Chiefs & Avila Football Update

By Sam Kombrink

With the election over, Americans in south Kansas City can finally relax. This has been a hectic fall, with the ongoing pandemic, and the 2020 presidential election. Football is a great way to find relief from today’s current stresses. 

The Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs have won four games in a row after their brutal 40-32 home loss to the rival Las Vegas Raiders. Since then, with a record of (8-1) the Chiefs have been on fire and show no signs of slowing down heading into their bye week. The defending Super Bowl Champions can’t help themselves, but break records every Sunday. On November 8th against Carolina, quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for four touchdowns, making him the fastest quarterback to throw for 100 touchdowns, passing Dan Marino. According to the Chiefs website Patrick Mahomes also became the first player in NFL history to record back-to-back performances with 370+ passing yards, 4+ touchdowns, and no interceptions in a single season. 

Other Chiefs that are breaking records include wide receiver Tyreek Hill. According to a tweet by CBS Sports, against the New York Jets Tyreek Hill tied Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss for most touchdowns of 40+ yards all-time, with 23 touchdowns, noting that Hill is only 26 years old. The Chiefs were also the first team in NFL history to start the season (4-0) four years in a row and are currently the only team in the league to have scored a touchdown on offense, defense and special teams. 

According to Pro Football Focus the Chiefs also have one of the hottest defenses in the NFL. The Chiefs are ranked second only to the Baltimore Ravens since week 12 of last season. The defense currently ranks (11th) in total yards and has been starting to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Led by safety Daniel Sorenson, who currently leads the team in tackles with 57 total  and 45 solo tackles. Daniel Sorenson, Tyrann Mathieu and rookie L’Jarius Sneed are all tied with two interceptions a piece. 

Players to watch on the defensive side are rookies, linebacker Willie Gay (#50) and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton (#98). According to Pro Football Focus, Tershawn Wharton is currently the second highest graded rookie defensive lineman, with a grade of  71.9. Wharton went undrafted and was signed by the Chiefs out of Missouri S&T University.

What is your definition of wealth? This football team is not successful just because of the talent on the field. They are the product of the best coaching staff in the NFL. The Chiefs have dealt with injuries on both sides of the ball, for example the Offensive line. Andy Reid is one of the best offensive line evaluators in NFL history, and will find talented players to step up when they are called on. From Offensive Coordinator, Eric Bieniemy, to defensive line coach Brendan Daly this coaching staff has developed the best team in the NFL. The Chiefs get a bye week and then are off to Las Vegas to get revenge on the Raiders. What if Mahomes threw for 8 touchdowns in one game? Maybe this team wins out, maybe they lose one more game if any. At the end of the day, we should all expect another deep playoff run and another Lombardi Trophy.

Avila Football 

For the first time in program history the Avila University football team has won five games in a row. What has led to the recent success? A stellar Eagles defense that has kept the opposing team from scoring in back-to-back weeks. The Eagles currently have a record of 5-1 after winning back-to-back home games by a combined score of 110-0. They won their home opener against Tabor (2-4) by a score of 59-0, and their most recent win against St. Mary (0-4) by a score of 51-0. Avila looks primed to make some noise after coming in third place in 2019 and 2018 with a record of (7-3). 

Top Performers:

• Passing: (#1) quarterback – John Jacobs III (1,099 yards, 12 touchdowns, 2 interceptions)
• Rushing: (#2) running back – Malik Nesbitt (131 attempts, 645 yards, 11 touchdowns, 4.9 average yards
  per rush)
• Receiving: (#11) wide receiver – Devin Senerius (22 receptions, 376 yards, 3 touchdowns, 17.1 average
  yards per reception)
• Defense: (#10) linebacker – Jamad Thomas (50 total tackles, 23 solo tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 1.5
  sacks)
• (#12) linebacker – Nikolas Furlow (42 total tackles, 24 solo tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks)
• (#41) defensive back – Ryan Petitfrere (32 total tackles, 25 solo tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 2
  interceptions)

The Telegraph was able to interview Head Coach Marc Benavidez after November 7’s 51-0 shutout victory. 

How does it feel to win five games in a row and back-to-back shutout victories?

“It’s huge to know that your team is clicking in all three phases of the game, and with the back-to-back shutouts it shows that our guys can get the job done.”

How has the youthful defense impressed you so far? 

“Those young guys have been a big foundation for what we have going on. All of them are executing right now, especially those young freshman defensive backs. They’re handling their receivers consistently especially these last two weeks. It’s good to know as a coach that you have some quality players.”

How much has this team improved from camp to now?

“Drastically. We knew at the beginning of camp that we had some guys that were already kind of banged up. All these freshmen now know the scheme like the back of their hand. So it is much easier for the offensive and defensive play callers to call anything and hope these guys can get it done.”

Avila’s next home game is against Sterling (0-4) and the Eagles will likely dominate once again. The Eagles will then end the regular season at home against Southwestern (4-1) but will have to wait until March 6th, 2021, as the KCAC conference plans to resume the season after the holidays. If Avila wins out, they will most likely be eligible for the postseason for the first time in program history. Let’s hope Avila can keep the same energy and momentum in the spring. 

Take pride in the fact that Kansas City is home to some dominant football with no one wanting to take on the Chiefs and the Eagles of Avila.