When last we saw the Chiefs in a playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium, they were trudging off the field after bungling a 21-3 lead against the Bengals and falling 27-24 in overtime.
Instead of a third straight Super Bowl berth, instead of reassurance that such haunting postseason plummets from commanding leads had been purged in the Patrick Mahomes era, the Chiefs and their fans were delivered a nasty reality check.
Nothing is given and nothing is assured when it comes to the NFL playoffs. And the seemingly inexplicable always lurks.