Futility, Personified

After losing to the San Diego Chargers on Thursday Night Football, the Kansas City Chiefs have played eight football games this season.

They have yet to take a lead in any of their games.

Just process that for a second. How does that even happen? The worst football teams in the league hold leads from time to time, even if only by accident. The Chiefs haven't even stumbled into a lead once. It's not like they've played some nightmarish schedule, either. They've faced the Raiders. And the Buccaneers. They were blown out by the Bills, who suck. They've now lost big to the Chargers twice, and we all know the Chargers aren't any good either.

The Chiefs came close to taking a lead against the Chargers on Thursday Night Football. Tantalizingly close. They quickly handed San Diego a 10-0 lead, but battled back to 10-6 entering the fourth quarter. 10-6! A touchdown would have given the Chiefs a lead! Alas, it was not meant to be. Philip Rivers threw a touchdown pass to put the Chargers up 17-6. On the Chiefs' ensuing possession, quarterback Matt Cassel fumbled in the end zone and the Chargers recovered for another touchdown. 24-6. The Chiefs tried another drive, crossed midfield, and Cassel promptly threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. 31-6. The Football Gods had dangled the possibility of a lead, or even a win (!) in front of Chiefs fans, only to yank it away in the most forceful manner possible. The final score ended up being 31-13, only because Cassel threw a meaningless touchdown to something called a Shaun Draughn during garbage time. Although I believe it was Plato who once said, "When the Chiefs are on the field, it's always garbage time."

"But wait, good sir!" you might be saying right now. "The Chiefs' record is 1-7! They have a win! How can they still be waiting for their first lead of the season?" And I would respond to your wise comment by pointing out that the Chiefs won their only game in overtime against the Saints on a game-ending field goal. So technically, the one time this season when the Chiefs grabbed a lead the game instantly ended, the universe unable (or unwilling?) to allow this miserable team to play football for even one second while holding a lead, because the Football Gods have deemed them Unworthy to do so.

The Kansas City Chiefs are futility, personified.