As the 2019 NFL Season approaches, there is both hope, and fear, in the Chiefs Kingdom. Hope in a young gunslinging MVP quarterback, who could be the Moses to a fan base still waiting to see the promised land. Fear of the ghost of playoffs past, who seems to haunt them every postseason in heartbreaking fashion.

In 2018 the ghost once again came to visit. This time it was in the form of a defensive offsides penalty. Just when it seemed like the game was all but over with an interception that would have given the Kansas City Chiefs the ball holding the lead, out came the yellow flag. Edge rusher Dee Ford had lined up a hand past the ball negating the interception and likely costing them the game.

What followed was New England Patriots QB Tom Brady winning the AFC Championship game with an overtime touchdown.

The Patriots would go on to win the Super Bowl against the Los Angeles Rams in a snooze fest.

The Ghost is Born

Since 1969, when a future Hall of Fame cast, featuring Coach Hank Stram, QB Len Dawson and a dominant defense of Bobby Bell, Willie Lanier, Buck Buchanan, Emmitt Thomas, and Curly Culp, lead the Kansas City Chiefs to its first and only Championship, the Chiefs have never again reached the “Big Show”. And what followed was years of disappointment.

That disappointment turned to hope in 1993 when GM Carl Peterson added future Hall of Famers Joe Montana at quarterback and Marcus Allen at the running back position. That year was also when the playoff ghost first decided to haunt the Chiefs. In what was a magical year that featured a comeback overtime win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card game, and a second comeback win against the heavily favored Houston Oilers in the Divisional round, the season ended in heartbreak. Montana was injured in the AFC Championship game, and the Chiefs lost 30-13 to the Buffalo Bills.

While the Chiefs Kingdom is validated in its pessimism of the playoffs and the lack of its team success, it should also be optimistic. You see this isn’t an article about the disappointment of the same old story, but rather a piece to give you hope that a new story is being written right before your eyes. Hope that Patrick Mahomes can finish, where Montana left off. And from the magical run they had last season, it looks like he is well on his way.

Similarities of both teams.

That 1993 team was the last team to make a run in the postseason and had it not been for the injury to Montana, who was already an aged QB at the tail end of his career, the Chiefs could have made it to the Super Bowl. Winning it wouldn’t have been so easy, as the Dallas Cowboys were on a magical run with a team of future Hall of Famers, but still a possibility. But how comparable are the ’93 and ’18 squads? And how different are they that we can hope for a different outcome?

Some of the similarities are eerie. First off, both teams were headed by a coach who, after five coaching changes before, had the team on a successful run. The ’93 and ’18 teams had a new starting QB. Both teams won the division, and both teams needed a final December game against division rivals to claim the title, the ’93 team against the Chargers and the ’18 team against the Raiders.

They also only lost one game in the division and one game at home. Both teams dominated the division at the time with the ’93 team having a 23 of 28 mark, and the ’18 team hold a 21 of 23 record. And if that’s not enough, both teams had a 3-2 record on the last five games of the season, with one loss to a division opponent and one loss to an out of conference team. But that’s where the similarities end.

While both teams had an almost identical regular season record, the ’93 team finished 11-5, and the ’18 team finished 12-4, the success, while still needing help from the other side of the ball, came from different facets of the game.

How the Defenses Compared

In ’93 the Chiefs were a defensive-minded team, and with players like Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith, Dan Saleaumua, Dale Carter, Albert Lewis and Kevin Ross on the roster, it’s not hard to see why. While the 18’ team, minus an injured Eric Berry, had names like Chris Jones, Dee Ford, Justin Houston, Kendall Fuller, and Steve Nelson, the numbers tell the staggering difference.

1993 Defense 2018 Defense Overall Ranked #14 Ranked #24 Touchdowns 29 49 Yards 4,771 6,488 YDS PPA 4.7 5.9 YDS PGA 298.2 405.5 Points 291 421 Turnovers 38 27 Fumbles 17 12 Passing Ranked #14 Ranked #31 Touchdowns 18 30 Yards 3,151 4,374 YPP 6.4 7.5 YPG 196.9 273.4 Interceptions 21 15 Rushing Ranked #9 Ranked #27 Touchdowns 11 19 Yards 1,620 2,114 YPP 3.6 5.0 YPG 101.3 132.1 Scoring Ranked #14 Ranked #24 Points 291 421 PPG 18.2 26.3

They say numbers don’t lie, and this is the hard truth. The 2018 team allowed 20 more TD’s, 1,717 more yards, and 130 more points than the 1993 team. But it wasn’t a defensive team anymore, and they couldn’t rely on the defense to win any games.

How the Offenses Compared.

To every night there is a day, and the Chief’s sunshine came in the form of a 23-year-old kid out of Texas, who has been more than anyone could have expected and lead the Kansas City Chiefs to the leagues #1 ranked offense. And while the ‘93 team was defensive minded, the 2018 Chiefs was built to score and score often.

So how do the 1993 Chiefs compare to the 2018 team on offense? Let’s take a look at the numbers.

1993 Offense 2018 Offense Overall Ranked #8 Ranked #1 Points 328 565 Yards 4,835 6,810 YPP 5.0 6.8 Turnovers 28 18 PPG 20.5 35.3 Passing Ranked #15 Ranked #3 Yards 3,180 4,995 TD 20 50 Interceptions 10 12 Long 66 Yards 89 Yards YPP Average 6.9 Yards 8.8 Yards YPC Average 11.8 Yards 13.3 Yards YPG Average 198.8 Yards 309.7 Rushing Ranked #20 Ranked #16 Yards 1,655 1,855 TD 14 16 Long 47 Yards 45 Yards Fumbles 18 6 YPP Average 3.7 4.8 YPG Average 103.4 115.9

As I said before numbers don’t lie, and in this case, unlike before, they are numbers to give you hope. The 2018 Chiefs scored 32 more TD’s, gained 1,975 more yards, and scored 237 more points, 237 MORE POINTS! That’s a stat that should give you hope, Chiefs Kingdom.

Why Things May Be Different

No one can argue that Joe Montana, an NFL Hall of Famer, is considered one of the best QBs in NFL history. But Patrick Mahomes II has done something that Montana never did or even came close to doing. Only one other QB in NFL history has been able to do what PMll has done. Mahomes threw for 5,000+ yards and an insane 50 TD’s, a milestone only Peyton Manning has been able to reach.

Kansas City has lost running back Kareem Hunt and will likely be without star wideout Tyreek Hill for a good part of the season. But with Mahomes under center, any receiver could look like the next Jerry Rice.

The most significant change has come on defense. Gone are defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, Justin Houston, Dee Ford, Eric Berry, and Steve Nelson. In came new DC Steve Spagnuolo, Frank Clark, Tyrann Mathieu, Bashaud Breeland, and the 2019 draft class that you can read about here featuring Juan Thornhill.

The 2019 team is shaping up to be younger, faster, and overall more balanced on both ends of the ball.

Leave the past in the past.

It’s been 25 years since the ’93 team fell to the Buffalo Bills. Twenty-five years of heartbreak and disappointment. Twenty-five years of hopes and dreams shattered. But in those 25 years, The Kansas City Chiefs have never had an offense like the one they have today, and they have never had a QB like Patrick Mahomes.

It’s time to let go of the fear and to hold on to hope. It’s a new era in Kansas City, and things are about to change. Coach Marty Schottenheimer once said, that when you cross those white strips on the field, the only thing that matters is what’s in between the six inches from the chest to the back, and this Kansas City Chiefs team has heart. So like Derrick Thomas told that ’93 team I tell you today Chiefs Kingdom, BELIEVE!

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