With what the crazy year 2020 has already given us, let’s look back at the Chiefs season and dissect their highs and lows.
2020… it has been quite a year hasn’t it; from murder hornets to a global pandemic, who knows how worse it’ll get. For the sports world, their hopes can’t truly go up as much as people want as the seasons for each league are being blown to smithereens with games being canceled, fan attendance being cut, loss of profits, and so on. At least for Chiefs fans, we have something to be proud of and that was the Chiefs tremendous 2019-20 season that brought Kansas City their first Super Bowl ring in 50 years. While the future is looking grimmer by each passing week, let us relive this past season from the good, the bad, and the ugly to savor each moment again. We all need to smile each day :).
The Hot Start
To open up the 2019-20 season, the Chiefs, in their first four, went undefeated and achieved a 4-0 record. Watkins had an exciting game against the Jaguars by securing 198 receiving yards and three touchdowns, Mahomes launched four touchdowns in the second quarter against the Raiders to lead a 28-10 victory, the Chiefs put on an absolute show in Kansas City by defeating the insurmountable Ravens 33-28, and the Chiefs got out of a wild game against the Lions by a measly four-point window. Analysts and NFL fans from all over already had them as Super favorites. They couldn’t fathom for what would come next!
Hype Halt
Or so they thought. The Chiefs went on to lose two straight games that were one-score games and home games, which disappointed Chiefs fans from all over as they couldn’t understand what was truly happening. The first game was to the Indianapolis Colts which was due to brilliant play-calling from Frank Reich. He broke down the Chiefs’ high-powered offense and was able to find a way to halt them from advancing (which we honestly have to give props to). The second game was to the Houston Texans and let’s just say… I wanted to yank my eyes out. Mahomes threw a costly interception and lost a fumble, the defense player horribly, Butker missed a chip-shot field goal, and so on. It couldn’t get any worse… right?
October 17th, 2019: Reckoning Day
And it did… BY AN EXTREMELY LARGE MARGIN! On the Chiefs 7th game of the season, Patrick Mahomes- the savior of the franchise- went down with an atrocious injury; he had a dislocated knee. He would be expected to miss three to five weeks with severe signs of re-injury if he were to go out any earlier. This brought Chiefs fans Super Bowl chants to a screeching halt as now, who knows what can and possibly will happen with him out for those few weeks. With Matt Moore as our backup, a veteran who has had a tremendous amount of experience in the league, fans knew that they would be to win some games in Mahomes’s absence.
Matt Moore Leads the Charge
For the situation Moore was in, he did absolutely what was needed of him. He may have not had the most “impressive stats”, but he was able to lead the Chiefs to victory twice in the three games he played with the only loss being to the Green Bay Packers. At this point in time, the Chiefs were sitting at a 6-3 record; one record that no one would’ve predicted due to Mahomes’s startling injury. The Chiefs would announce his return to the field against a fierce Tennessee Titans team. Chiefs fans couldn’t stand by anymore as they eagerly cheered as Mahomes trotted onto Nissan Field to secure another bountiful victory…
Two Weeks Before Break
….and we lost again. Normally I would have some detailed explanation on why we lost or have some remarks, but NOPE. We should’ve won that game, but too many turnovers/mistakes occurred to the point where it was too tough to grasp. As the season went on the rate it was going, I just questioned myself, “What is happening? Has 2020 come early?” I just didn’t know what to think of the season as the Chiefs were now sitting at 6-4. Well, then they beat the Chargers and now they’re at 7-4 at least.
After Bye Beat-downs
The last five games were against lackluster opponents except for the New England Patriots who were led by future hall-of-famer Tom Brady. Before that game, the Chiefs annihilate the Raiders 40-9 to no one’s surprise; especially to Raiders fans that knew the outcome before the first whistle blew. Now, it was the Patriots turn to take on the Chiefs who they beat last time in an unfathomable fashion due to the offsides penalty by Chiefs former defensive-end Dee Ford. In the span of a balanced/gritty 60 minutes, the Chiefs came out on top, 23-16, to take revenge on the defending Super Bowl champions that luckily beat them last time in the AFC Championship. The last three games were smooth sailing from there as the Broncos, Bears, and Chargers were no match for the unyielding Chiefs squad.
AFC Playoffs: An Oddity In More Ways Than One
After achieving the 2nd seed in the playoffs, the Chiefs faced the Houston Texans in the divisional round. Many predicted this game to be somewhat close, but it turned into one of the oddest playoff games in recent NFL history. Firstly, the Texans take an insurmountable 24-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter. Then, in some surprising and exhilarating fashion that I thoroughly enjoyed watching, the Chiefs scored 41 unanswered points to turn the tide. Touchdown after touchdown was thrown to perfection by Patrick Mahomes which was the main aid to secure the Chiefs victory with the score of 51-31. This was by far one of the most memorable games I’ve experienced as a fan.
Up next in the AFC Championship game was the dominant Titans squad that defeated the Chiefs in their last bout. The Titans have defeated the Ravens and the Patriots as underdogs and now they’re looking to become the next underdog champions. In the middle of the 2nd quarter, the Chiefs were trailing 17-7, which for Mahomes and company wasn’t truly a challenge. They secured the lead with two more touchdowns to make it 21-17 at the half. After a dominant defensive presence and an astounding attack on the offensive side, the Chiefs won 31-21 and secured their ticket to the Super Bowl; something the Chiefs hadn’t seen in half a century.
Super Bowl 54: Perseverance Thrives
The day has finally arrived as Super Bowl 54 is here with the Chiefs taking on the 49ers. The first half itself held barely any excitement as both teams had unstoppable defensive schemes in the first half of play as the game was tied 10-10 by the end of it. The second half is where it truly got exciting as now late in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs were trailing 20-10 with the odds stacked against them. Turnovers throughout the game were costly as it was the main reason why the Chiefs were chained up in this predicament in the first place. Then, the comeback begins as Mahomes leads an 83-yard drive that led to a 1-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce. The next touchdown was scored with a little before the two-minute warning as Damien Williams caught a 5-yard pass for six. The Chiefs now have the lead 24-20 with 2:44 remaining in the game. Now, the defense has just forced a turnover-on-downs and within just two plays, Damien Williams rushes for 38-yards for the touchdown to seal it all away (the defense forced an interception on the next drive for the icing on the cake).
As the clock ticked to zero, the Chiefs were now Super Bowl champions after 50 years of absolute struggle and perseverance. At least we can say this was one great achievement that came out of this horrendous year. Thanks for reading and have an awesome day!
