week four chiefs pick

"Upside down!
Boy?  You turn me
Inside out,
And round and round!

Upside down!
Boy?  You turn me
Inside out,
And round and round! ..."

-- "Upside Down" by Diana Ross.

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The Chiefs Pontification and Prognostication:

Picking the Chiefs This Season:

Straight Up: 2-1-0.
Against the Spread: 2-1-0.

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I have long held that there is one great, rarely disclosed, yet always true advantage to being a season ticket holder, that is true frankly in any sport, but especially football.

And that is the fact that you not only are paying to see the best your team has to offer ... but you get to see the best the entire sport has to offer, as well.

The reason I argue this hidden advantage most applies to the NFL, is because you're only guaranteed to see every team in person, via your season ticket(s), once every eight years.

It's why the game I'm most hyped about this season isn't the Colts Sunday nighter next week or the Packers Sunday nighter to close October; it's the only non-prime time game (as of now * ) the Chiefs play in October, when Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans roll into town.

(*: assuming CBS protected Chiefs at Patriots -- and if they didn't, someone should be fired -- this is NBC's best shot to snag another Chiefs game this season, save for Week Seventeen (which doesn't count against the six prime time game limit.  (The Chiefs currently have five prime timers, which begin next Sunday against the Colts.))  I'm guessing NBC -- with the NFL's gentle push -- pulls the trigger Tuesday afternoon, if the Bengals beat the Steelers tomorrow, to flex Texans at Chiefs into prime time.)

I cannot wait to see Deshaun Watson in person.  Frankly, I haven't been this geeked up to see a newbie enter Arrowhead since probably Cam Newton seven years ago.

Sometimes, you have to wait the full eight years to see them.  For example, the earliest we'll see Kyler Murray in a game that counts at Arrowhead is 2026, should he last that long.

But look at who's making their Arrowhead debuts over the next few seasons (and note: I may be higher on some of these dudes than you are, but (a) it's my site, (b) it's my post, and (c) it's my money, so deal with it):

2019: Jacoby Brissett (Colts, Week Five); Deshaun Watson (Texans, Week Six).
2020: Sam Darnold (Jets); Christian McCaffrey (Panthers); Josh Allen (Bills).
2021: Daniel Jones (Giants); Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys); Baker Mayfield (Browns).
2022: Jared Goff, Todd Gurley (Rams).

And note, this list doesn't include the fact that all three divisional rivals will likely be sporting new quarterbacks within the next three years (one of them -- those people -- possibly as soon as Week Fifteen), nor does it take into account potential changes in New England (here in 2020), Pittsburgh (here in 2021), or Miami (here in 2022, likely with Tua at the helm), Jacksonville (here in 2022 -- Minshew?  Top 10 pick in next three years?), and Tennessee (here in 2022 -- no way it's still Mariota, right?).

So there's that.

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Then there's the long, painful wait between visits.

For example, we got to see Tom Brady at Arrowhead in 2004 (L 19-27) and 2005 (W 26-16).  We didn't see him again until 2014 (W 44-14), nine years later.

We got to see Aaron Rodgers in 2011 (W 19-14).  We'll see him again for the first time since 2011 in four weeks.

We got to see Cam Newton in 2012 (W 27-21).  We might see him again next year.  Ditto Matt Ryan (L 26-40).

Russell Wilson was here in 2014 (W 24-20).  He won't be back until 2022 (if we're lucky).

So there's that also.

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Which brings me to the good to great quarterback we have yet to see at Arrowhead, despite being in the NFL for over a decade ... and frankly, probably never will see at Arrowhead, despite a decade of service.  And that is today's opponent, Matt Stafford.

Drafted first overall in 2008, the Chiefs first game against him was in Detroit in Week Two, 2011.  (Best remembered as the game Jamaal Charles blew out his knee, in a 48-3 loss that dropped the Chiefs to 0-2 in that doomed campaign.)  The first time the Chiefs would have hosted Mr. Stafford would have been in 2015.  Only that game was played in London (a 45-10 Chiefs win on arguably the greatest sporting day of my lifetime here in Kansas City -- November 1, 2015).

And now, the third matchup flips back to Detroit.  Meaning the earliest Matt Stafford would play at Arrowhead as a Lion is 2023.

I hate to be blunt ... but if Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson couldn't handle more than a decade in Detroit, do you really think Matt Stafford is sticking around another four years just to make a trip to Arrowhead?

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(Note: we only got to see Barry Sanders once, in 1990.  We never got to see Calvin Johnson.  Yet another reason I strongly support expanding the regular season to 18 games -- give the fans what they want, which is (a) more football that counts against (b) opponents we may only get to see once in person.)

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So let me close with this, I suppose, since it's less than three hours from kickoff, I still need to shower, shave, and dress, then head to McFadden's for the game.

Last night, this site's "The Voice of Reason" went in person to Lincoln to witness the Ohio State / Nebraska game, as I settled in on the couch with a few stiff cocktails and cold pizza to watch the game on TV.  (Note: funny how fifteen, even twenty years later, some sh*t never changes.)  I think -- based on conversations last Sunday, as well as throughout the week -- we were both interested in seeing the two same things.  First, just how "back" are the Huskers under Scott Frost, and second, just how good is Adrian Martinez, the Nebraska quarterback?

In the words of the great Mark Rolfing, he's looking for the lie to the first question, but the answer to the second question is "bad".

Adrian Martinez has looked nothing short of a future starting NFL quarterback for over a year.  Even in defeat up until now, he hasn't been the cause of said defeat.

Last night?  He looked worse than anything KU has trotted out under center since Todd Reesing, and I am fully aware Mr. Reesing hasn't taken a snap since Mark Mangino was (not) fired for eating Obie the Orange.

(God, I miss the old school KU Football t-shirts sometimes ... just like I miss giving a sh*t about KU Football sometimes.)

Enjoy watching Matt Stafford on Sunday, Chiefs fans.  This may be the closest we ever see him here in KC ... save for that annual game in Minnesota or Chicago (whichever is closer) we could drive to, but have no reason to.  Which truly sucks.

I hope he's still around in 2023.  I'm guessing he won't be.

But as fun as it would be to see Mr. Stafford in person?

We get to see the greatest ever at the position, four of the next five weeks, inside the stadium that will someday be named in his honor.

Unlike not seeing Mr. Stafford?  Unlike Mr. Martinez' performance last night?

That does NOT suck.

Not in the least.

* Chiefs (-6) 37, at Lions 30.