Why You Shouldn’t Be Sold On the Chiefs Just Yet

I know the headline makes it look like I’m hating on the Chiefs. I’m not. Well not that much. The Chiefs are fantastic. They score a lot, have some explosive playmakers and typically win a lot of games. But January Kansas City Chiefs and Andy Reid inside two minutes of a game are pretty similar in that they both just forget how to function. Watching Andy Reid inside of the two-minute warning is like a vegan that hasn’t told anybody they’re a vegan in the past hour. They’re just ticking time bombs waiting to blow. Maybe this year is different though. The Patriots aren’t good. The Rams are. Buffalo is leading the AFC East. Jacksonville is leading the AFC South. Crazy things are happening in the NFL. But this is about the Chiefs. They’re currently 4-0 and the only undefeated team left in the NFL. At number one in the current power rankings they look like the clear favorites for the Lombardi Trophy. But a few years ago the Jets went to back-to-back AFC Championships and then went 4-12. Don’t get me wrong. It was hilarious. But anything can happen in the NFL .

The Chiefs look unbeatable right now. Kareem Hunt and Tyreke Hill highlight a star-studded offense. The Chiefs had the rookie of the year last season and they will again. Travis Kelce is still the best tight-end in the NFL. I can hear all the die-hard Pats fans. But Gronk is the best when he’s healthy! News flash people; Gronk hasn’t been fully healthy in a long while. That’s like saying a drug addict is sober when they aren’t high. It’s a drug addict. They’re never not high. Make sense? Probably not but that’s alright. Alex Smith make have looked like a poor man’s Aaron Rodgers in the past, but right now he’s looking like Matt Saracen in the 2006 Texas 5A State Championship for the Dillon Panthers. And he has Smash Williams in Kareem Hunt. Hunt is averaging 7.4 yards per carry right now. That’s insane! Imagine essentially every time the guy touches the ball you get a 1st down. Don’t forget Tyreke Hill is averaging 13.7 yards per reception. How can you stop that? Seems impossible right? Wrong. Wait until the playoffs.

The Chiefs are funny. They can start 1-5 and win the last 10 games of the season like it’s nothing. Or they can start 9-0 and finish at 11-5. There really isn’t a grey area with them. The last few years Kansas City pulls the wool over all of our eyes. Michael Scott said it best, “Fool me once, strike one. Fool me twice, strike three.” Since Andy Reid came to Kansas City in 2013 the Chiefs have been to the playoffs three times while just barely missing out in 2014. In that time they’ve won a single playoff game. It was against the Texans (with Brian Hoyer) and that isn’t saying much. They haven’t made it past the divisional round yet. Could this be their year? Maybe they’re like the Caps. Every year is their year, and you’re crazy if you think otherwise. But I’m not sold yet. The Vikings started 5-0 last year and finished 8-8. A great start is ideal yes, but did that stop the tortoise? Nope. Ask the Warriors and Falcons about nice starts. The main point is that finishing strong is more important. Also the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the finals. But in all honesty why can’t the Chiefs bring the same game over to the playoffs? I have a few thoughts on the matter.

Andy Reid still cannot manage a clock in any circumstance ever. If you didn’t watch them play the Redskins on Monday it’s alright. I got you covered. Alex Smith threw a pass to Chris Conley. He fumbled the ball, however it was after his knee was down. The the ref ruled him down by contact. So what does Andy Reid do with two precious timeouts and less than a minute to go? HE CALLS A TIMEOUT! Stopping the clock means the play will be looked at even more. If that particular play is one that looks like it could’ve been a turnover ON YOUR OWN TEAM WHY WOULD YOU STOP THE CLOCK?! HURRY UP AND RUN A PLAY SO IT CANNOT BE REVIEWED! Andy Reid is a hall of fame coach for sure. But that man can’t manage a clock to save his life. He gave Tom Brady a Super Bowl that way. This is one of the reasons I’m not sold on Kansas City. Andy Reid can’t tell time.

Kansas City has the loudest stadium in the NFL. Most people think it’s Century Link Field which is where Seattle plays. There aren’t many problems if you have the loudest field in the league; unless you can’t ever use that advantage. Since Andy Reid has been the head coach they’ve had one playoff game at home. It was last season against the Steelers. I’m sure this isn’t making a ton of sense so I’ll clear it up. The Chiefs end up playing in the wildcard card a lot, and typically they’re the higher seed which means they play away. So the biggest advantage they have is immediately taken away. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying they don’t win because they’re away. I’m saying they don’t put themsleves in the best position to play home playoff games. If they didn’t have such notorious slow starts or just stumble at the end of the season they might be able to get a higher seed. If the Chiefs this season can stay at the rate they’re going then they probably won’t have to fight for that wildcard spot.

The last and in my opinion most important reason is because the Chiefs are either hot or cold. Kansas City is the epitome of that Katy Perry song. They’re hot or they’re cold. They’re yes and then no. They’re in and they’re out. They’re up and they’re down. If you didn’t sing that in your head then stop reading right now. The Chiefs are in a lot of ways like New England. They either play exceptionally well or not good at all. It has its ups and downs. But Kansas City isn’t New England. It’s dangerous to play like that. I’m sure they don’t intend on that, but it ends up that way. The point remains the same. Kansas City is basically playing hot potato with themselves, and they better be careful. The Lombardi Trophy can’t be won on dumb luck alone. But it helps.

I like the Chiefs. I didn’t think they would win the division with Oakland in it but with Carr being out anything is possible. If you didn’t yell that in you head like Kevin Garnett then please stop watching sports. They aren’t for you. The Chiefs are the best team in the NFL right now. But you can’t argue the facts. Since 2013 they haven’t been able to get out of the divisional round no matter how good they appear to be in the regular season. This year might be different. But we say that every year.

P.S. If you haven’t seen Monsters University you really should. Andy Reid is in it. He’s played by Joel Murray. Here he is if you didn’t believe me: