Leave Those Chiefs Playoff Ghosts in the Past
On wild-card weekend, Kansas City Chiefs will be entering the playoffs for a seventh straight season. Under head coach Andy Reid, the Chiefs have gone to the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons in Kansas City. Before he arrived on the scene, and even for a time thereafter, there was plenty of playoff heartache.
If you’re a longtime Chiefs fan, you don’t need to be reminded of the heartbreaking playoff losses, but they are parts of the team's history nonetheless. At times, though, fans seem to hold on to the memories associated with those playoff defeats a little too closely.
Take the 1990s for example. If you were around during these defeats, then you don’t need a detailed description of each game. The nickname of the game says enough. There were the Bills games that kept them out of the Super Bowl, but those were at least on the road. At home, there was the Lin Elliott game against the Indianapolis Colts. There was a loss to John Elway and the wild-card Denver Broncos in 1997, which led to a Broncos Super Bowl and was then followed by five consecutive seasons where the Chiefs missed the playoffs.
Then came playoff losses in the 2000s. There weren’t many opportunities in this stretch of Chiefs history but the two times they made the playoffs, they lost to the Peyton Manning-led Colts. One of them included the infamous no-punt game.
In 2010 — the last time the team made the playoffs before Reid took over as head coach — it was the Todd Haley and Matt Cassel-led Chiefs that lost in embarrassing fashion to the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium. The team tanked the next two seasons away and in came Reid and quarterback Alex Smith.
Immediately after that, the Chiefs turned things around in the regular season by stacking up plenty of wins. However, the playoff losses under Reid during his first few years in Kansas City didn’t seem to feel any different than those from years past in Kansas City. In the 2013 season's playoff slate, the Chiefs led against the Colts by a score of 38-10 on the road, early in the second half. Somehow, they blew that lead and lost.
In 2015, the Chiefs finally broke the streak of 32 years without a playoff victory with a road win over the Houston Texans. Unfortunately, that run ended very quickly the following week in New England at the hand of the Patriots. Kansas City clearly wasn't over the hump yet.
The following year brought the Chiefs a Divisional Round game at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is known as the no-touchdown game. The Steelers didn’t score a touchdown but still managed to beat the Chiefs. Six field goals did the job in an 18-16 victory.
Then came the 2017 playoff game. The Chiefs were hosting the Titans on wild-card weekend. Kansas City jumped out to an early lead and then tight end Travis Kelce left the game late in the first half with a concussion. Most people remember this contest because of two plays: Marcus Mariota’s touchdown pass to himself and Derrick Johnson’s sack/fumble on Mariota that the referees ruled against in favor of forward progress. That was a very good Chiefs team, but the coaches had seen enough of Smith and wanted to see what their next option could be heading into the future.
At this point, a young gunslinger named Patrick Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback heading into the 2018 season. Since Mahomes took over, the Chiefs have lost a total of two playoff games while reaching the AFC Championship Game in each season and making the Super Bowl in both of past two seasons.
Mahomes released the ghosts of playoffs past at Arrowhead Stadium and left them in the dust. There is no more playoff curse for the Chiefs. Fittingly, it all started with a win over the Colts, a team that tortured the Chiefs and their fans for so many years over the past few decades.
The Chiefs now have something they never had before throughout the entirety of their franchise's storied history: a quarterback who is regarded as the best in the league. In an era of the NFL where having a great quarterback is instrumental to playoff success, this is such an important part of the equation to the Chiefs' success.
Does the Chiefs' defense need to play well? Do the offensive weapons need to make plays? Do the coaches need to put together a good game plan? Absolutely. However, having a game-changing quarterback like Mahomes makes Kansas City never feel out of a game.
This weekend, the Chiefs won’t have to worry about holding the Steelers to six field goals and losing the game. They don’t have to worry about allowing a quarterback to pass the ball to himself and deflate the crowd into knowing the game is over despite still having a lead. They won’t get blown out on their home field in front of a sold-out crowd.
This is a new era of Chiefs football. Let go of the ghosts that may still be lingering in your own mind. The organization has moved past it and is continuing to build a new legacy and dynasty. Don’t fear the past, but instead embrace the present and look forward to the future. This team is different. If you haven’t learned that so far from the pairing of Mahomes and Reid, keep watching and they’ll prove your insecurities wrong again.
