Well the Patriots' route wasn't either, if I recall correctly. They made hay with a robust middle class. An underpaid Brady helped, but they weren't living off of rookie contracts (which, as you mention, is only slightly less sustainable than free agents).
Only 3, but I can't help but wonder how big that next play weighs into that 3 points. No way of ever knowing for sure, but does Gay get a 40 FG attempt without the Ward penalty?
It’s now funny to me as someone who been a 49ers and Red Sox fan since probably 1979, which one is the reliable one and which one serves me heaps of heartbreak.
Good point. The Patriots are an obvious exception to every rule there is, but it seems like teams like Baltimore - that draft really really well - have pretty good long term success. But I get that in the NFL, success is fleeting.
It's kind of funny, but for all the talk about the Ravens being some model franchise of success, it helps to know that in the 9 seasons since they beat the 49'ers in the Super Bowl, they've yet to return to the AFCCG, and have missed the playoffs altogether in 5 of those seasons, with one 5-11 season thrown in for good measure.
Right. But in that stretch of time they've almost never been BAD. One 5-11 disaster, and this year's 8-9 season, but otherwise .500 or better each of the other seven seasons. Plus four 10-win seasons in there. Just goes to show you how damned hard it is to win it ALL.
Why wouldn’t you break that into ‘first four’ and ‘last seven’, especially because those were each one full half? They didn’t convert on the fourth possession but it was after that that their offense forgot how to play football.I have to confess to indulging in a little chiefsplanet reading this morning.
KC's first three possessions yesterday:
11 plays, 84 yards, TD
7 plays, 75 yards, TD
8 plays, 72 yards, TD
KC's last eight possessions yesterday:
7 plays, 80 yards, run out of time at the Cincy goal line (didn't seem big at the time but turned out to be HUGE)
5 plays, 16 yards, punt
5 plays, 17 yards, punt
2 plays, 7 yards, INT
3 plays, -2 yards, punt
3 plays, -4 yards, punt
14 plays, 49 yards, FG
3 plays, 0 yards, INT
So first three possessions: 26 plays, 231 yards (8.9 yds/play), 3 TD.
Last eight possessions: 42 plays, 163 yards (3.9 yds/play), 1 FG, 4 punts, 2 turnovers, one possession running out of time
I mean, I don't really know what happened, or how Cincinnati did it, but that's one hell of a turnaround by them on D, and one hell of a gag job by KC on offense.
There's a chunk of people over there who are apparently convinced that Patrick Mahomes is on the take and blew the game following direct orders from the NFL to throw the game.I have to confess to indulging in a little chiefsplanet reading this morning.
KC's first three possessions yesterday:
11 plays, 84 yards, TD
7 plays, 75 yards, TD
8 plays, 72 yards, TD
KC's last eight possessions yesterday:
7 plays, 80 yards, run out of time at the Cincy goal line (didn't seem big at the time but turned out to be HUGE)
5 plays, 16 yards, punt
5 plays, 17 yards, punt
2 plays, 7 yards, INT
3 plays, -2 yards, punt
3 plays, -4 yards, punt
14 plays, 49 yards, FG
3 plays, 0 yards, INT
So first three possessions: 26 plays, 231 yards (8.9 yds/play), 3 TD.
Last eight possessions: 42 plays, 163 yards (3.9 yds/play), 1 FG, 4 punts, 2 turnovers, one possession running out of time
I mean, I don't really know what happened, or how Cincinnati did it, but that's one hell of a turnaround by them on D, and one hell of a gag job by KC on offense.
That's fine. If you break it up that way:
Sort of a wild turnaround for Taylor, who was on a lot of "coaches likely to be fired" lists in the preseason.
Guess they weren’t paying attention a month ago when they lost to this same team in nearly the exact same way.
I mean, to be honest, the thought crossed my mind, not the NFL orders part, but he played like such shit in the second half and at times seemed to be trying to lose the game.
Reading through there today and seeing a thread proclaiming that Reid is better than BB because of Brady and then that Brady only won because of an elite defensive is a special kind of pretzel logic.
Another few thought Mahomes must have been concussed, maybe bringing down BJ Hill after the big guy's interception late in the third quarter. Mahomes didn't look right well before that though. ChiefsPlanet members sure do turn vicious toward everyone in a game gone bad, including Mahomes, Andy Reid, and other posters. Yeesh.
I liked the initial grouping. Stunning.
Patriots only lost one home conference championship game in the Belichick era to the Ravens.
I feel like Cinci made an adjustment or otherwise were more conscious of not biting on those spin moves he does. He just couldn't get outside because the edge guys didn't over-commit to going for the sack. I think he was hoping to make a play just like the one where he found Hill in the first half, which was remarkable. At the end of the day, I think he's a bit too in love with making the highlight reel play, and yesterday it bit him in the ass.
Oh the other one was a divisional game. I'm all messed up. Let me do this again.
Most people do. They actually had the lead in the 4th quarter in that game.
He Favred the fuck out of those end of regulation plays. Well, not completely, Brett would have sailed one of those passes for a game-ending INT.
Reminds of the Pats in 2006. The circumstances of the divisional game weren't quite the same (Buf/KC was an evenly matched historic game with a roller coaster at the end while NE/SD was an upset on the road with one incredible play that flipped defeat to victory), but losing the AFC title game the following week by blowing identical 21-3 leads...if the Pats had gone on to win the super bowl in 2006, that Chargers divisional game would be viewed alongside the tuck rule game and the ravens comeback game as the best divisional games of the dynasty. Instead it's just another win, barely more relevant than an exciting regular season game. Too bad for them.
In fairness to Mahomes it seemed like he was kind of on his own at the end of regulation. Romo kept talking about managing the clock so the Chiefs basically score a TD with no time left for the Bengals - I wonder how much this impacted Reid's decision making, where they were so focused on that part that they gave shorter shrift to play calling and execution. It looked like the Chiefs could have had a TD with about 1:20 on the clock but they started messing around.
I haven't looked at the replays or film breakdowns of the most important late-game plays, but several game thread posters commented that he had a guy or two wide open on that last drive in regulation. I think he was honestly spooked by his second-half inaccuracy and the awful passes he was throwing.
I said at the time they got too cute. They ran a pretty lackluster running play on first down, I don't think they were trying to score on that play, just get it a little closer and keep the clock running. They were probably trying to score on 2nd down but I do think they were still trying to use clock as well. It was 2nd and goal from the four, seems like they could have done something creative with motion or a shovel pass or something rather than a straight drop back. 3rd and goal from the 9 is tougher but that play was an abject disaster and they are lucky they didn't lose the Mahomes fumble. I actually thought the Bengals should have let them score on first down, they would have gotten the ball back with about 1:20 left down 4. Shows you what I know.
Should be 7 home, right? 6-1 at home, 3-3 on the road? (win @ KC, PItt x2, loss @ Indy, Denver x2)
I thought this too, and it's kind of stunning how over the span of four plays you go from thinking this to witnessing the Chief's kicker have to execute a mid-range field goal just to tie the game. It just seems like when you start asking an offense to go against what it normally does (score whenever you can), you are adding an element of discomfort that messes with things. It's why hail marys and onside kicks work - in those situations kick return teams and defenses are being asked to do something that they obviously practice from time to time but it's different and players can get glitchy.
Alternatively, onside kicks and hail marys work rarely and when they do, it's usually random and the result of luck.
Has the purposely letting the other team score strategy ever worked? I can't recall a single instance where that has worked (not saying it hasn't I just can't recall it.) I think the big flaw is what Romo brought up where the offensive player goes down at the one.
Going from memory here, but I'm shocked they didn't score on that play. I believe it was some sort of rub/pick to open up Kelce in the left flat and it worked for a split second but Mahomes didn't pull the trigger. The Cinci D really made some heads-up plays in the second half.
I'm not sure it has ever worked. The defense would have to essentially pull or push the ball carrier into the endzone to avoid the kneel at the 1 scenario.
It worked last year. Falcons down 16-14 to the Lions with just over a minute left, Lions try to let Falcons score, Todd Gurley tries to go down at one but falls in for the touchdown, Lions drive down and score to win 23-22
Wait, what? I wasn't listening to Romo. But is he suggesting the player would go down at the one on purpose when they are down by 3? Seems terribly risky to me. You have a chance to go up 4, you take it. You'd have to be pretty damn sure you could score on one of the next 2 plays. I don't see a RB or team doing that.
Way too risky. Pats were in a similar situation vs Seattle in 2016. Down 7 though, but 2nd and 3rd and goal from like the 2 with under a minute to play. They kind of got cute and tried to but didn’t try to score with a sneak. Then they ended up failing to score and losing. They seemed to have adjusted based on this in the Super Bowl when they didn’t dink around and just scored to tie it asap without regard for burning clock.
TBH, I'm not 100% sure what his point was. I think what he started out saying was that if you're Cincy you want to let them score, but the danger would be KC downing themselves at the one and then he directly contradicted himself by saying if you're Cincy you definitely want to keep them out of the end zone.
