8-0 changes everything.
Before the season began, expectations for the 2-14 Kansas
City Chiefs varied greatly amongst the organizations’ fan base. But nobody thought the team would be 8-0 or
in first place in the AFC West headed into Week 9. Expectations are different now.
2-14 is a distant memory when you’re 8-0. But 8-0 is a distant memory after a playoff
loss. 8-0 is gone and forgotten. Nobody cares.
That is why, for the 2013 Chiefs, it is now Super Bowl or
bust. Nothing less than a Lombardi
trophy makes this season memorable or celebration-worthy. 8-0 changed things that dramatically.
Sure, before the season started, Chiefs fans would have
looked at an 8-8 finish with a hint of optimism. Even if they had finished 9-7 and lost in the
Wild Card playoffs, fans could head into the offseason content to see the new
regime had had a noticeable impact. They
could be somewhat happy to finish above .500.
After all, what more could you possibly expect from a team who won only
two games the previous season and finished with the worst record in the NFL? Chiefs fans wanted to see any amount of
improvement and “baby steps” (losing in the first round of the playoffs) would
have been welcomed with open arms (by some, but not all).
It’s different now.
The Chiefs are undefeated and in first place. Losing in the playoffs would sting in a way
that, unfortunately, too many Chiefs fans are all too familiar. According to Sam Farmer of the LA Times, only
20 teams in NFL history have started 8-0.
12 of them made it to the Super Bowl and 8 of them won it. 40% of all 8-0 teams won the Super Bowl, and
100% of them expected to win it. Why should things be any different for the
2013 Chiefs? They are 8-0 now; they are
not the same 2-14 team from last year who would be happy to squeak into the
playoffs at 9-7 and go into the offseason with a moral victory. There are no moral victories for 8-0
teams. Win the Super Bowl, or this 2013
season is a failure.
My Twitter mentions (@JimScheffres) seem to suggest that so
many Chiefs fans are just content with a quick turnaround and are too busy
celebrating 8-0 to even think about the playoffs. This mindset baffles me and to a certain
extent, even angers me. It’s a loser’s
mentality to take moral victories. There
are no banners or parades for being the last undefeated NFL team. There are no rings or trophies for winning
the AFC West. These are things that do not
interest me as a fan. I will not buy a
“2013 AFC West Champions” T-shirt, nor would I even buy a “2013 AFC Champions”
T-shirt.
Every Chiefs player and coach expects to win the Super Bowl
this year. Perhaps they didn’t have that
expectation prior to Week 1, but they do now.
If any player or coach doesn’t expect to win the Super Bowl I’d like it
to be known right now, because I’d like to encourage General Manager John
Dorsey to terminate that player or coach’s employment. There’s no room for a person who is satisfied
with second best.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not predicting the Chiefs will win
the Super Bowl. I’m merely stating that
they must win it. I’m not telling Chiefs fans they shouldn’t be
happy with the 8-game winning streak to start the season. I’m merely asking them to look at the big
picture. We, as Chiefs fans, should be
excited for this team and we should be glad to finally see progress after years
of frustration. But a Chiefs’ loss in
the postseason only adds to the
frustration, and 8-0 does positively nothing
to mitigate it.
Ask the Patriots how prideful they are of their 16-0 record
in 2007. I would bet a month’s salary
Tom Brady does not look back at that season with happy memories. I don’t know who coined the phrase “It don’t
mean a thing without the ring,” but the first time I heard it was during the
1996 Chicago Bulls’ 72-10 regular season record. Although nobody
would have stated this a mere two months ago, if the Kansas City Chiefs do not
win the Super Bowl after starting 8-0, the 2013 season will be an embarrassing
and miserable memory.
Chiefs fans, you can't have it both ways. You can't demand respect for your Chiefs "because they aren't the same team who won two games last year," and at the same time brace for what you probably see as the inevitable playoff loss by saying you're "happy to just be relevant again."
Expectations have indeed changed.
Follow me on Twitter @JimScheffres
