The World Has Changed: Lady Luck Smiles on Kansas City – “The world has changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the Earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was, is lost. For none now live who remember it.” Something about this speech, which opened Peter Jackson’s rendition of the Lord of The Rings, tugged at me. It’s not simply the 50 years that have elapsed since Chiefs’ last Super Bowl win. Certainly some are alive who remember it, though it was a long time ago. It was 50 years and one week ago exactly, as of today. Perhaps, more so, it’s the vague sense of something different, simultaneously intangible and palpable. Everything feels like it’s been leading up to this moment. Minor happenings, throughout the season, have suddenly become imbued with greater significance. Call it fate, divine providence, or coincidence, but a long series of events have pushed the Chiefs slowly, methodically, towards their destiny: the Lamar Hunt trophy: which has long remained lost from it’s true home, in Kansas City.
The Injury Assist
When Patrick Mahomes got hurt earlier this season, it felt like the opposite of luck. In fact, the Chiefs lost a string of games, in large part, due to the offense taking a step backwards. It led to Reid calling more conservative gameplans and leaning on the defense.
In the end, it all worked out for the Chiefs… tremendously. Without the losses, Terrell Suggs would probably be sitting at home, after Seattle lost in the divisional round (Chiefs were highest on the Waiver Wire at the time). Without the conservative gameplanning, the Chiefs defense would never have been put in a position where they, had to win games.
It was that pressure, and success, that forged them into one of the NFL’s top units, just a year removed from utter ineptitude. That confidence enabled them to hold Houston back, last Sunday, while the offense went to work.
Help From Other Teams
The one place where Chiefs losses appeared to hurt them was the pursuit of a first round bye in the playoffs. Without a bye, statistics would indicate the Chiefs having just a 20% chance of making it to the Super Bowl. Fortunately, while Chiefs couldn’t win a bye outright by themselves, other teams were happy to do it for them.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, of the Miami Dolphins, led an improbable comeback against the reigning champions, on their home turf in Foxborough. This defeat knocked them out of the two seed, and straight into the path of the Tennessee Titans.
Then the Titans defeat, of both the Patriots, and the Ravens, is the only reason the AFC Championship will be played in Arrowhead.
The Ravens would have been a tough matchup, due to Chiefs lack of speed at Linebacker. Damien Wilson, Reggie Ragland, and Anthony Hitchens are a much better fit against the Titans power rushing attack, led by Derrick Henry. The AFC Championship was never going to be easy, but this is arguable the best opponent the Chiefs could have reasonably faced.
Crystallizing Catalysts
Sometimes all the pieces are in place, but something has to tie them together. For the Chiefs, a couple of catalysts came at opportune moments, in ways you 
wouldn’t expect. Just say the name “Mike Pennel” and every Chiefs fan knows exactly who you’re talking about. His absence, in their earlier matchup against the Titans continues to be a popular topic of discussion. The Chiefs five worst games, against the run… all came without Pennel, including the last time Chiefs faced the Titans. Finding a player, who can make that kind of impact, on the open market, is rare. Seeing such a player cut by the Patriots is almost unheard of. Belichick is not generally one to let good players go. Pennel has been an absolute revelation who has lifted the entire Defensive Line with his consistent performance as a run defender.
Chiefs second catalyst isn’t a player, it’s a game, the last game, that Chiefs fans watched. One year removed from being an unstoppable juggernaut, on offense, the Chiefs had reverted to being merely great. In fact, over the last four games of the season, rather than gaining momentum, their offense seemed content to let the defense do the lion’s share of the work. All of that changed when the Houston Texans jumped all over the Chiefs to run up a 24-0 lead. It was a demoralizing moment, for fans, but an absolutely essential one, for the offense. It forced Reid to be aggressive, with the play-calling.
The Chiefs ran the ball, by design, just three times, in the first half. They arguably should have done it even less, as those plays netted a total of one yard. It also forced the receivers to step up. After a bevy of drops to start the game, they were solid, the rest of the way. Of Mahomes 12 incomplete passes, six happened in the first quarter, and all before Chiefs had scored a single point. This team may have developed a killer instinct… at the last possible moment. However, I believe it will carry on for the remainder of the season. The Texans woke a sleeping giant and the rest of the NFL is justifiably terrified.
AFC Championship Conclusion
A home game at Arrowhead against an average team, is better than any fan could have hoped for. Don’t let the past deceive you. Chiefs can win this game. They should win this game. Everything has aligned perfectly to put them in a position to do so. From injury struggles, to the defense gelling, and the offense finally showing up, when it’s needed most, Chiefs are finally positioned to change the world. We’re about to witness something that hasn’t been seen in over four decades. This story feels like it has already been written. We’re just waiting to read the ending, which promises to be something special. Go Chiefs.
Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne
See you at noon today for David Bell’s piece called,
“Chiefs: Let Me Count the Ways”
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