Threats to the Threepeat: Raiders

The latest newsletter from KCSN Sports Data Scientist, Joseph Hefner

Let’s talk about Christmas. I never really had strong feelings about Christmas until I had my own kids. Now it’s probably my favorite holiday. Waking up with my family, making breakfast, drinking my wife’s coquito (a Puerto Rican drink), and finally acquiescing to my boys increasingly insistent queries to open presents. I absolutely love it.

What I do not love is having football on Christmas. Especially when we lose to the Raiders in absolutely abysmal fashion. A fumble six on a trick play. A pick six. A loss when the opponent managed a total of 64 receiving yards on the day, and 205 net yards. Just an utterly unbelievable performance on my favorite day of the year, and the third loss in a four game stretch. It felt like the season was over. Just pack it up and move on to next year.

Instead, the Chiefs responded by rattling off six straight wins against most of the elite teams in the NFL, en route to the fourth Super Bowl victory in Chiefs history, and the third in the Mahomes era. What a ride the 2023 playoffs was. Utter domination against the Dolphins. A wide left field goal kick cementing our win against the Bills. Sneed punching it out at the goal line to preserve our lead and win against the Ravens. Mecole with the overtime touchdown against the 49ers in the Super Bowl. Unbelievable.