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Goal Achieved: Kansas City Chiefs Ensure First Winning Quarter Under Todd Haley

Chiefs head coach Todd Haley breaks the season into quarters and Sunday's victory over the 49ers gave the Chiefs their first winning quarter in the Haley era.

By Joel Thorman
Getty Images

The Kansas City Chiefs measure the season in quarters. There's the first four games -- or the first quarter, the second four games -- or the second quarter -- and so on.

Last year, their best quarter was 2-2.

Chiefs head coach Todd Haley said the quarter system is something he believes in, something he's done a long time and something he will continue to do.

"It’s the way I used to break my golf score card up, three holes at a time. If you could make 12 in three, then you had a chance to shoot 36 through nine holes, and if you just kept making 12, now one set of three holes you might have 14, then the next one you might have 10. But I knew if I broke it up like that I’d have a chance of not getting too high or too low. That’s just what I’ve done for a long time and believe in and will stay believing that."

After Sunday, there was reason to celebrate.

The Chiefs beat the 49ers 31-10 (which is enough of a reason to celebrate) but that also confirmed that the first quarter of the season would be a winning one. After next Sunday's bye week, the Chiefs will play the Indianapolis Colts and, win or lose, they will walk away from the first quarter of the season as a winner.

This may seem like a small deal to outsides for the Chiefs, and Haley, this is a big deal. They may not talk much about it instead referring to "Our next game is our most important" but in times like this it's important to step back and realize what Haley has done.

If you ask him, though, three games means nothing.

"I was on a team that won three games in 2000; we won the first three games, nobody else remembers that team but those of us that were on it. We haven’t done anything yet. We have a long way to go. I’m glad that we’ve got a bye week. So, I would say no to your question of being any different."

The Chiefs won't say it but this win feels good. They're finally starting to accomplish something that isn't named "courage", "competitiveness" or some other intangible. The results are tangible now.

The Chiefs have a winning quarter, stand at 3-0 and first place in the AFC West.