[ad_1]
Defending a championship is difficult in any professional sport. In a world filled with alpha athletes, you become the hunted, the one against which other great teams and players – all of whom are by nature much more competitive than you or I might even dream of – compete against.
Nowhere is this more evident than the NFL, by far the most physical team sport in America. And 16 games of being chased, getting the best shot from the other guys, it’s… well, exhausting. Especially in today’s game, where players have never been bigger, stronger and faster.
That’s just one of the reasons we haven’t seen an NFL team win back-to-back championships since the 2003-04 Patriots. It’s just so difficult in the NFL, where parity reigns supreme.
Entering the 2020 season, the The Kansas City Chiefs had the best repeat chance of any team in recent memory. They have a Hall of Fame coach (Andy Reid), a generational quarterback with proven post-season chops resembling Michael Jordan (Patrick Mahomes) and, oh yeah, 18 return starters from last year’s Super Bowl-winning group.
Their continuity was also manifested throughout a 14-2 regular season, as they rode on the “that’s why we’re the f *** ing champions” swagger – embodied in the feeling of the Kansas City’s inevitable victory in every game. were close – to a degree we haven’t seen since the 2004 Patriots and 1998 Broncos, two back-to-back champions who also went 14-2.
As the Chiefs tick all the boxes for a back-to-back contender, there is one more item they need, one that was tested on Sunday and will continue. And this is luck.
No team can win anything big without some element of it, especially in a league where game-changing injuries lurk at every turn. Neither the ’98 Broncos nor the ’04 Patriots would have won anything in those years if their starting quarterbacks, Tom Brady and John Elway, got injured in the playoffs.
On Sunday, the chefs’ sense of destiny was put to the test. Although they were mindful of business in the divisional round, retaining a 22-17 victory over an ascendant Cleveland team with a bright future, they had to survive late without Mahomes, who left the game in the third quarter all. being assessed for a concussion and was ultimately ruled out for the remainder of the game.
“He got hit in the back of the head and kind of knocked the wind out,” Reid told reporters afterwards. “He’s doing really well right now, which is really positive, made all the deals he needed to get through, so we’ll see where that goes.”
When he was in a rush for more, Reid added, “I just spoke to him – he’s fine. We will see how he is tomorrow but for the moment he is feeling good. “
What does that mean for Mahomes’ availability next Sunday against Buffalo in the AFC Championship game? Who knows. He got up suddenly suddenly before rushing to the locker room. Reid and his teammates didn’t look devastated during Zoom’s playoff calls, for what it’s worth.
If there’s a way for Mahomes to play, he will. The word “warrior” has been used to describe him by those who know him – he is proud to play against pain – and Mahomes tweeted a lot after the game, an indication that hopeful people will perceive him to be feeling good.
So now Kansas City is anxiously awaiting word on Mahomes status. If the news is good and Mahomes can play against the Bills, this news will be considered the last adversity they overcame on their journey. Along with how the Chiefs found a way to win Sunday without him, thanks to some smart play calls from Reid, some brave play by substitute Chad Henne and a defense that escalated.
If it turns out that way, no one from the Chiefs – or Chiefs fans, for that matter – should take it for granted. The only thing harder than winning a Super Bowl is winning two in a row, and to do that a team needs talent, good coaching and luck, especially the variety of injuries.
Very soon, we’ll find out if the chefs have enough of this final ingredient to dodge a few more bullets on their march to the story.
Learn more about Yahoo Sports:
[ad_2]
Source link