Josh Kingsley
“The Kansas City CHIEFS are Super Bowl LVII Champions!!” (repeat a couple more times to get to 3 total)
With a 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles the CHIEFS are 3X Super Bowl Champs!! Much, much more on history later, but for now, let’s continue my victory parade. The CHIEFS are the class of the league. Also, the target of the league. Add in frustration of the league and all opposing team fans. Our team and town now officially draws the ire of NFL fans. The Kansas City CHIEFS have taken the place most recently held by the New England Patriots and the Cowboys before: the wooooooooorrssssssssttttt!! For anyone but fans of the team. I have to be clear about one thing: we need one more title in the next couple years to make this official in terms of success, but we are killing this absorption of hatred thing.
Quick side note: hey Scott D. remember that time in Philly in 2019? We were in the pool during BOS X reliving Mahomes 50 TD MVP season and lamenting the AFC Championship where Patrick didn’t get the ball in OT. What did I say? Oh, yeah, I said the CHIEFS are winning 3 of the next 10. Well, two down… just SAYIN’!!
The Onion ran this article on Monday. I could not agree more. National sports media will dial the doubt even more starting next season. They will pick the Chargers and Broncos while musing about our demise, and will aim to put us as fans on an island. Sounds good to me. I like islands and go to them all the time for vacations!!
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Why the Hate?
Why does everyone hate us? Can’t they simply leave us alone and let us enjoy this? Can’t they just step back and enjoy the greatness unfolding? We are all smart people. Arguably the smartest, we’re CHIEFS fans!! We know it cannot go that way and things like my smart comment contribute to that. The other reality is no one has any interest in watching greatness while it is happening to anyone but them. We as CHIEFS fans didn’t enjoy the Patriots dynasty. I have gone on the record many times as a Brady admirer and fan with deep appreciation of the greatness I witnessed. However, pure unadulterated jealousy is the strongest emotion during the run. The NFL rooting, non-CHIEFS-fan world want what we have, and I don’t blame them because it’s awesome.
I believe there is another psychological thing going on too, as the party continues for us. Check out this Chuck Klosterman article from Spin magazine in 2004. This is an all time top 5 piece of writing for me. One I love Klosterman. Two, I’m a music guy. And Three, the intro is so fantastically accurate. There are tons of angles to dislike the CHIEFS and their big house with growing trophy room making them “overrated.” Rooting for “underrated” teams like the Bills and Bengals is much more “fun.”
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Quick NASCAR Comparison
In college I worked at the local VFW hall cleaning up Sunday mornings after events (this was before the DJ thing started). I worked with a guy named Jim, and he was a massive NASCAR fan. Jeff Gordon was in the middle of his tear through Southern roots winning titles as a Cali boy. Jim HATED Jeff Gordon. Some of it was disdain for the West Coaster taking over his sport, but most of it was the odds with his personal sensibilities regarding winning in the sport. Jim’s preference was a different winner each of the 36 weeks with an occasional 2 time winner during the season. He didn’t want to see anyone win all the time.
I think national sports media generally feels the same way. They love the fresh new story. Mahomes in 2018 as the young upstart was their media darling. Lamar was kind enough to change that guard the following season. An Aaron Rodgers return gained much welcome the following season. Then things went south for the new and exciting narrative. Rodgers added another MVP — gasp — prior to handing it back to Mahomes this year. The national media simply refused to name Mahomes the eventual winner until the Hurts injury. That gets worse next season. I’m not sure Mahomes is the media favorite short of 70+ TD passes. They, like Jim, want something new. Unless, of course, the current has a name like Yankee, Earnhardt, or something like that.
All good – embrace the horror and enjoy it, national media and NFL fans. We certainly will.
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Tip of the Cap
The Philadelphia Eagles were the apt challengers. They were the class of the NFC all season despite what anyone said about San Francisco, Dallas, or anyone else. It was always the Eagles and CHIEFS in the Super Bowl, and we all saw a classic because everything played out correctly. I genuinely expect to see the Bengals and Eagles remain top threats to the CHIEFS for the foreseeable future. The 49ers join that crew with a QB. Philly is there because of their QB, Jalen Hurts.
That dude is a warrior. He, like Mahomes, came into the game beat up. Color me confused because he didn’t look hurt. Like Patrick he sucked it up and left it on the field. Hurts had his way throwing for 300+ yards and a TD pass, which went along with his 3 rushing TD tying an NFL record held by Terrell Davis.
Quick side bar: I cannot think or a game I hated more than the Broncos first Super Bowl win. I was working at McDonald’s during the game with a bunch of Bronco fans and they were insufferable. Another oddity for that one is my wife was on the field during halftime. She was competitive in flags in high school. That Super Bowl was in San Diego, and local high school marching bands and flags crews got to perform. In a very ironic twist the teams playing came from Denver and Wisconsin, our two residences. Well…OK then.
Jalen Hurts really only made one mistake, and it was the fumble. Other than that he was dang near perfect. I would accept him as MVP for the game.
Cheers to Accountability
The Eagles players and coaches look like winners as well. They have plenty of options to make excuses, but refuse. Officiating and the turf, which why is it so hard to grow grass in a controlled environment in Phoenix??… are the targets for reasoning. Most Philly fans, CHIEFS haters, NFL conspiracy theorists, etc… are targeting them. Nick Siriani lamented football things like not sacking Mahomes or even really creating pressure, and also not establishing a better running game. Jason Kelce, Dallas Goedert and others recalled both teams playing on the bad surface. The Eagles simply refused to make excuses, and I applaud that.
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The penalty on Eagles CB James Bradberry justifiably stings for Eagles players and fans. Fans will never forget it, which I understand. Bradberry manned up and admitted it was a hold, but added he hoped for clemency.
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I personally wish the officials ate the flag on the play. My belief is the CHIEFS win without the flag. I think they win the Cincy game without a flag too. Colin Cowherd’s analogy for flags like this is great. He compares it to going 8 mph over the speed limit on the highway. You usually get away with it, we all do it, but the police have the right to pull you over. It sucks to get the ticket, and we all have, but it extra sucks when you are already late for something. That’s spot on.
Nick Wright added some great additional commentary. Eagles are in the spot we all were watching the Patriots always get the close calls. It sucked — cough… #55 offside… cough — but they were correct calls. It feels great to be on the winning side now. I agree wholeheartedly, Nick.
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History!!
The CHIEFS made history. Every Super Bowl winner does. I love history, especially the kind I enjoy reliving… forever. The CHIEFS made a ton of that for me and fans like me. My first notable history is the way KC did it. They struggled through a season playing rookies heavy minutes at important positions. Eight rookies contributed heavily making all the regular season flubs worth it. The CHIEFS won their 8th straight game trailing in the 4th quarter last Sunday. Many of those games were tense, frustrating, and totally worth it now. The next piece of history involved the coin toss. This was the first Super Bowl since 2013 where the coin toss winner won the game. Dumb stat? Heck yeah!! Fun stat? You betcha.
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My favorite history is the team history I’ve longed to see my entire life. Sunday’s Super Bowl victory makes 3, which matches divisional and lifetime rival, Raiders count. The Raiders and their fans held the 3 Super Bowl wins over CHIEFS fans’ head since January 22, 1984. Bronco fans held the same claim since February 7, 2016.
Both are out the window now.
The playing field is once again even. Our CHIEFS mission is to get to #4 first. Kansas City sits tied for 7th most Super Bowl wins with the above mentioned rivals and the Washington Commanders (and previous iterations), which is an exclusive room. This room looks much better than the 2-time one where they left the: Ravens, Bucs, Colts, Dolphins and Rams behind. Next stop is joining the Giants and Packers with 4.
What. A. Time. To. Be. ALIVE!!
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Mahomes History
All Patrick does is make history. Look at this page of Super Bowl stat leaders. Three appearances puts Patrick on many of these lists, but here are the ones I like:
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The crazy thing is that’s not all he did. Here are 3 more:
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Soak it up y’all. We are watching history unfold right before our eyes.
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Kelce History
Things get wild here. Mahomes is chasing Brady and Montana. Kelce, as a TE mind you, has an arguably bigger target in his cross hairs. Travis Kelce is now #2 in playoff receiving yards (1,548) and TD (16). Who is #1? Just some dude name Jerry Rice. Rice has a 697 yard and 6 TD lead over Kelce. Travis can 100% catch both of those if the CHIEFS keep the current trajectory. Heck, the TD one could conceivably happen as early as next season, which is insane. Also note, he is 400-ish yards ahead of Tyreek and 8 TDs ahead of Devante Adams. Those are the only active players in his current Zip code.
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Reid History
Never outdone by his players Andy has some stuff going on too. Reid sits 5th all time with 247 wins, and he will catch Tom Landry’s 250 next season. After that his targets are George Halas at 318 and Don Shula at 328. Yes, I left Belichick out as he is still active and currently at 298. This is a contest with time. I have no clue how much longer Reid does this, but 6-7 years seems possible. Given that he needs 13 wins a season to catch Shula. Long shot? Probably. Impossible? Nope. Another 5 seasons with 15 wins passes Halas. Again, long shot, but that sounds borderline doable with this squad. As for Belichick who knows what happens. That guy could retire tomorrow or coach until the grave. My gut tells me it’s closer to the second choice, and he ends atop this list.
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Who is active that may challenge Reid? The closest are Mike Tomlin with 163, Pete Carroll with 161, Mike McCarthy with 155 and John Harbaugh with 147. So, the answer is no one really.
The playoff win tally is even more impressive. Reid sits #2 with 22, doubling Carroll, McCarthy and Harbaugh. Bill Belichick leads with 31. BB also leads the field with 6 Super Bowl victories. Reid’s 2 put him in rare air, but a 3rd puts him in a room with Joe Gibbs and Bill Walsh. A 4th puts him next to Chuck Noll. I believe Reid gets to 4 before he rides off into the sunset, and Canton. Bill’s decisions will dictate where he lands on the final lists.
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Happy Trails
Backup QB, Chad Henne, went out on top calling it a career. –> Henne Thing Is Possible!! Thanks Chad, you will always be a CHIEF!!
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Halftime Review
I love Rihanna. She is a hit machine and has been for pretty much my entire 20+ years as a DJ. Also, she’s 34 and not anywhere close to done. The music world simply changed when “Pon De Replay” hit the airwaves in 2005. Jay-Z is a genius for many reasons, and seeing the talent in her is a big one. The outfit was the talk of my Super Bowl party as she looked like a Star Wars imperial guard. Misty pointed out in real time the strategic decision to cover the baby weight. Rihanna’s reps later confirmed she performed pregnant. This was the best pregnant performance since MIA in 2009, which probably holds that belt forever.
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Misty, Anthony and I watched toe tapping the whole time. We speculated on the final song, how the crane system worked for the platforms (mainly me as I love mechanical stuff like that), and if a guest performer would join. It was a blast. Ultimately, Jason Isbell summed up my thoughts best:
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Necessary Comment
I like Terry Bradshaw. He is entertainment gold on Fox’s pregame and post-game coverage. I enjoy his movie appearances. His personality is fun. However, he gets the ultimate c’mon man for this.
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Media of the Week
Sorry for the language in this one. It goes out to all the CHIEFS players, coaches, the Hunts and CHIEFS Kingdom. However, I think it most goes to Brett Veach for sitting in the background and orchestrating the entire thing.
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Editor’s Note: Beware, Explicit Language.
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Josh Kingsley — ArrowheadOne and Arrowhead Kingdom
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