NEW ORLEANS — You’re rooting against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. Everyone knows. The Chiefs themselves are aware too.
“People hate the Chiefs?” tight end Travis Kelce said with a wide smile at Super Bowl Opening Night. “I didn’t know that.”
There’s no question that for most NFL fans, there is a clear villain for this Super Bowl and … well, a more palatable team to root for. It’s hard to turn the Philadelphia Eagles into a somewhat likable underdog, but the Chiefs have done it.
The bigger question might be how it happened. The Chiefs were a feel-good story not too long ago, with an electric young quarterback in Patrick Mahomes that everyone seemed to be rooting for. Mahomes is as personable of a superstar as there is. Head coach Andy Reid has the same vibe. It’s not like Kansas City fans were known for being obnoxious either.
“We believe we play the game the right way,” Mahomes said. “We believe we play with a lot of heart and passion for the game.”
But the Chiefs kept winning. At some point during their historic run of five Super Bowls appearances in six seasons, non-Chiefs fans turned on them. And the Chiefs are fine with it all. As New York Yankees legend Reggie Jackson once said, fans don’t boo nobodies.
“I kind of like being called the villain,” Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie said. “It comes with a certain swagger and it also comes with knowing you are at the top. You don’t hate nobody that’s not doing well.”
As the Chiefs galvanize America to root against them, it all feels very familiar.
Chiefs as the new Patriots
There’s an odd recent theme on social media from NFL fans that they never really hated the Patriots, not like they hate the Chiefs anyway. That shows their memory is faulty. Everyone hated the Patriots when they were winning too much in the Tom Brady era.
“I was a Cowboys fan growing up and I used to hate the Patriots,” Mahomes said. “More than anything, I appreciate the greatness of the Patriots more now when I see how hard it was to do what they did.”
In the absence of a real scandal, like Spygate or even Deflategate was for the Patriots dynasty, the narrative that has emerged is that officials favor the Chiefs. There have been some calls to go the Chiefs’ way, but every 50/50 call that does go their way becomes evidence of a conspiracy to a surprising number of fans.
Commissioner Roger Goodell even had to address the “ridiculous theory” that officials favor the Chiefs.
“We play so many prime-time games, it’s just like recency bias,” Chiefs safety Justin Reid said when asked about the notion fans have that officials favor them. “Football is football, we all play by the same rules, and the name of the game is to go out there and execute.”
Of course, the Chiefs fatigue and complaints about officiating has overshadowed something historic. The Chiefs are attempting to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls. They’re the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions and make it to a third straight.
Win or lose, it’s an impressive run for Kansas City. No matter whether a majority of fans can appreciate it or not.
Going for the three-peat
The Chiefs are certainly aware of what’s in front of them this Sunday. But the players said they’ve been able to keep the focus on the challenge in front of them every week.
“Each and every week for us it’s a 1-0 mindset, we like to say. It’s a faceless opponent,” McDuffie said. “Honestly, the three-peat hasn’t really been talked about. We know it’s a goal, but each week sets its own new opportunity to go out there and play.”
It has resulted in a fantastic season. The Chiefs were 15-2 in the regular season, and that includes a Week 18 loss in which they sat their starters. In the playoffs, they beat the Houston Texans and then the Buffalo Bills to advance to yet another Super Bowl.
It’s impressive, in the same way the Patriots’ run of championships was momentous. Another Super Bowl win won’t lead to America embracing the Chiefs, but they’re fine with that.
“If winning football games makes you a villain, we’re going to keep going out there and doing it,” Mahomes said.