"What chance do you think they have of coming back and winning this? What percent?" my friend Ethan asked.
"One," I responded. It was early in the second quarter, and they were down 24-0. Nothing was going right. Players were dropping passes, fumbling punts, getting punts blocked, blowing coverages, missing blocks. It was the worst possible start you could imagine.
I thought about it for a moment, then continued. "But they have Mahomes, so really, ninety-nine percent."
See, there's something special about this kid. The Chiefs haven't lost a game by more than seven points since he took over two years ago. So a 24-point deficit with more than 40 minutes of clock left didn't feel insurmountable the way it did before. In fact, coming back didn't even feel improbable. It almost felt expected.
We were hosting a playoff watch party at our house. We were all sitting there - dejected, quiet, shocked. A few things were said - "What is happening? I can't believe this. What is wrong with them? I don't understand what I'm watching." But the words "Game over" were never uttered. We've all seen Mahomes enough to know that hope is never lost when he's in the game.
So, we tried some of the typical things that sports fans try when things aren't going their way. Superstitions that we try to convince ourselves actually affect the outcomes of games. Turn hats around. Change hats. Switch seats. My daughters even got in on the act. They made little flags that said, "Go Chiefs!" and told us to wave them around. My six-year-old found a Chiefs jersey and hat to put on. Beaming with pride, she showed me her outfit and crawled into my lap.
When Mecole Hardman sparked the team with a long kick return, the energy returned to the room. Moments later, Mahomes threw a strike to Damien Williams to get the Chiefs on the board. The room erupted in celebration. I've never seen people so excited about a touchdown that resulted in their team still being down by 17 points. But I felt it, and I think a lot of us did. This was the beginning of the comeback.
I told my daughter she had to stay in my lap. We all admonished each other not to move from the seats in which we sat during the touchdown or change anything at all. We had to cling to what we had. Our fortunes were changing.
On the ensuing drive, the Texans inexplicably called a fake punt from their own 31-yard line, which Daniel Sorensen snuffed out perfectly. Houston coach Bill O'Brien later admitted that he didn't feel any lead was safe against the Chiefs, and said they felt like they needed to score 50 points to win. (Spoiler alert: even 50 points wouldn't have been enough.)
It took the Chiefs fewer than 30 seconds to score again. Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for a short touchdown. Kelce spiked the ball with authority. Arrowhead went berserk, as did everyone in the room at our party. I ran around the room holding my daughter in one arm while high-fiving everyone with the other. She asked me if I could carry her with one hand again later. I told her I would next time I scored.
On the ensuing kickoff, Sorensen came up huge again, popping the ball right into teammate Darwin Thompson's arms. A couple plays later, I was running around with a child in one arm again as Mahomes connected with Kelce.
The Chiefs had to actually work for the next one, starting from their own 10-yard-line. No problem. Mahomes orchestrated a masterful 90-yard drive, and hit Kelce for a touchdown for the third straight drive. In ten minutes of game time, the Chiefs had transformed a 24-point deficit into a 4-point lead.
At this point, Kansas City had broken the will and spirit of the Houston Texans. There was no coming back from this catastrophe. The Chiefs continued to dominate the remainder of the game, scoring touchdowns on an astonishing seven consecutive drives. Ethan joked that we needed to outline the positions of all the chairs in our living room in tape so we could put them in the exact same spots next week. Or maybe he wasn't joking.
I knew we had them right where we wanted them after the first quarter . I did not waiver. In gdt i said we can put up 24 points in any quarter although I was wrong we put up 28 points in the second quarter. [Reply]
I was infuriated, barely able to reply to family and friends texting me about being down 21 and then 24 points... but at NO point did I ever consider turning the channel, not with Mahomes at the helm
I’ve never had that kind of confidence in this team, not even during the Montana years
To quote the Joker “you’ve (#15) changed things” [Reply]
Originally Posted by TLO:
When we stopped the fake punt I was sure we were coming back.
When they fumbled the kickoff - I was certain.
My thoughts exactly. When they took the field goal instead of going for it there was a glimmer of hope. When they stopped the fake punt I knew in my heart we were coming back, when they fumbled there was no doubt.
I was numb. Completely numb. I wasn't upset when we were down, but I was resigned to the fact that our season was about to end. My wife is 7.5 months pregnant with our first and I started to think about shifting every bit of my energy in that direction. It brought me some peace and serenity.
I was at the game with Clay, Rabble, 007, and Stevie, and we were all like, "WTF is going in here?" Hardman had the great return and everyone cheered, but it felt kinda hollow. Mahomes strikes with a TD two plays later and the crowd erupts. I still felt kinda empty and said I thought we had some hope if we were down by 2 TDs at the half. Rabble said, "They're gonna put up 28pts in the second quarter like they did against the Raiders." We hugged and I dreamed of that outcome.
I was listening to it at my mom's house. You know, with the TV on while I fixed stuff. Every so often I'd step into the other room and catch HOU blocking a punt or a replay of them scoring.
When it was 21-0 my brother called. "Hey, what the hell are they doing? I thought you said the Chiefs were going to win this one easy." I masterfully managed to not throw my phone through my mom's window.
Then I said, "you know, the Chiefs scored 28 on the Raiders in week 2 in the 2nd quarter, without Tyreek or Fisher. I think they're still in it. There's plenty of time."
And then it began. When I heard the TV announce that the Chiefs had just scored twice in 2 minutes, I took a 'break' and watched most of the 2nd. Saw them score 3 TDs in 3 minutes and change. Score again to finish the half.
My brother texted me about two minutes later: "Yep, you're right. he's a mutant." [Reply]
I knew the Texans had just lost the game when O'Brien didn't go for it on 4th & 1. Being a (former) Chargers fan gives you a sixth sense when it comes to epic chokejobs.
When you're up against a player as amazing as Mahomes, you have to keep pouring it on as much as possible if you want to win, plain and simple. [Reply]
I too was in despair, but I too said outloud we scored 28 in the second quarter against the Faid, we can do it here. Did I believe it? Not at the time. The the Mecole return and the TD, then the fumble and short TD, and lo...we were only down by 10. I knew we were going to win.
I did doubt. But I never missed a minute of that game. [Reply]
Originally Posted by TLO:
I never gave up hope. There were many in discord chat that were doom and gloom (looking at you Glory Dayz, and Pete - amongst others).
Never lost faith. Never will as long as we have Mahomes.