From tragedy to triumph

The Chiefs were in an interesting situation on Sunday, playing less than twenty-four hours after the tragic events that involved Javon Belcher (starting inside linebacker) killing his girlfriend and then driving to the stadium and taking his own life in front of Romeo Crennel (head coach) and Scott Pioli (general manager). The unfortunate sequence of events left many loose ends, such as what would happen to Belcher's three-month-old child and whether or not the game Sunday would go on as planned.

(Image from www.TheRepublic.com)

Shortly after the horrible tragedy the Chiefs voted as a team to play, and as they showed themselves to have strength, so did the fans, who came out in large numbers and didn't boo for the first game this year. The Chiefs came out sharp, scoring early on a two-yard Peyton Hillis touchdown run set up by a long catch by Jonathan Baldwin.  However, after a few back and forth sequences the Chiefs found themselves down 14-10, and they needed a play fast as time was running down in the first half.

(Image from www.KansasCity.com)

he Chiefs had the ball on the one yard line with two seconds left in the half, so Romeo Crennel, who had been extremely conservative all year, decided to take a risk.  It paid off as Brady Quinn found Tony Moeaki in the back of the endzone for the go-ahead score.  The Chiefs would never relinquish the lead again, as they would end up winning the game 27-21.

(Image from www.KTVZ.com)

Justin Houston shined again in the victory, as the second-year linebacker racked up his tenth sack on the year.  Houston has been a bright spot for the Chiefs, and the sack must have felt good considering he played right next to a fallen teammate in Belcher.  Houston may have led the Chiefs, but the overall performance of the team was impressive, leading Chiefs' owner Clark Hunt to give the game ball to Romeo Crennel.

(Image from www.Kansas.com)

Playing after such tough events really showed the toughness of a team that had been pushed around, out muscled, and out matched in just about every game they had played. It certainly put a fire under the team, and it led to a great win, however, each win comes with a cost now because the Chiefs are looking for the number one pick in the upcoming 2013 NFL Draft.
This win kept the Chiefs tied with Jacksonville for the first pick in the draft, but as I mentioned in my last blog, they need to watch out. The next two games are against three-win teams, Cleveland and Oakland respectively. If they Chiefs can get through those games with only one win they should have an excellent shot at a top pick, but the only way to secure the first overall pick would be to lose out.

(Image from www.BlackSportsOnline.com)

One issue still remains, what happens to Zoey, who is now an orphan after the tragic events that occurred on Saturday.  The Chiefs are going to be starting a fund for her and for her future education. When asked about additional help that people could take the initiative to provide, Chiefs' lineman Eric Winston said that he was "not sure yet", but that it would be "a priority to help her".