Given the results of the 2018-19 season, is it reasonable to expect the Kansas City Chiefs to go all the way in order to be considered a success and not merely a flash in the pan?
The 2018-19 season for the Kansas City Chiefs ended in a disappointing overtime loss to the New England Patriots in the conference final. Despite the loss, fans were excited because the team had advanced further than previous postseasons. If you’re not sure why this past season was important to Chiefs fans, just keep in mind two things.
First of all, the last conference championship game the Chiefs played was in 1993 against the Buffalo Bills.
Second, the last time the Chiefs were in the Super Bowl was in 1970 against the Minnesota Vikings.
For Chiefs fans, it’s been year after year of either not making the playoffs, or making the playoffs only to lose. The postseason has always been like you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop because while the team has been successful enough to make it into the playoffs, it’s just been accepted that they would probably lose anyway. No matter how loud you yell in support of them.
A more apt description of the feeling would be more like a “here we go again” muttered under your breath, with an eye roll thrown in for good measure.
Though it’s hard to get over pessimistic feelings about the Chiefs, here we are today with Chiefs fever going on. We probably have Patrick Mahomes to thank for this new way of thinking, more than anything else. However, one could make the case that the seeds of hope were planted the day Andy Reid took the helm as head coach. No matter the genesis of the hope for the future, it seems to have taken root again in the hearts of fans.
The narrative that must be set going forward is one of an improved defense, while making sure there’s no setback to the offense. We can mourn the loss of Eric Berry, Dee Ford, and Justin Houston, but we can also celebrate the arrival of Tyrann Mathieu, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Blake Bell. Mix in the talent from the draft picks and free agency, and you have a team that will continuously show fans and rivals alike that they are here to stay.
To outsiders, or those not paying attention, it may seem like the Chiefs suddenly came out of nowhere. The truth is, they’ve always been an okay team with good players. The Chiefs have never been a flash in the pan, nor are they now. They’ve always shown flashes of greatness, but never on a consistent basis. They showed more consistency this past season, despite what you might say about the defense. If nothing else, you can say the defense was consistently not as great as it could have been.
Over the next few years, we’re going to see a team destined to make their own greatness, if they have the courage and determination to press on and not let the past bog them down.
Success in the 2019-20 season will depend on whose definition you go with: the fans, the Chiefs, or everyone else.
