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All the arguments that have prevailed from summer to Christmas over the Kansas City Chiefs are now put to bed.
With the playoffs finally here, all the conjecture of the past five-plus months since the Chiefs broke training camp is history. All that matters are the Indianapolis Colts, and whether Kansas City can go on the road and win its first playoff game since January 1994.
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The Chiefs may appear to have a ton of baggage, with the ghosts of so many playoff defeats hanging over their collective heads. In reality, we the fans are the only people walking around with shoulders carrying chips of the days past. I can assure you, nobody on that team cares about The Kicker Who Shall Not Be Named or the 2003 defense.
It is a tired narrative to talk about how Kansas City is 0-3 all-time in playoff games against Indianapolis. None of these players care about the 1995 debacle or the 2003 shootout. These are two entirely different teams simply wearing the same uniforms.
This is a new season. It's a campaign with all the hopes and dreams of a franchise and a fan base at the end of the road should things go magically. Ultimately, the meaningful football is ahead of us, good or bad.
I can't speak for anybody but myself, but I'm going to let my fandom pour out this week. I'm going to live for the moment and enjoy these days. If last year's brutal experience taught me anything, it's that making the playoffs and having a shot at the ring should be cherished. So many fans are in despair right now, waiting for the draft to have hope.
We have hope right now. I'm going to enjoy that hope.
Kansas City is good enough to beat anybody. When you have Eric Berry, Dwayne Bowe, Derrick Johnson, Dontari Poe, Brandon Flowers, Tamba Hali, Justin Houston, Branden Albert, Charles and Smith, you have a chance. Of course, the playoffs and football in general can be fickle. The Chiefs could very easily be bounced in the first round, signaling another round of new questions about the future.
This week, the singular goal is to beat the Colts. Sure, the breakdown of anything and everything will come in the next few days, but the main point is to simply outplay them. Considering the talent level and coaching experience on each side, the Chiefs are the better team.
It needs to be proven Saturday.