Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford wants a chance to rectify his critical offsides penalty in the AFC Championship game. To do so, the Chiefs will need to re-sign him in free agency this offseason.
According to Lynn Worth of KansasCity.com, Dee Ford would “love to come back here” when asked about his upcoming free agency.
At this point, the play is already legendary. With less than two minutes remaining in the game, Kansas City cornerback Charvarius Ward hauled in an interception on a third-and-10. With the Chiefs up on the New England Patriots 28-24 at the time, the interception would’ve all-but-clinched the game.
Instead, Ford was lined up offsides, and the Patriots were given another chance. This ended with the Patriots taking the lead and eventually winning the game by a final of 37-31 and going on to the Super Bowl.
It’s easy to label Ford as a scapegoat, but it’s important to remember the role he played in getting Kansas City to the AFC Championship game in the first place. Ford racked up 13 sacks in the regular season – second most on the team. Meanwhile, he had one sack and one forced fumble in the playoffs this year.
It is also clear that Ford played a major part on a young and talented team that exceeded everyone’s expectations this year. At just 27, his best years are still ahead of him as well. Looking at one play and finding fault in someone is easy. Remembering just how good Ford is shouldn’t be hard either though.
The good news is that Ford wants to return to Kansas City. He was an integral part of the defense and should be heavily sought after in free agency this year. The Chiefs have the option of the franchise tag if they feel a long-term deal can’t be put into place, but getting one done should be near the top of their to-do list this offseason.
Follow Us
Subscribe