Ten Things About Today’s Divisional Playoff: KC 22 CLE 17

10. I’m the ultimate tree hugger. I’ve mentioned in previous Ten Things that I live in the house I grew up in. Stately Wayne Minor has always been home. And I have game day rituals that go back to when I watched games with my dad in the 1970s. When we get up first thing, Chiefs flag gets flown from the front porch. We set the recorder to tape the game. And I still have coffee in my special Chiefs cup used only on Game Day. And I have Chiefs PTSD bad. I won’t run down all the heartbreaking playoff loss scenarios we’ve all died in. You all know them. So today I put on my Chiefs Zubas, Mahomes Jersey and the Red Chiefs Hat I usually wear when I go to Arrowhead. Since its 2021 Covid playoffs, a fire goes into the fireplace, and Mitch and Danan Hughes go on the radio. I tell you all this, because my dad was incredibly superstitious. In close games in the fourth quarter, he thought if he watched, the team would lose. So when things got tight, he’d leave the house and walk down to the lake at the bottom of the hill from our house. He’d walk around the block, and for some weird reason, it would work more often that not. I do something similar. When I’m at the game in person, I never get too rattled. I’m in it and cool no matter what. When the game is on TV, I have to ignore them to make them win. Today after the Henne pick, I went into the kitchen and unloaded the dishwasher. Peeked into the living room around the two minute warning. Went downstairs and stripped off my Chiefs gear and did some laundry, and when I peeked again Andy Reid was shaking hands with Kareem Hunt and the game was over. I don’t know why it works. But it works. This one was a hand and foot biter, and it’s a good thing I’m on blood pressure meds, and can watch the fourth quarter on my Tivo without having a stroke.

9. It’s amazing that with Mahomes going out in the middle of the third quarter, the Chiefs were able to hold on and win. Offense only scored three points in the second half, gave up 14 and still managed to win. Besides the concussion, I worry about Mahomes toe. I haven’t heard any follow up on that injury. He tweaked it right into the start of the second quarter. It’s also a curious call that EB would allow him to run for a first down on the concussion play. Seems like a dangerous call to put Mahomes in that position when he’s certainly not moving at his regular speed. After his quick comeback from the knee injury last year, I’m confident that he’ll be ready to play next week against Buffalo. He simply has to play for this team to have a chance.

8. Even though Mahomes missed a quarter and a half of the game, he still out passed Baker Brownout. Mahomes threw for 51 more yards, threw for a TD and rushed for another, threw no picks. Both QBs were sacked once, but it seemed like Baker was running for his life a lot more often and throwing balls away. He did make a few nice throws to Njoku, but the best tight end on the field was Kelce, who had 50 more yards receiving. Mahomes also passed Len Dawson for total yards passing in playoff action. Pretty amazing that he did it in only three years.

7. Kelce is from Cleveland, and you know his homies were watching. Kelce and Hill had over 100 yards receiving each. Kelce chipped in a beautiful diving TD and Hill had the final clutch catch on fourth down to ice the game. Williams out rushed Chubb. Both had 13 carries and Williams had nine more yards. Kareem “Kick Her When She’s Down” Hunt did squat in the first half, and had one TD in the second half but only rushed for 32 yards. If this was personal, he has a funny way of showing it. It was personal for us too. He’s going home now.

6. Honey Badger was great today and earned his pay. He led the team with seven tackles and had the only pick. Baker doesn’t throw many picks, but this one should have turned the game momentum. Browns had won their last seven games when they had the advantage of turnover ratio. Today it was Browns 2, KC 1. And they lose.

5. The biggest turnover was the play inside two minutes in the first half where the Browns Higgins dove for the pylon and got smacked by Dirty Dan. Cleveland fans are crying helmet to helmet hit, and it may have been. But Higgins should have been smart and went down on the two yard line. He lost the ball and with around 90 seconds left, Mahomes marches down and gets one more field goal to go up 19-3 at half. That’s a ten point turnaround, and was the real turning point in the game. Speaking of field goals…

4. Butthead Kicker did his best “Kicker Who Will Remain Nameless” impersonation. Those four points - a missed extra point and a missed 33 yard field goal- were an elephant in the room for a good part of the game. The first extra point miss blunted our momentum coming out of the first drive. The missed field goal was following Honey Badger’s pick starting the second half. Cleveland got the ball back and marched down and got a TD on a pass to Jarvis Landry. That’s giving that ten point swing at the end of the first half right back. I can’t figure why Buttkicker can nail a 50 yard field goal on a windy day and badly miss an extra point? Looked like the snap and hold may not have been real good, but no excuse on missing the 33 yarder. He better get his shit together, or we’ll be looking for the next whiz kid place kicker out of college next season. We’ve seen this movie before.

3. Andy Reid said in the post game presser that Henne’s pick was his call. Seemed like Henne should have thrown that puppy into the cheap seats (well, actually NONE of the seats were cheap today). Henne did have a nice scramble -we got screwed on the spot- and then made a clutch throw on the fourth and one to Hill. Balls the size of small dogs on Reid to call that play, and Henne put it right on the money. Having him play in the season finale against the Bolts was a blessing in disguise. If he hadn’t had any recent game experience, he may have folded up. He had just enough to hold the fort, which we’ve seen time and time again this season.

2. Kudos to some unsung heroes. Williams for tough running. He did as well or maybe better than CEH would have done today. Kudos to Sneed, who got the only sack and was very good in coverage. Kudos to Remmers who sucked it up and played when he was on the questionable list for illness. Kudos to Hardman who filled in well for Watkins. I hope Watkins plays next week. I think he would relish a chance to play against Buffalo, the team that originally drafted him.

1. Biggest kudos to Andy Reid for reaching the Eighth Conference Championship Game of his career, and for the third straight year the Chiefs are playing at home with a chance to go to the Super Bowl. Think about how amazing that is! I was thinking last night when Lamar Jackson got concussed in Buffalo, that was EXACTLY what happened to Joe Montana in 1993. Then Patrick got knocked out today. I’m sure he’ll play next Sunday. Dude is a gamer. And I relish the opportunity to get even with Buffalo for 1993. This is EXACTLY that scenario in reverse. We’re the team with the playoff experience, and Buffalo will be on the road in a hostile environment. Buffalo made the playoffs last year and lost; then won two straight playoff games at home this year. I think they’re happy to be coming here just like Tennessee was last season. But Arrowhead now under Mahomes is different. The only Championship game we lost here was to Brady in OT. Early weather reports say we might have rain or snow and below freezing weather. It’s a 5pm kickoff, so it will be dark, cold and wet. It was dark, cold and wet when be played them in game six in Buffalo and beat them down. As long as we have Mahomes, I like our chances a lot. Survive and advance baby. Survive and advance. And wear gloves to save your fingernails. We’re just one more Arrowhead win away from going back to Florida in February. Let’s get it done.
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