I like morals.
I enjoy victories.
Put them together, and I've never been a big fan of the result.
So was the case immediately following the game on the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 16 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where the New England Patriots took down my hometown team, the Kansas City Chiefs, in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
What was there to be happy about? The team that I've cheered for my entire life, the team that seemed almost destined for a deep playoff run after everything they endured in the course of one season, the team that, similarly to the 2014 Kansas City Royals in October, seemed like they'd never lose again. That very team was suddenly done. Done, for the most part, in a very ugly way.
Tom Brady had his way early and often. The supposedly "unhealthy" Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman combined for 17 receptions for 183 yards and two scores. Marcus Peters and Ron Parker got picked on, a lot.
Kansas City had a horrible time trying to manage both the play clock and the game clock in both halves. Wasted timeouts, bad play calling, and an inability to get pressure on Brady made for a very frustrating performance to watch. On top of all that, Knile Davis fumbled the ball as soon as the Chiefs started to get going on offense, not to mention the defense uncharacteristically dropped multiple interceptions.
In these moments, we are overcome by emotions.
In these moments, we lose sight of the big picture.
By now, everyone has heard: the Kansas City Chiefs started the season at 1-5, a crap shoot. They lost their all-pro running back, Jamaal Charles, to a second career ACL tear. They couldn't score. They barely played defense. They were destined for a top five draft pick in 2016, a common theme (four from 2008-2013).
But you also know, that didn't happen. Instead, the Chiefs won a franchise record 11 straight games (including their first playoff victory in my entire LIFE) and made the playoffs. Football has been around since 1869. The NFL has existed since 1920. What Kansas City did (lose five games in a row, then win the next 10 in the same season) has only been done one other time. Ever.
I said I wasn't a fan of moral victories, but I am willing to give them a try.
This team gained something the past two weeks that it had been lacking: real playoff experience. Between injuries and miscues, they still managed to take the defending Superbowl champions all the way down to the wire. Now they know where to set the bar.
What happened in Foxborough may not have looked pretty.
What happened in Foxborough may have hurt.
But, this team will be better, and they will be back, all because of what happened in Foxborough.
