The Kansas City Chiefs just got blown-out on Monday Night Football and it looks to be a long windy road home, in the rain, on a mountain, on a bike, and at night. That's what the remainder of the Chiefs season is going to feel like for most fans. And while the disappointment from what should have been a promising season lingers on for a while, one need not look further than the rest of the Chiefs schedule to get a big ole' glass of humbleness to a once-optimistically viewed season.
But before you go all bag-over-your-head crazy let's take a look at the Chiefs from a 'what can we take away from these last six games' viewpoint. We're going to get a good look at Tyler Palko, and finally get a read on a quarterback that had long remained a mystery to everyone not putting on pads with him everyday. We're also going to get a look at a lot of the younger players that need game reps like Jon Asamoah, Donald Washington, Rodney Hudson, Jared Gaither, Allen Bailey, Justin Houston, Jon Baldwin, Javier Arenas and Kendrick Lewis.
The Chiefs roster is full of young players that need to see game reps on the field and these last games might not mean much for the Chiefs chances at a Super Bowl this year, but it could mean a helluva lot to the Chiefs chances next year and the year after. The coaches and front office staff can use these games as an evaluation of sorts and learn what these players are able to learn and comprehend with on-the-field training. Most fans don't like looking at a larger picture and can only see what's currently in front of them, and right now that's a box score that says 34-3 by way of the New England Patriots.
The Chiefs have a lot of work to do before they reach the status that most fans are expecting, and in all honesty with the losses of Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry, Tony Moeaki and Matt Cassel, that just wasn't going to happen this year. We all want the Hollywood movie-script ending where Palko leads them to the improbable victory, but this is real life and those stories are made into movies for a reason, they just don't happen that often. But before you say the season is completely lost, remember that there are things that can be evaluated and taught during these last few games, but it's on a player-by-player basis, not a reflection on the scoreboard.