One of the best naps I ever took was after I decided to hike to the top of a mountain. Well, mountain is a little bit of an embellishment. But it took a couple hours and it was uphill, so I’m calling it a mountain. Coming down was the best part of the hike, and sleeping for four hours afterwards was the best part of the entire day.
The body needs to keep a natural balance between exertion and rest. It’s scientific.
The Kansas City Chiefs will not be making the playoffs this year. This will end a seven-year run where they’ve not only made the playoffs, but reached the AFC Championship game all seven of those years – five of which ended with Super Bowl appearances, and three of which ended with Super Bowl rings.
This means that the Chiefs have played 21 extra games through those seven years, averaging out to three a year. There are only 17 games in a regular season. So they’ve played more than an entire season of playoff games the past seven years.
That amount of pounding and study and dedication has its limits. You are seeing that this year.
If you’ve ever driven through western Kansas at night, you know how difficult it is to focus after an hour or so. The lines get blurry, your eyes get droopy. Attention spans have limits and they are usually non-negotiable, no matter how many Five Hour Energy shots you take.
The Chiefs are currently on mile marker 437 of that western Kansas drive, and there’s still another 100 miles to Goodland. They need a rest stop. They need a Motel 6. They need to pull over at a truck stop diner and eat some mediocre pie while staring blankly at a wall.
Instead, everyone’s panicking. The sports radio hosts are calling for heads to roll. The fans are convinced the sky is falling. Social media has turned into a support group for people who’ve forgotten what it’s like to go 9-8.
But here’s the thing about that four-hour nap after my mountain hike: I woke up hungry and ready to tackle another mountain. Not that day, obviously. I spent the rest of that day eating nachos and watching old episodes of Star Trek. But eventually.
The Chiefs aren’t broken. They’re tired. There’s a difference.
Patrick Mahomes has been playing championship-caliber football since he could legally rent a car. Travis Kelce has caught passes in more playoff games than some franchises have won in their entire existence. Andy Reid has been scheming up plays and eating Town Topic cheeseburgers at an unsustainable pace for nearly a decade of deep playoff runs.
They need what I needed after that hike. What your brain needs after driving through Colby, Kan. at two in the morning. What your body demands after you decide to reorganize your entire garage on a Saturday.
A break.
You saw all the signs during the game with the Texans. Decision making that was uncharacteristic (going for it on 4th & 1 from their own 31), dropped passes (Travis??? I’m looking at you, Travis) and interceptions. The bright spot being Chris Jones. If you’re driving through Kansas, bring Chris Jones. That man will MAKE you stay awake.
This isn’t failure. This is biology. This is the natural order of things asserting itself against the unnatural streak the Chiefs have been on. You can’t sprint a marathon, and you can’t run seven consecutive marathons without eventually jogging one.
So instead of mourning, maybe we should all take a collective nap. Sleep through the offseason. Let the team do the same. Come back next August refreshed, rested, and ready to make us all forget what a normal football season feels like.
Because trust me, that post-nap comeback is always sweeter than the hike itself. Enjoy Cancun, boys. See you next year.
