Paul Perillo. There's nothing like a consistent winner to elicit strong feelings of loathing among neutral fans. It's a phenomenon the Patriots dealt with for the bulk of two decades, and it's one the Kansas City Chiefs are feeling right now. Time for some new blood in the Super Bowl, after all, and in New England more than a little of that good ol' fashioned sports hatred is derived from concern that Patrick Mahomes may some day approach the greatness of Tom Brady and the Patriots dynasty.
But for all the energy invested in rooting against Mahomes and the Chiefs, Patriots fans would be blind not to notice the striking similarities between their beloved team and Andy Reid's troops. Sunday's win over the cursed Buffalo Bills was just the latest example.
Every time a play needed to be made the Chiefs made it. Every time a break was needed the Chiefs got it. Tremendous play coupled with tremendous fortune. Sound familiar? Take the Bills repeated attempts to use Josh Allen as a battering ram on sneaks during the course of the game.
The Chiefs defense was prepared for Allen to squirt to his left, something he'd done repeatedly in past weeks. On a two-point conversion late in the first half, the Chiefs stuffed Allen short of the goal line and kept points off the board.
Even when Allen was able to convert, he did so by the narrowest of margins on key fourth downs later in the game. That's when the Chiefs combined stellar play with even better luck. Leading early in the fourth quarter, Allen tried yet another sneak and appeared to barely hit the line to gain. One official from the far side had the spot as being enough for the first down, but the near side official saw it differently.
