FanPost

January and Everything After

To look back on the 2015 Chiefs season is to do so with emotions some of us haven't felt in a long time, if ever. For me, it went all over the place; a win over Houston that the score suggests was closer than it was, disappointment that we couldn't close the deal against Denver, then watching the season spiral out of control when we were humiliated on Monday Night Football.

Then again, at the Bengals.

Then again, against the Bears.

Then again, at the Vikings.

Some had predicted that the season would be saved no matter what because of the strong second half schedule. "If we're 2-4," they said, "it'll be okay because the back end is so favorable it can pick us up. If we start fast, even better." I have to be honest, while the encouragement was valid, I didn't see it holding much truth. I didn't see us losing to the Broncos, Bears, or Vikings. I expected a strong start because this team was too talented. There was no reason for them to let me down. When the Chiefs started 1-5, I couldn't believe it. They had said there was something special about this group. They'd acquired weapons on offense and defense. It was time to make a statement to the league. Instead, it looked like they were content with their goals just beyond their fingertips.

I'd forgotten the prophecy. Please allow me one moment to applaud those who saw the future and spoke the truth, because holy cow. You were right.

A 1-5 start is one thing. A 1-5 start when you lose your All-Pro RB to the second ACL injury of his career? If you had told me in that moment, staring at my computer screen with my hands covering my mouth, that we were going to win every game for the rest of the season and a playoff game along with it, I would have said you were insane. I had no clue, absolutely none, how we were going to survive without Jamaal Charles. Once upon a time we managed to do it and squeaked out 7 wins, but that team was far less talented, and the competition within the division was far inferior.

To do what the Chiefs have done, well... it's unheard of. The last time a team started 1-5 and made the playoffs was in 1970. Football is such a short season that there's little room for error anywhere. One fumble, one injury, one loss can shape everything. To display such mental toughness and shake out the cobwebs, expect more of yourself, and deliver is so rare and so valuable.

Allow me to clarify this a little: there are six seeds in the football playoffs - four division champions, and two wild card teams. The four division winners are seeded according to record, and the wild card winners are teams that have the second best records in their divisions. (This is how a division winner can be 9-7 and a wild card team be 11-5.) Tiebreakers are based first on head-to-head matchups, then division records, and finally conference records.

For example, let's say Red Team and Blue Team play in the same division and both end their seasons with 12-4 records. They tied in their head-to-head meetings, went 5-1 against the division, but Blue Team won a game against an AFC opponent, while Red Team won a game against an NFC opponent. Since they both play in the AFC, Blue Team wins the division by that one detail alone.

You see how it can seem grim when you start 1-5? The rest of the league gets a great head start on you, and if you're struggling to catch up, you have to hope that a lot of luck can swing your way. That was 2015 for the Chiefs. When you lose 5 games, you have little-to-no room for error. With 6 losses you might be able to make it. 7 would almost certainly leave you on the outside looking in. They couldn't afford to mess this up if they wanted to turn their season around. History said it wasn't likely.

Kansas City sports is earning a reputation for defying history, from the unpopular small ball approach of the World Champion Royals to the simplistic offense the Chiefs used to start a 10-game winning streak. You're not supposed to be able to pick yourself back up after you lose your star. A rookie corner isn't supposed to be a game-changer so quickly.

See what I'm getting at? This season is something to be proud of simply because of how, in 16 weeks, the perception of the Chiefs changed dramatically. High expectations clashed with disappointment and paved the way to realistic expectations. The 2015 Chiefs made the playoffs and did something no other Chiefs team has done since 1993 - win a playoff game.

Now they find themselves with a goal that is very real and very much in sight. Fans will no longer settle for a playoff win. They may have ended their season in the backyard of the defending Super Bowl champions, but they did so without four of their key players and still kept the game within one score. The Chiefs are now in position to fight for their division next year, earn a home playoff game, and a possible bye week to go with it. They're still missing some pieces, and free agents will have to be addressed this offseason, but after the year they've just had, optimism should be through the roof. After all, you don't win 11 straight games after starting 1-5 by accident.

It can be easy to take the loss to the Patriots hard, and in some ways that's justified. Schemes seemed too cute, press coverage came and went even though it worked, and there will be lingering conversations about clock management and how to fix it. The AFC in general was pretty soft this year, and if there was any time for the Chiefs to take advantage and attack, this would have been it. The thing is, when you're close and in your third year with a specific GM/head coach/QB combo, the expectation for that third year is a playoff win or two. Some teams are incredibly lucky and manage to earn a Super Bowl berth earlier than that, but it's very rare. The Chiefs are right where they need to be.

I'll be remembering this season fondly for a long time. Hopefully, one of these days, we can point to this season and this team as the group that started it all.



This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.