Chiefs Come Up Short of the Super Bowl on a Penalty

One penalty short of the Super Bowl. Details matter. 
A lot. That applies in the real world and in sports. A detail cost the Kansas City Chiefs their first trip to the Super Bowl since 1969 when Dee Ford lined up in the neutral zone. The gaffe wiped out an interception by Charvarious Ward with 54 seconds remaining. If the play stands, the Chiefs have the ball deep in Patriots territory with a chance to use up New England's timeouts and to kill the clock before heading down to Atlanta.

It appears Ford was also looking down the line of scrimmage to the ball and failed to notice the problem. A once in a season mistake by an excellent football player. After the game, Ford owned up to his mistake as the vast majority of players do.

Details matter. The detail of lining up legally changed the story today from questions about how much Brady has left after an ugly throw for an interception in the end zone, an overthrown interception off the fingers of Julian Eddleman and a questionable
decision on his last throw of the season. Instead, the story in most places is the Patriots overtime drive for the win.

This is just the start for the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. His first year as a starting QB will be the yardstick for first year starters for a very long time. It's a good bet that the Chiefs are back in another AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead in 52 weeks.
The 2019 Chiefs offense will remain formidable. Upgrades needed at safety and at inside linebacker are doable in the coming off season.

It's still a great time to be a Chiefs fan.