What Good Looks Like
Some time ago, this was a buzzphrase going around Corporate America. It wasn’t uncommon to hear strategies saying, “Let’s demonstrate what good looks like.” For quite some time, I bought into the idea. Sure, Let’s!
At first, it was all fun and games, and no one got hurt, but when you stop and think of it, precisely who gets to decide what good looks like? I mean, is there some panel of judges with a 10-point “good” scale flipping their scores after every meeting? Who could forget this concept: “Perfect is the enemy of good”? So here we are with “good” having independent judges, and enemies such as perfect! “Good” is absolutely doomed!
I feel it’s time to remind ourselves that in the history of the NFL Superbowl Era, only seven franchises have ever repeated Super Bowl Championships, and zero have ever won three in a row. In attempting to win their third in a row this season, our Chiefs would be the 1st to ever accomplish this feat. So after 59 Super Bowls, this would be the list: These Chiefs end. So, we are watching something that has never occurred. Yet somehow after every Chiefs victory this season we hear expert after expert defining how the Chiefs should have won this way or that. After 13 games this season, these Chiefs are nearly perfect!
It would be naive to ignore the many shortcomings of these 2024 Chiefs. Our Secondary is worse than last year. Our Left Tackle barely places a glove on incoming rushers. We struggle to cover running backs, tight ends, and slot receivers. Patrick Mahomes, at times, looks beaten down by hard-charging pass-rushers. We’ve had injuries – oh, the injury bug. Yet despite all of this, we find ourselves sitting at 12-1, with a golden opportunity to seize the home-field advantage for the playoffs. Raise your hand if, at the start of the season, you would have rooted for a 12-1 start to this three-peat campaign. Sign me up all day because I would have been a yes.
What does good look like in the case of an NFL three-peat Champion? To be sure, we have no idea. No one does because it’s never happened. This team has played more games than anyone in the past 36 months. This team has faced every team’s best shot in the last 36 months because everyone wants to beat these Chiefs. This team has fought through injury, and here we sit at the homestretch of the 2024 NFL season with a golden opportunity to secure a massive advantage in clinching home field for the playoffs. Yet, somehow, we are to apologize that these Chiefs don’t win their games by 20 points.
I will point to 2 plays at the end of last week’s Chargers game that should give everyone confidence that these Chiefs are alive and capable of beating anyone.
Play One was on the final drive, with the Chiefs trailing 17-16 after surrendering a 13-point lead to the Chargers. On 3d and 10 from their 40, MVPat goes back to pass, and the pocket collapsed around him. He’s about to be swallowed for yet another sack, and somehow, he does a little jump-skip and finds Xavier Worthy, who broke off his route to make the 1st down catch. This play extended the drive.
Play Two was at the two-minute warning with the Chiefs needing a first down to set up for the game-winning kick; Andy Reid sends MVPat on a sprint right. Mahomes evades a sure tackle and coolly finds Travis Kelce for the 1st down that set-up the doink winning field goal.
Watching these two plays as a Chiefs fan should give you all that you need, Chiefs Kingdom. Our quarterback is beyond special. We’ve never seen anything like him. He’s now playing his best ball all season, just in time for the post-season run. Good looks like a team that finds ways to win. Good is indescribable at times. Good – no Great looks like Patrick Mahomes. This team requires no apologies, no one has ever seen a three-peat. Perhaps, this is what a three-peat looks like. So, let’s sit back, watch, and enjoy the ride. Let’s go!