs team ever to take the field in what remains the longest NFL game ever played. Never mind that there’s no one still affiliated with the team from December 25, 1971. Those were the &*%*$@* Dolphins we faced yesterday.
By kickoff, yesterday, my game face was firmly set.
View from the Cheap Seats
Oh, my! The first quarter had me checking the calendar and making sure that the year was not 2012. I further checked the internet to ensure the Chiefs coach was not Romeo Crennel, the GM not Scott Pioli, nor the quarterback Matt Cassel. Whew! None of that was true, but WTF?!?
Patrick Mahomes threw two interceptions and got sacked for almost thirty yards! Flummoxed is the only word that comes to mind as I watched the tragedy unfold before me on my TV screen.
Then I remembered. In Andy we trust. The second quarter fortified the doubter in me. By halftime, the Chiefs were where they were supposed to be, and where they remained for the duration of the game, albeit scary, at times.
The second half started great for me, as a Chiefs fan, with stellar defensive play, and a two-point safety, but had me eventually sweating a bit. However, as always, in Andy we trust.
By the end, the Chiefs took a win home, 33-27, in a game much closer than was necessary…. so, I won’t complain.
Despite three interceptions and as many sacks, Mahomes tossed two touchdowns and threw for 393 yards and closed out the game for the Chiefs, never doubting himself, his coach, nor his teammates. That, as Tyrann Mathieu says, is “championship swagger.” Travis Kelce was, as usual, unreal, racking up 136 yards and a touchdown. His portrayal of an elite wide receiver in the guise of an offensive lineman is absolutely amazing.
Hats off to Dolphins coach Brian Flores, the rookie quarterback out of Alabama, Tua Tagovailoa, and that stiff Dolphins defense. Despite being beat by the Las Vegas (accidental throwing up in mouth) Raiders early this season, it was the Dolphins who’ve played us the best and the hardest this season. Bravo Zulu! I hope we don’t meet again in the postseason. No offense.
Stat of the Game
Tyrann Mathieu is the first Chiefs player with one or more interceptions in three straight games since Quintin Demps in 2013.
Highlight of the Game
Tweet of the Game
Quote of the Game
“Listen, they don’t give those away.” – HC Andy Reid on the Chiefs winning their 5th consecutive AFC West Division title.
Game Song
No song this week, Chiefs Kingdom. Right now, I am just basking in the incredible sounds of 12-1 and AFC West Champions. Heck, it smells even better than it sounds or looks.
… and the Game Ball Goes To …
Chiefs 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year Nominee: Travis Kelce. He is Mr. Third Down. He is Mr. Go-To Guy. He is Mr. SuperMan of the Year! He may not wear a cape… he may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound… nor will he stop a speeding bullet… heck, he’s not even more powerful than a locomotive… but what he is, however, is the best receiver in the NFL, right now, leading the league in receiving yards with 1,250.
NFL Teams: get you a tight end whose quarterback looks at them like Mahomes looks at Kelce.
Looking Ahead
Next up? An ailing New Orleans Saints team in the Big Easy, next Sunday @ 3:25 PM CST. I’m looking forward to it. Be it Taysom Hill or Drew Brees… in Andy we trust.
Parting Shot
Despite all the naysayers in the ArrowheadOne Discus forums during yesterday’s game, our Kansas City Chiefs are 12-1 for the first time in franchise history and the AFC West Champs… again!
So to all the pessimists, cynics, wet blankets, and sour pusses, I urge you to chill. I remind you, yet again, in Andy we trust.
Michael Travis Rose — ArrowheadOne
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