Philip Rivers stands in front of 11 Chiefs defenders and a stadium full of fans, and he screams and stomps his feet. He wants the snap. Get this play started! But nothing happens. The play clock ticks down.
Four, three, two, one … whistle. Delay of game.
Arrowhead Stadium is rocking. Rivers screams more, this time in the face of Chargers center Nick Hardwick and at some point realizes this is the first time Hardwick can hear, and this is the first time Arrowhead has felt like this since … when?
Take a bow, Chiefs fans. For one night, at least, you turned Arrowhead into a time machine, a warp back to the mid-1990s when this place earned the title of the NFL’s Loudest Stadium. A 21-14 win over the Chargers reminded a national TV audience on “Monday Night Football” what Arrowhead Stadium can be.
The whole thing felt like 15 years ago, right down to Billy Ray Cyrus singing the national anthem in a Joe Montana Chiefs jersey. You noticed this, right? Had to. The Chiefs won with defense ticking off a quarterback and special teams making huge plays and a rowdy crowd cheering, and it all felt fantastically familiar.
Oh, absolutely there are concerns. The defense didn’t get enough pressure despite playing against a watered-down Chargers line. A young secondary jumped an under route and left San Diego receiver Legedu Naanee wide open for an easy touchdown.
Worst of all was Matt Cassel. He did nothing to ease growing concerns.
There is optimism in Kansas City around a professional sports team for the first time in, what, three years? More? The Chiefs lost their first two games in each of the last four seasons.
Today, they stand 1-0, undefeated, and just beat the AFC West’s four-time defending champion. How do you not feel good about that?
This week, Kansas City will feel like the fun old times when everybody — teachers, waiters, lawyers, whoever — wore red on Fridays and got together for the game on Sundays and talked about the Chiefs every day in between.