FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The moments after a promising season comes to an abrupt end are no time for sober reflection. They never are. The emotions are far too raw.
In that regard, things were no different for the 2015 Kansas City Chiefs in the immediate aftermath of Saturday's 27-20 loss to the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Chiefs thought their season would continue for at least another week, and they were trying to cope with the sudden reality that it was instead finished.
“It’s crazy how fast it ends," quarterback Alex Smith said. “I mean, it’s over. It’s over right now and it’s just like that. And we weren’t able to get it done today, and that’s how it goes.
“There are no real moral victories in this deal. It’s everybody trying to get that trophy, that ring. Everybody else is wishing they had done something different."
Eventually, the Chiefs will get the time to process everything and they'll come to the realization they accomplished much, if not their ultimate goal. The Chiefs made something of a season that six weeks in appeared headed on a disastrous track. They broke an eight-game franchise losing streak in the playoffs, and if nothing else, that alone made this season a positive. The Chiefs rid themselves of the cloud that always seemed to loom over them in January.
They’ll head into 2016 with not only that burden removed but also with the knowledge of how to be winners, the lasting remnant of the 11-game winning streak that was busted by the Patriots.
“I think if anything, this team has the confidence," Smith said. “Certainly there will be changes this year. There are changes for every team every offseason, but I think the core of this team feels that if we play the game we are capable of that, yeah, we can play and beat anybody.
“If anything, I think this year has taught us that it’s the preparation and the mindset and all the little things that go into that. Often times, those are the difference-makers."
The Chiefs received another lesson this season, one perhaps more subtle but no less important. They learned what it takes to be champions, not by anything they did or accomplished but merely by being on the same field with the Patriots on Saturday.
The Chiefs learned that a team can put together a long winning streak in October, November and December by being good. To put one together in January requires a team to be great.
“To go up against the champions and see the fight you have to have and the tenacity and the perseverance you have to have," Chiefs wide receiver Jason Avant said, “it can’t do anything but good."
It can be good only if the Chiefs make it so. If they apply the schooling they received from the Patriots, the Chiefs will eventually be able to look back on their 2015 season as a rousing success.