NFL Week 14: I Think I Love Patrick Mahomes
I went to a holiday party Saturday night. It was at a neighbor’s house, a short walk from my front door. We mingled with the other folks from our hood, had some delicious food, and maybe a little wine. The capper was that they had karaoke towards the end of the night. I assumed they pushed it toward the end so their guests could get good and lubed up before they got up and belted something for all of the neighborhood to hear. I, on the other hand, do not need any sort of liquor induced courage to get up on any stage. I gladly grabbed the mic and busted out “I Think I Love You”, originally sung by Keith Partridge aka David Cassidy on the deliciously corny 70’s show The Partridge Family. Afterwards it was all high fives and hugs, but not because I can sing (spoiler: I can’t), but because it is hard to ruin a great song. Some songs are just written perfectly and can bring any group together in the right setting. “I Think I Love You” is one of those, at least it is in my humble opinion. Any room in which I have sung it previously, its timelessness (again, of the song, not my vocal) has proven true.
As with a good tune, there are great players who can just bring a group of fans together, especially with the rise of fantasy football. We become fans of players, while still holding loyalties to our teams. We love to see them display their freakish athleticism and stand in awe at their abilities. I am talking about guys like Marshawn Lynch, who singlehandedly took the 8 win Seahawks to the next round of playoffs vs Drew Brees with a 60 yard TD in which he broke 10 tackles; peak Cam Newton, who dabbed or Superman’d after every rushing TD (and there were 75 of those, an NFL record for QB’s); peak LaDainian Tomlinson who scored 28 rushing TD’s in a season, a league record. You can name several others. They are showmen alongside being top shelf, all time great athletes. But, unlike a perfect pop song, they are not timeless. The memories of them are, sure, but their careers have shelf lives. One day they’re the MVP of the league, the next they get traded to a team to ride out the twilight of their careers as a back up and it’s over shortly thereafter.
This thought crossed my mind as I saw Patrick Mahomes lose his shit Sunday over a (perfectly fine) call that the refs made, negating a game winning play by the Chiefs. No need to rehash the play, or the call, but it was jarring to see the normally cool, smirking, cocky Patrick Mahomes getting, for lack of a better word, bitchy, over a loss. He even had an earful during the post game handshake for Josh Allen, whose face (pictured above) was like “the fucks wrong with this guy”?
My thought when seeing this unfold was, is this the end for Patty Mahomes? And does he sense that? The dude’s only 28 and he’s already done it all: 2x Super Bowl Champ, 2x SB MVP, 2x league MVP, plus a ton of other accolades. Him losing it over a hardly controversial call makes me think he is not just mad at the refs but mad at the Universe because this season is the first in which he looks *gasp* human. Here is a pic of him yelling at a cloud.
Jk, he is not that old, but he is getting older. It may not come as easy as it has in years past. To be fair he lost a world class WR in Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce lately seems more interested in having dinner at the Olive Garden with Taylor Swift’s parents than catching TD’s. The Chiefs are obviously making the playoffs, but that 1 seed is not looking as locked in as it did a few weeks ago.
A true Champion can lift himself up no matter what and keep fighting. My money is on Mahomes doing just that, win or lose. Until he can’t. Is that time sooner or later, who knows? But it’s inevitable, and judging from this meltdown, Mahomes most likely knows this. Shit, even The Partridge Family went off the air at some point. And that show was fucking AWESOME.
Week 14 Observations
*Steelers look uninterested in playing professional football. Diontae Johnson (3-57-1) and George Pickens (5-19-0) didn’t look like they wanted to be out there after a certain point. They are clearly a dysfunctional team. If the same pieces are in place next season (not bloody likely), I want no part of that offense. Pat Freiermuth be damned.
*Ezekiel Elliott (68 rush yards, 7-72-1) still got gas in the tank! Good to see an old vet still able to kick ass. I added him nowhere and I am very sad.
*Lamar Jackson (316 pass yards, 3 TD’s, 70 rush yards) and the Ravens probably didn’t expect the Rams to keep it as close as they did. Odell Beckham Jr (4-97-1) got his revenge game. The Ravens should be the team to beat in the AFC. Especially after the Dolphins bit the dust against the Titans and almost lost Tyreek Hill. Lamar is locked in and has a decent defense on the other side.
*Bills are looking up as they took care of business vs. the Chiefs. James Cook rushed for just 58 yards, but caught 5 balls for 83 and a TD. He’s ready to take you through the playoffs. Can’t say the same for Stefon Diggs (4-24-0), but what are you going to do, bench him?
*With Isiah Pacheco out, I wouldn’t trust any KC RB’s unless you are desperate. Same goes for their receivers. You’re starting Travis Kelce (6-83-0), duh. But his flash is gone and has been replaced by the quiet consistency of someone who is thinking about that Tour of Italy he’s gonna feast on post game.
*My man Joe Flacco hit 311 yards and 3 TD’s vs. the Jags. He was named starter for the rest of season and is not a bad filler for, oh, I don’t know, fingerless dickheads named Justin Herbert?
*Justin Herbert was not doing well before he fractured his finger. He was sacked 4 times, threw a pick, and looked like a little lost puppy vs. the Broncos. So maybe the finger is a sign from the fantasy gods saying, “Pack it in for the season, come back when Brandon Staley and or Kellen Moore are shitcanned.” We can only hope.
*Speaking of QB’s who are a mess, what a dive Jared Goff is taking. He threw for just 161 yards and a TD vs. the Bears, while throwing 2 INT’s. The Bears are usually very generous to opposing QB’s, but Jared Goff hasn’t looked like a professional QB in weeks. He should pick things up vs. Denver this week..
*If Nico Collins is out for more than a week, CJ Stroud’s main targets are Robert Woods and Noah Brown. Pick em up if you need them, but yikes.
*Jake Browning (275 yards, 2 TD, INT, rushing TD) is holding that Cincy offense together. Start them and Jake as you would have Joe Burrow.
*Desmond Ridder finally discovered that Kyle Pitts (TD!) and Drake London (10-172-0) play on his team. Desmond, this is the way.
*For all of you who waited 8 weeks for Justin Jefferson to return, only to get 2 catches for 27 yards, I feel ya. For I am one of you. He’s day to day with a chest injury from a gnarly hit that would have broken a normie in half. Good luck to us if he starts and we have to decide whether or not to bench him. Ah, fantasy football.
*Josh Dobbs proves that the NFL is a cold hearted bitch who will not tolerate losers. Poor bastard.
*That Vikes vs. Raiders game was a snooze fest shit show. And Josh Jacobs was lost in the 3-0 affair. If he is shelved for this week, ask yourself, do you really want to put your playoff hopes in the hands of Zamir White?
*The 49’ers are still the team to beat. Can you see a Ravens/Niners SB?
*I didn’t see much of the game, but Tommy DeVito led the Giants to a last minute win over the Packers. Is it me or does DeVito’s agent look like one of those guys with a one word name like “Snake” or “Mumbles”?
*I needed 12 ppr points from De’Von Achane to stay alive. He gave me 11. The Miami vs. Tennessee game didn’t quite go as planned. How stoked did Will Levis look tho?
Cheer Corner
Our weekly feature, where we highlight a cheerleader from a team of note to show our appreciation for the hard work they do for us fans and their squad.
Apropos of the Tennessee Titans upsetting the Miami Dolphins on their home turf, meet Olivia…
This Tennessee gal is a Leo, which means she is confident, creative, and passionate about her work. She loves food and enjoys trying new recipes. She recently attempted making tamales from scratch, but had a bit of a snafu when she rubbed her eyes after handling green chili peppers, causing them to water and burn. Olivia, we’re welling up just thinking about it!