Kansas City: It's Your Heart to Break

The Kansas City Chiefs are the only undefeated team remaining.

Mid-way through the season they find themselves standing at 8-0, just a few months removed from finishing a league-worst 2-14. Their tale of redemption, intertwined with the union of embattled coach Andy Reid and discarded QB Alex Smith, form a wonderful narrative for sports journalists to continuously exaggerate. Many Kansas City fans are riding the wave of success and public enthusiasm, and no doubt, all around the Missouri border, people are whispering "This could be our year!"

Be careful, Kansas City.

A glimpse at the Chiefs' resume yields some troubling insight.

The list of the vanquished includes the winless Jags; a Giants team that hung there with them for six weeks; and an Eagles team that has failed to score an offensive touchdown in their last two games. Other mid-grade teams have caught Kansas City at unfavorable times. Three of Kansas City's wins came against teams starting a back-up quarterback-- Houston, Cleveland, and Tennessee-- and were squeaked out by an average margin of less than one score each. Their only win over a team that currently holds a winning record was the Cowboys, and when Tony Romo's propensity for blowing the game is factored, that victory could be declared fool's gold, at best.

Andy Reid has the team ranked number one in the league, and Alex Smith, since 2011, has the highest winning percentage among active quarterbacks-- ahead of Brady, Brees, Manning, and even Rodgers. Both left their former teams with something to prove, and both appear to be flourishing in their new home. But they also share the habit of losing NFC Championships (except, of course, in 2004 when Andy Reid was lucky enough to lose the Superbowl).

Kansas City was also praised for a dominant performance over the Raiders in which they recorded ten sacks. By halftime, every Oakland offensive lineman was playing a position different to the one he started the season at. With a makeshift line, first year starting QB Terrelle Pryor was unable to effectively audible and call blocking schemes, a task complicated also by the fact the Kansas City fans were breaking the Guinness Record for loudest sports crowd at the time. The Chief's defense enjoyed it as much as the crowd did.

If that's not a dedicated fan base, I don't know what is!

Yes I do. 

And can you really blame them? The Chiefs have finished in last place in their division 4 out of the last 5 years. They have missed the playoffs 12 out of the last 15 years. So its no surprise that the recent success has Kansas City tasting something extra sweet in their barbecue sauce.

They have a defense that leads the league in sacks and boasts a turnover ratio of +12. They have Alex Smith and his inexplicable winning percentage. And they have other reasons that lead many to see the Chiefs as legitimate contenders this year. But I'm not one of them.


If you want to believe in the Chiefs, go ahead. It's your heart to break.

Just don't cry to me when they lose to Denver in the playoffs.