Josh Klingler | Kansas City Chiefs Sideline Reporter

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Well, I'm part of the Anne Company with Mitch, yeah. Well, it's currently iced over in Kansas City so we're back to great weather. But it was warmer than Buffalo this week than it was last week at Arrowhead.

You take it and winds make it warmer, that's for sure. So then in those final seconds where Tyler Bass misses that field goal, I know the Chiefs still had to get the first down to kneel it out. But tell me what it sounded like on the sidelines as that kick is missed.

Well, I think it took the one more run. I think the first down run by Pacheco that really kind of put them in business and they really thought they could finish this game out. But I think this has been a tale of this Chiefs defense for a good portion of the year. The offense gets the headlines and sometimes this year it's been a little bit of lack of offense that's gotten headlines. Steve Spagnolo, the defensive coordinator of the Chiefs, just doesn't get enough chatter around the league.

I don't know if there's anybody better in making in-game adjustments. And you look up the scoreboard and they do it again. 7 points in the second half. That last drive wasn't perfect. It looked like they had a couple of opportunities to get off the field. Nearly got a turnover in that drive as well and kind of stuck with it, stuck with it. Forced as far back as possible for a field goal. And then, yeah, it was tough conditions. Wind was blowing across the field.

I know Tyler Bass after the game said he didn't adjust for the wind quite enough and it wasn't the greatest kicking days. But, boy, that thing sailed to the right and I think the Chiefs pretty much felt like they would be able to run off the clock and get themselves yet another AMSA championship game. It's been an unbelievable run and this one was about as improbable as any and another classic game would be with the Bills. I don't know.

I find myself, Amy, a little bit thinking of the other side of things, too. Because the Chiefs are the dragons that the Bills are trying to slay and they can get them in the regular season but they can't get them in the playoffs. I don't know how that gets out of your psyche. That's got to be a real tough one to live with if you're a Buffalo player. And I'll tell you, certainly Buffalo fans. Because, yeah, the Chiefs are in their head. So this is the third time in four years the Chiefs have ended the Bills run and I was saying this earlier, it seemingly was coming up exactly the way the Buffalo needed it to. Not just the home game against the Chiefs but also the fact that the Bengals were out, right? Their other Chief competition over the past four years.

They never even made the playoffs and yet they squander opportunities there late, especially in the fourth quarter. And I said to my husband, we're watching, of course, the end of the game and you can hear the Chiefs players screaming. The mics are picking them up on the field, right?

Because it's gone so deathly quiet at high marks. So when Bass missed that kick, what happened in the stand? Yeah, I felt like it, too. There was like a stunned silence. I mean, there were snowballs being thrown at the Chiefs bench occasionally, which happens.

It wasn't everybody or anything like that. But they were really, really into the game. It was an awesome atmosphere.

The Chiefs, because they've become almost a traveling roadshow, get a lot of fans into wherever they're at. And this one was harshly defended by the home team. This was like a true, true, true road game. And so the Bills fans were animated, they were on the Chiefs bench the entire game. Yeah, you could almost hear a pin drop like, this is going to happen again. And you just felt like the bottom dropped out again. Again, I don't know how you're not having nightmares waking up a Bills fan and seeing that Chiefs logo.

It's got to be torturous right about now. Mitch Holtus, Dane Hughes, they've both been on the show before and we're glad to welcome Josh Klingler back now that he's returned to Kansas City. Ice scraper in hand joining us after the Chiefs broadcast. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. A lot was made of the fact that this was the first playoff road game for Patrick Mahomes and this particular crew. What did they say about that during the week?

Well, I think they reveled in it. And I think Patrick Mahomes specifically does. I wouldn't call him like a football historian or anything, but he has a lot of appreciation for the game. And I think there's a youthful portion of him too that he talks a lot about, hey, when I was growing up, I remember watching this and I remember watching that and I always thought that'd be cool to do. And I guess he's just freakishly talented enough to be able to go and do all those things, right?

We can all have dreams and they don't get accomplished. Patrick can pretty much just keep checkmarking things. And so he talked about watching games in Buffalo and looking how cool of an atmosphere it was. And his only trip into Buffalo before was the COVID year and there were no fans there. Heck, we weren't there.

The broadcasters weren't there. We were calling games from the home venue that season. So it wasn't the same and he was looking forward to it. And then I think there's a part of him too that says, you tell him, you tell this team they can't do it. And they love to hear that. And so I think that there was a lot of, I think, defense around Kansas City that it was seemingly, well, Buffalo gets this home game. And so they're due and they're getting the game at home. And I think that the Chiefs kind of took offense to that. You looked at a lot of the national prognosticators and I think there are a lot of receipts kept. There's probably three of every four.

The four person panel that we see on all the television shows, Amy, right? Like three of the four were picking the bills. And I think that got back to the locker room too. And so I think they were really, they felt great about how they were playing.

They felt great about how the practice week went. And I think we're looking forward to doing something they hadn't done collectively as a team, which was get a true road playoff game. They kind of jokingly counted the Tampa Bay Super Bowl and that wasn't a road game. But it wasn't a full house amidst COVID as well. But I think it was kind of one more check mark for Patrick Mahomes resume if he needed one.

Alright, well let me ask you this. Since you've been on the sidelines for both, how do the atmospheres compare? Highmark Stadium playoff game, Arrowhead Stadium playoff game? I think pretty similar. I mean, the pregame in both of those places is probably unlike too many other places where it gets rowdy and it gets nuts and there's, you know, large quantities of adult beverages being screwed about. But similar feel. And similar fan bases too.

They bleed for their team. And so, yeah, I thought that was the coolest road environment I've been to. Like I said, there's usually a lot of infiltration by Chiefs fans these days. And this stadium didn't have it.

So it was pretty much Bill's Mafia the entire time. And they were very cordial. It's a unique stadium as well because I go from pregame in the broadcast booth and you have to walk down through the stands to get to the field. And I got my Chiefs gear on and everybody was actually really nice. They're like, hey, have a good game.

Have a good game. And I was like, wow, they're being like really kind. I think it got a little meaner as the night went on. But no, I think that they love their football and I think they were loving having this game at home.

And unfortunately for Bill's fans and great for Chiefs fans, they went and really kind of crushed some dreams tonight. Did you happen to see any Bill's fans pile driving onto tables in the pregame parking lot? There were a couple videos. I didn't see anything firsthand.

We got in before that happened. But I did glance up and see Jason Kelsey with his shirt off. That's close enough. I asked Travis about it after the game and I said, have you seen the videos yet? And he goes, no, somebody sent me a picture.

I think I know what happened. I said, well, picture picture your brother jumping out of the suite, hammering a beer and then jumping back in the suite. And he kind of just laughed and shook his head. And he's like, well, we're athletes. And so I'm sure they'll get a good bit of commentary out of that in their podcast.

But it was it was it was quite a scene. And, you know, to go in and win a game like that, if you're there from a Chiefs perspective, in a true, hostile, angry road environment feels pretty sweet. Jobs not done. And I think this team knows that going to Baltimore won't be easy either. So but they're pretty happy to live another day.

Hmm. Let me ask you this about the offense this year, because these are some record low numbers for Patrick Mahomes. And a lot has been made of the fact that this year the defense has actually been the stronger unit and how many times the defense has bailed out the offense when they desperately needed it.

Why the struggles offensively? Well, I think they beginning of the season really for a good portion of the season, I think they tried to they tried to give as many opportunities as possible to the wide receiver group. And I think what's been good in the playoffs is that they just really narrowed the list. It was I compared a little bit to a little bit to college basketball where you have the Don conference where, you know, you're you're playing 10 or 12 guys. And then by the time you get to the conference season, you're willing down to seven, maybe eight players and your rotation just gets smaller.

Kind of what the cheese did. I think they were looking for wide receivers specifically to grab and fill roles. And for the most part, they didn't other than Rashi Rice's emergence, which has been great because, you know, you got the rookie to be almost a 1000 yard receiver and to be your primary wide receiver target, a lot of the others may be disappointed. Well, in the postseason, they've leaned on the run game and Isaiah Pacheco Patrick hasn't tried to force as many things to as many different people.

And they've just narrowed the list. I think it was kind of like that again tonight. While Kelsey and Rice are going to get theirs, everybody else right now is, well, the ball is going to come to you limited times and you better make plays. And, you know, MVS stepped up and did that tonight.

But there's not gonna be a lot of opportunities outside of Kelsey and Rice. And I think they're playing for their identity this year's team identity offensively. It wasn't what they thought it was going to be before the season, but I think they're playing more towards the reality of what it is now. How much do they miss Eric the enemy?

Um, it's hard to tell. I mean, I think, you know, from a, maybe not as much from a schematic standpoint, because you do have Andy Reed and you do have Matt and Aggie both very experienced offensive guys. And we know Andy Reed commands the offense, but a little bit of the, uh, in your face hold you accountable seemingly has been a little bit missing. So I think that that component, that dynamic that they had when that entire group was together was, it's fair to say it was probably missing at some point in time.

Um, you know, you, you, you'd like to think that you have enough, I guess, bad cops as it were, but, but seemingly he was the guy that, that wasn't afraid to get in people's faces and, and, and, and hold them accountable and correct mistakes. And, you know, I think it was, that was felt at certain times this year, offensively that, you know, that they, they were lacking some discipline and some, uh, some, I guess, consistency for a lot of the season. And so, yeah, I think some of that you could point to it schematically though, hard to tell, I mean, this is Andy Reed's offense and, and Matt and that he's been in it for a while as well. So you can't say that they really missed anything from that regard, but I think from the accountability perspective, yeah, probably, uh, probably need to find somebody who who's a little more willing to do that. Uh, Andy Reed, uh, is a guy that is, is pretty soft-spoken, uh, players respect him.

They want to, they want to work for him, those types of things. Uh, Matt Nagy is a really good players coach, but he's probably more so the, like, I'll, I'll put my arm around you and lift you up. And then I think you need that balance, right? Of that, that person that's gonna get a flip the script every once in a while. Um, it's, it's a hard dynamic. I think the point we need to go find a person that does that, but I guess I wouldn't be surprised if they don't try to find somebody that could be a little more, uh, you know, harsh when it needs to interesting. Okay. So more, a little more accountability, uh, before I let you go, Josh, because it's been a long day, long travel.

For you and it's probably cold. Uh, but how do you think they match up with Baltimore? Well, if there was something that was a little bit, uh, difficult tonight, it was the, it was stopping the run game. And so gave up what 185, 186 yards, I think on the ground tonight. And so, uh, you expect more of the same with the quarterback, right? I think what, what the chiefs did in this game was I thought, you know, first half Josh Allen did about whatever he wanted to. And then they were able to, uh, really kind of corral his maybe off script stuff or his ability to improvise and those types of things. Well, you're going to run into another quarterback.

That's very good at that. Very good at running the football and very good at improvising. And so I think it's a, you know, kind of stopping the run game first, uh, next week. And then offensively, I, you know, I think the chiefs are in a nice little pocket right now.

It hasn't been the same as other years, but I think right now, as I mentioned before, they're playing better to their identity, which is. Get Isaiah Pacheco Pacheco going, um, get the ball to Kelsey, get the ball to Rice and then, uh, you know, try to convert a little bit better in the red zone. You know, I think that that's been a little bit of an issue, um, leaning on the kicker who's been fantastic and we saw in a game tonight, right? How good a kicker can be and how good a kicker or a lack of a kicker can be, uh, Harrison, butchers and nails.

So, um, I think it's, it's playing to that identity and stopping the run. So Josh Klingler and Mitch Holtus and Dana Hughes will be part of, will be the broadcast crew along with a technical group that will travel to Baltimore for the AFC championship. And, uh, Josh has always got good stuff on, not just whenever we have them on the show, but on the pre and post game.

And then as well, uh, when you can hear on the sidelines, I suppose that's a prerequisite and it seemed loud there. So I'm impressed that you can deliver reports, sometimes not able to hear yourself, uh, but you can find Josh on Twitter at Josh Klingler. And we're going to let him go because the poor guy's got a show in how many hours? Three? Uh, let's see.

I don't want to do the math, but yeah, under we're, we're off locally, Kansas city, uh, and under three hours. Oh my gosh. I'm going to go home, take a shower, uh, let the dogs out, kiss the wife and head back in, I think. Oh, all right. Well be safe. Thank you so much for making sure we had a few time, a few minutes for us, Josh.

Always fun, Amy. Around New Year's, we get a little obsessed with changing ourselves and forgetting the things we're already doing right. Like taking our supplements every morning or scheduling me time into our day. Therapy helps you recognize those victories and keep up the good work in the new year without changing everything. BetterHelp offers affordable online therapy so you can try new year, same you with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com slash grow today to get 10% off your first month.

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