Chiefs are not the 2014 Patriots, so forget about that

Oct 2, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) and tight end Travis Kelce (87) talk on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 43-14. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Here are my grades for the Chiefs following their embarrassment on Sunday night:

Offense: F- The offense could not get the ball going after two first downs on their first drive. Smith failed to get the ball out quickly and the offensive line could not move the Steelers. What a terrible game to watch. Garbage points padded some sad stats.

Defense: F- Ben Rothlisberger had a game against this defense and that is saying something. Three straight passes went for touchdowns in the first and second quarters. This toss to Marcus Wheaton pretty much sums it up for the Chiefs defense.

Special Teams: F- Missed field goal and terrible punting combined with terrible kick returning by Knile Davis. The lone bright spot in Tyreek Hill was kept in check by penalties.

Coaching: Is there a grade lower than F?

New England Similarity: Prime Time Blowout

Now for what I really want to talk about. There is a lot of talk out there about how the 2014 New England Patriots were in a similar position before winning the Super Bowl. There are some surprising similarities:

I can see why people will throw this out on twitter as a sign of hope for Kansas City. The Patriots ended up winning the Super Bowl that year. It appeared that the loss to the Chiefs awoke some ancient drive within the always stellar team. They were virtually unstoppable on their way to their fourth title in the Brady/Belichick era. The Chiefs hope is that somehow this loss will wake them up and they will be unstoppable on their own Super Bowl quest.

Oct 2, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward (97) sacks Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) during the second half at Heinz Field. The Steelers won the game, 43-14. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

The Huge Differences

Don’t get me wrong, I would love for the Chiefs to do exactly what New England did and go on a magnificent tear. But I have to be realistic as an author and even as a fan. Here is why it won’t happen.

I see two major differences in the teams that the Chiefs put on the field now and the one that took the Lombardi in 2014. Andy Reid is not Bill Belichick and Alex Smith is no Tom Brady. Andy Reid is a good coach. Denying that would mean that you don’t know football. He wins in the regular season. He knows how to plan for an opponent. He also gets the best out of his players. However, when it comes to the real important games, Reid falls short of a lot of NFL coaches. In the big games of his career, an Andy Reid coached team stays close enough to make it interesting but shows cracks in its decision making during crunch time.

The Super Bowl loss to New England while in Philadelphia, the three straight NFC Championship losses, the 28 point collapse in Indianapolis, and of course the 7 minute drill last year in New England. Andy Reid’s playoff history. Bad clock management, bad play calling, and bad decisions. Unless Reid changes the way he approaches big moments, the Chiefs will make the playoffs and fail.

I don’t think I need to go into the reasons why Alex Smith is not Tom Brady. Here is just one example at Green Bay.

Oct 2, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) dives into the end-zone for a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

There is Hope for the Chiefs

Here is the hope that I see. The 2016 Chiefs roster on paper, is better than the 2014 Patriots roster. It speaks to the dominance of Brady/Belichick when Rob Gronkowski and Julien Edelman are the only two starting skill players left from that team and they still win. (Amendola was there but he didn’t make much of an impact) I’ll take Jeremy Maclin and Chris Conley over Brandon LaFell and Aaron Dobson. The running back situation is no question and even defensively the Chiefs have the players needed to limit good offenses. (Again, on paper)

Unfortunately the talent on the Chiefs offense is being wasted by a conservative playbook and a limited interior offensive line. On defense, the Chiefs cannot get the pressure they need to help out their young secondary. If they can finally look at themselves and see what success actually means in the NFL then maybe they are primed for a deep playoff run. If it stays the same then I have complete confidence the Chiefs will travel again on wild card weekend this time to their doom.

I have hope for this team. I am not jumping ship but something has to change or the Chiefs will turn in another winning yet frustrating season.

We’re on to Oakland.