Well, if you watched the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Indianapolis Colts, you must have thought that you were watching something made up by Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King or Rod Serling. It was grotesque. It was bizarre. It was unbelievable.

Until the end of the third quarter, the Chiefs had amassed 21 yards of offense. (That’s NOT a misprint). While the Colts had managed to gain over 200 yards. Still, the score was 16- 8 in favor of the Colts.

Why?

Credit for the Colts low score goes first to the KC defense, which picked Peyton Manning 3 times by the time the game was 3/4s over. They held Indy to 3 Adam Vinietari field goals in the first half and one TD, which was primarily earned on the ground and scored by the running of back Joseph Addai. Vinatieri hit field goals earlier from 48, 19 and 50 yards.

Credit for the Chiefs’ horrible performance goes to their offense, which had a golden opportunity in the first half when Ty Law picked Manning and returned it to the 10 yards line. Then, after getting it down to the one-yard line, the Chiefs lost about 5 yards and tried a short field goal, which Lawrence Tynes missed.

Credit for KC’s lackluster play must also go to coach Herman Edwards. Edwards kept to his game plan of running the ball and relying on star RB Larry Johnson through almost of the first three quarters. Over and over again, it did not work. Edwards kept to his game plan to run with Johnson, which the Colts—a team not noted for their run “D�—stopped by putting taking a defender off the pass and putting him on the run.

Edwards also never went to Damon Huard, who has had a very good year at QB as Green’s backup. Edwards obviously stubbornly preferred the pedigreed Green despite the fact that Huard saw a lot of action this year and was more consistent and had performed well in the clutch.

Finally, at the end of the third quarter, the Chiefs spread their offense and marched down the field with 8 plays for 60 yards in 4:06. Six of those plays were completed passes by Trent Green. They completed the two-point conversion, which made the score 16- 8 in favor of Indianapolis.

By then the KC defense was exhausted and after a passing TD by the Colts and an interception by Indy, the game was in essence over although there was still more than half of the fourth quarter to go.

Next week the Colts meet the Baltimore Ravens. Unfortunately for Colts’ coach Tony Dungee the Ravens have a quality coach– Bill Billick– and one of the best defenses to come along in the past decade. After coming to Baltimore eight years ago, Billick has turned the team around, getting them to the playoffs most years and winning a Super Bowl, which is something Dungee has never done.

Then, if Indy gets past the Ravens tough defense, Dungee will either meet the New England Patriots or the New York Jets. Neither team is coached by Herman Edwards (who is late of the Jets). That week Tony Dungee has to go against one of two very fine coaches– Bill Belichik or Eric Mangini.

It’s a long road to the Super Bowl for Manning, Dungee and company.

Oh, I mentioned Edgar Allen Poe at the beginning of this blog– Baltimore was, of course, a favorite haunt of and where Poe was buried. They are the “Ravens”– named after Poe’s most famous poem. (The only professional sports team in America to be named after a poem!) Lots of strange karma surrounding next week’s contest.

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