24
Have you ever planned something so far in the future that it’s nearly impossible to foresee how things will turn out? You try to perfect every detail, but something gets messed up. Weddings are the perfect example, but only because so much planning goes into them. You can pick anything and guarantee that something somewhere will go slightly differently. I was planning a long flight once and missed my connecting flight in Los Angeles. The next flight out was one day later, so rather than stay where I was, I quickly adjusted my plans, went to Las Vegas, and caught my flight the next night. Hey, when life hands you lemons, improvise! Make lemonade.
These Chiefs have been planning this post-season run since the schedule came out last May 18. That’s right, Chiefs fans, since May 18, our team has known that we would play those three games in 11 days and that if things went to plan, we might not play meaningful football for 24 days. It is no surprise to Andy Reid and his whole staff that week 18 would be here, and our Chiefs may have nothing to play for except to continue preparing for the playoffs during a 24-day break!
In some respects, this break comes at a bad time. Our Offense was starting to click. The Joe Thuney adjustment from left guard to left tackle is set for the playoff run. The Chiefs scored 29 points on a good Pittsburgh defense with a decided edge over our offensive line. Yet, if I told you in advance that one team would have five sacks and the other zero, how many would guess that the Chiefs came out ahead on this stat?
It’s tricky to understand entirely the catalyst for this late-season burst that we saw with wins over the Texans and the Steelers to cement the home-field advantage. On the Offensive side of things, it’s pretty clear that the combination of moving Joe Thuney to protect Pat’s backside and the return of Hollywood Brown has opened things up. These moves have given the Chiefs confidence that they can execute. You can see the swagger in the Offense. It looked like the fun factor was back in the Chiefs Offense and just in time for the playoffs.
On the defensive side of the ball, there is less of a catalyst to the late-season surge other than familiarity, repetition, discipline, and a familiar drive for the playoffs. These factors converged to produce the great success we’ve witnessed over the last month.
As we look ahead to the upcoming Broncos game on Sunday, it’s clear some of our players need rest. MVPat can use it to rest his sprained ankle. Chris Jones can heal his injured calf. Isiah Pacheco can nurse his ribs. Nick Bolton and Trent Mcduffie should just rest. It will be intriguing to see who plays on Sunday, but very little matters on Sunday compared to what we will see in mid-January when the playoffs kick off in Arrowhead. So the 24 days will be used to balance rest and staying sharp.
In the early 2000, there was a great show on TV called “24.” The protagonist was a special agent named Jack Bauer, who often had impossible missions to protect our country over a tiring 24 hours. He would be caught in all sorts of national security crisis scenarios to save the nation, often against impossible odds. When we get to the Playoffs we will have our master improvisator ready, he will use the 24 wisely damn it! Let’s go!