The Best of Times
Stop. Wait a moment. Life goes about 200 mph often, and things seem to move at a break-neck pace in this digital age. Let me remind you of the simpler days. Remember when things were simple? You were free to come and go as you pleased; you could go anywhere at a moment’s notice with the best of friends. One such memory for me is spring break; now, that was a party! Someone recently shared a spring break photo with me, and the one thing I can recall is that it was the best of times. What are your moments? Did you go to a concert? How about the beach? How about heading to the movies? What about being a weekend sports warrior or just clubbing it? Did you have a sports moment? Whatever your moment, you were undoubtedly doing something that felt so naturally perfect that time stood still. Chiefs Kingdom, as Chiefs fans, these are those moments.
There is enough conversation about the historical significance of this game. Are these Chiefs the best team of all time? If you are like me, do you care? Comparing Champions is like comparing a Ribeye to a New York strip. The Chiefs will play the Eagles tomorrow in New Orleans, where our first championship started. It all seems so full circle. Let me take you back to that first Super Bowl in 1970.
Our Quarterback was Lenny “the Cool” Dawson, and the coach was the flamboyant Hank Stram. The Chiefs Defense dominated that game. The Chiefs opponent that day was the Minnesota Vikings, a team with the “best roster” in the NFL that season. The Vikings were loaded with talent; they had scored 50 or more points three times that season, and they were favored to win by 13.5 points. The Chief defense dominated the Vikings that day with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries en route to a 23-7 Victory, their first-ever title. Chiefs Matriarch Owner Norma Hunt referred to the ensuing Super Bowl parade as “The best party ever”. Can you imagine the thrill of bringing that Super Bowl Trophy home that first time? Since then we’ve enjoyed these moments three times in the last five years.
Let’s take a moment to stop and embrace how the Chiefs got here. These 2024 Chiefs earned the best record in the NFL by playing smart, opportunistic football. There is little doubt over which team is simply the best in the moments that matter. They proved this in the title game against the Bills.
It was a fantastic experience to watch the Chiefs dispatch of the Bills again in the AFC Title game. Arrowhead Stadium was as loud as I’ve ever heard the crowd. There is much discussion about the 4th and 1 moment in the game with the Chiefs trailing 22-21. Equally important to that was what the Chiefs would do next. The Chiefs defense stopped Josh Allen. There is debate over this, the spot, etc. Regardless of what you believe, that play was way too close to be sure. On the play, Josh Allen ran for a tush-push quarterback sneak to the left. The Chief defense knew Allen would go left; they scouted him and detected that he always goes left, and predictably, he obliged where he was met by the stingy Chiefs Defense for the stop. Credit the defense for making it so close that we had the opportunity to get a good spot. What happened next is what turned the game. The Chiefs Offense took over the ball and, in five plays, were knocking on the door.
The final play of the drive had the Chief Offense in a wishbone formation (who runs a wishbone in 2024?) that they had shown five times during the game. Each time they ran the play, the Chiefs handed the ball to a running back. When the Chiefs had the ball in the red zone, they lined up in the wishbone; however, this time, they unpredictably caught the Bills by surprise and had Patrick Mahomes keep the ball. Mahomes scampered 11 yards into the end-zone giving the Chiefs the lead that they would never relinquish.
Two-teams, two approaches. One team ran the predictable play, One team used deception. These are the little things in football games, but they matter. This little detail is among the many reasons that these are the best-of-times for Chiefs Kingdom.
As we rise and shine and get ready to enjoy Super Bowl Sunday all day,
Our opponent, like the 1970 team faces a highly talented squad in the Philadelphia Eagles. I expect our team to find a way to neutralize Saquan. We have the best Defensive coordinator in the world, and we should be confident that he will find a way to slow down Saquan.
When the Chiefs have the ball, I’m curious how they will attack this talented Eagles defense. I have a feeling we may see a D-Hop moment. He has been quiet for quite some time. The Chiefs have featured Ju-Ju as a 3rd option during this playoff run. My thinking on the matter is that the unpredictable thing to do would be to unleash D-Hop in a game that he has waited for his whole life. This is going to be a blast. If we win, you will never forget the moment we witnessed a 3-peat. Enjoy the moment. As a sports fan of the Chiefs, these are the best of times. Let’s go!