AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: We Will Be Back

“It’s going to hurt, embrace it, it’s supposed to hurt.”

These were Patrick Mahomes’ words following last night’s heartbreaking loss. 

And football fans, it does hurt. So let’s embrace it together and look at the incredible season that got us this far.

Yes we lost in the AFC Championship game, one win away from a Super Bowl, but for the first time in 25 years, we were in the AFC Championship game, one win away from a Super Bowl – and that certainly is something.

When I moved to Kansas City, in my first two seasons as a Chiefs’ fan, I witnessed the team have 11-5 and 10-6 records and lose both years in the first round of the playoffs. But this is not either of those seasons. This is not losing to the Steelers when they scored nothing but field goals while we scored touchdowns. This is not blowing a half time lead of 21-3 and losing 22-21 to the Titans sustaining multiple injuries. No doubt, this loss stings more than those other two, but remember, we were in a position to have this loss because of an absolutely stellar season. 

When Patriots running back Rex Burkhead ran the ball in for that final heartbreaking touchdown, it was the end of a game where the Chiefs had managed to tie with one of the best teams in the history of sports. It was at the end of a night where a team lead by a 23 year old quarterback in his first full year as a starter almost knocked off one of the greatest coaches and one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the game. 

As it stands, the 2018-2019 season is over. Blame the officiating, blame the off sides penalty on Dee Ford, blame the NFL overtime rules (another blog on that later), but in the end we should be thanking the Chiefs for gifting us with the best season this franchise and this city has seen in years. 

We started off by rolling a divisional opponent on their home turf in the first week, and exorcised our demons against the Steelers the next week. We had an offense that broke different records every week. We began the season, with a young quarterback who had only played in one full game in the NFL. His ingenuity and talent made him a complete wizard with plays, performing left handed passes, no-look passes and defying even our wildest expectations with each and every game. This same quarterback would throw for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in the regular season, and will almost certainly win league MVP. 

We had a defensive end in Chris Jones, who broke NFL records by logging a sack in 11 consecutive games. We won our division for the third year in a row, by completely dismantling one of our most hated foes in the Oakland Raiders which then took us to the playoffs. We won our first playoff game in 25 years by stifling and outscoring one of the best offenses and one of the most polished quarterbacks in football. 

The season would end in a heartbreaking loss, just as the other 29 teams in the league, but what separates us from those teams is that we made it that far, on the back of another worldly quarterback, an explosive offense and the red brick wall of a defense. This might be the end of the Kansas City Chiefs 2018 season, but it is just the beginning of the Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes and many other fan favorites.

To close out the 2018 season Chiefs fans, I leave you with these simple but meaningful words from our quarterback Patrick Mahomes II, “We will be back.”

And back with a vengeance, I might add.

Stay tuned football fans, for more from your BQB. The season may be over but we still have a lot of ground to cover. From draft picks to training camps, to the birth of my second child to pre-season and everything in between.