Jump back to the first time I entered Arrowhead Stadium. November 4, 1990. I was 6, almost 7. The same age as my youngest son right now. We sat in the upper deck. The Chiefs beat the Raiders 9-7. I would wear a Christian Okoye "Nigerian Nightmare" shirt to school. In 1992, I played as the Chiefs in Super Tecmo Bowl on Nintendo.
Jump forward to the 2003 season, my junior year at University of Illinois. There was a stretch in high school where I didn't pay much attention to the NFL. But now I had found a group of friends that spoke my language. We watched games together, cooked burgers, had friendly rivalries, and would bet an entire whole dollar on fantasy weeks. Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption became routine viewing. The NFL and the Chiefs were back in my life in a big way. With Trent Green, Priest Holmes, Tony Gonzalez and a 9-0 start, I was praying for a Super Bowl at Thanksgiving. Came up short in the no punt game. It was the first time in my life I had real Super Bowl dreams. The next year I would take Mrs. Hoagie Central to the first of 5 Chiefs games together. She didn't care about the team but cared about me.
Jump back to my childhood where I stop liking baseball. I stop caring about the Royals.
Jump forward to April 3, 2005. The only sports teams I care about are the Chiefs, Illinois basketball and Illinois football. I've really limited my chances to see one of my teams win a championship. I tell my college group of friends tomorrow we're going to see Illinois win a national championship. We enter the Edward Jones Dome and cram 6 guys in a row with 4 seats to our names. We stand the whole time. Illinois is down 27-40 at the half. And then just like they did in the path to the title game, Illinois storms back. I take a picture of the scoreboard when it was 70-70. Illinois wouldn't score again.
Jump forward to 2012. I'm on this dang website writing over 1000 words celebrating a win for a team that's going nowhere. I thought Matt Cassel could be our franchise QB. That year the Chiefs would go 2-14. Fans were protesting, appealing to Clark Hunt to fire GM Scott Pioli and turn the franchise around.
Jump forward a few months to the moment that changed everything for the Chiefs franchise in my lifetime. The Eagles fired Andy Reid. Four days later, the Chiefs hired him. KC replaced Pioli with Dorsey. Reid brought a scout from the Eagles to be on his new staff, Brett Veach.
I wrote two posts at the time. My first thoughts and a day later trying to be optimistic.
On January 3rd, 2013, I wrote: "I think he could have success. But he needs a QB."
On January 4th, 2013, I wrote: "If Reid wins a playoff game, it's a success."
At that point, it had been 20 years since the Chiefs had won a single playoff game. I didn't even know what that felt like. Reid brought in Alex Smith and took a 2-14 team and turned them into a 11-5 playoff team.
I was so excited/hopeful with Reid that in 2015 I started making jokes like this.
I even got to see the Chiefs win a playoff game. That team with Alex Smith, Travis Kelce and Eric Berry won a wild-card game and it felt incredible.
I made another joke in 2016 too. In 2016, the Chiefs earned the bye but couldn't win a game in the playoffs.
At this point, Reid and the Chiefs had been to the playoffs 3 out of 4 years but had gone 1-3 in the playoffs with Alex Smith.
A scout named Brett Veach kept sending highlights to Andy Reid saying we need to draft this kid out of Texas Tech.
Smith got one more chance in 2017. And he lit it up. Was a MVP candidate at one point. Chiefs were undefeated and had just beaten the Patriots in Gillette.
But I was thinking about someone else. I had seen Patrick Mahomes in a Chiefs uniform in the preseason do all kinds of things that Alex Smith didn't do. So I wrote about the QB First Contract Super Bowl window.
I projected Mahomes to be a Pro Bowl QB and said the best chance of the Chiefs winning a Super Bowl in my lifetime would be 2017-2020, following the Seahawks blueprint.
Jump forward to the last game Alex Smith played for the Chiefs. The Mariota self-pass game. Chiefs blew a 21-3 lead. Mahomes was in uniform, on the sideline. The backup. The Alex Smith era ended with the Chiefs going 1-4 in the playoffs.
Jump forward a year to 2018. Mahomes is the starter for the first time. He goes out and throws 50 touchdowns and for 5000 yards. He became the Chiefs first MVP of the league.
Earned the #1 seed. Advanced to the Chiefs first AFC Championship. Lead the team to score 24 points in the 4th quarter. And when Ward picked off Brady with a minute to go I thought the Chiefs were going to the Super Bowl. But there was a flag. Dee Ford was offsides. Brady sent the game to OT and Mahomes never got the ball in overtime.
Brady gets his 6th ring in Super Bowl LIII.
Jump forward to the 2019 season. The Chiefs are the preseason Super Bowl favorites. They start 4-0. I go to Arrowhead and see Mahomes for the first time in person. In Week 7, Mahomes runs a QB sneak. He's lying there on the ground for a long time. Within minutes it's announced he's out for the rest of the game with a knee injury. I assume he's done for the year. Possibly not ready for the 2020 season if it's a ACL/MCL type thing. Best case scenario he's out for 6-8 weeks, but by then the Chiefs would miss the playoffs anyways.
That injury becomes a turning point in the season. The defense responds. After losing their last two, the defense leads this team to a win. Mahomes comes back and finishes the regular season on a 6-game winning streak.
In the divisional round, the Chiefs were down 24. Mahomes led them back.
In the conference championship, the Chiefs were down 10. Mahomes led them back.
And now for the first time in my life, the Chiefs were going to the Super Bowl.
Everyone thought this would be a tough game. On the one hand, the 49ers are a dominant team, built in the trenches. Their defense can stop anybody and they can run on anyone. They are built to pressure Mahomes and cover up the Chiefs' speed with their zone. And Garoppolo has shown he can win in a shootout if he needs to.
On the Chiefs side people thought that Mahomes was the best player on the field. And he's the one person you don't feel comfortable betting against. (Conventional wisdom overlooked Damien Williams' fresh legs and that the Chiefs D had transformed into a top 10 unit. They also saw Shanahan vs Reid as an even or favorable matchup for SF.)
The 49ers strike first with a field goal. Mahomes & Co. answers with a deep drive. On 3rd down, Mahomes had the first down yardage on a scramble but SF knocked the ball out of his hands, out of bounds a yard short.
So they Chiefs call "Shift the Rose Bowl Right Parade."
“Shift The Rose Bowl Right Parade”— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) February 5, 2020
- @PatrickMahomes mic’d up @NFLFilms @insidetheNFL pic.twitter.com/Ba3Trwq8t8
Reid could have gone conservative and tied it with a field goal. Instead he dials up a play that they've been working on since the first day of OTAs, waiting for the right time to use it. Three plays after Mahomes scores on the option, Chris Jones forces his way into the backfield and causes an interception. Chiefs are driving and convert another 4th and 1. There's 11 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter and it looks like the Chiefs are about to blow this game wide open 14-3. But the 49ers clamp down in the red zone, limiting the Chiefs to a field goal.
That stop sparked the 49ers. They came down and scored. Stop the Chiefs on 3rd down with 1:53 on the clock.
At this point the Chiefs have had 4 possessions, scoring 10 points. The 49ers have had 3 possessions, scoring 10 points. Despite having all three timeouts, San Francisco chooses not to use any.
Maybe they were scared of committing a turnover deep in their territory. Maybe they didn't want Mahomes to see the ball again in the first half.
Halftime: KC 10, SF 10.
In every game, teams usually get 9 or 10, sometimes 11 possessions. But this game was different. They were on pace for 7. Long drives, not a lot of incompletions, the clock keeps running.
Sure enough more of the same in the second half. The 49ers take the lead on a field goal drive that takes over 5 minutes.
In the 3rd quarter, Nick Bosa makes a great move inside and knocks the ball out of Mahomes hands. Pat dives on it and recovers. It looks like it's going to be the opposite of the Cam Newton play in Super Bowl 50 that sealed the Broncos win. But that moment was short lived. On the next play, Mahomes threw his first career postseason interception.
Damn, Mahomes isn't invincible. Damn, this 49ers team is for real.
The 49ers roll down the field and score making it 20 to 10. Ensuing drive, Mahomes makes a gutsy dive for the marker on another 3rd down scramble and gets it. Once again, the Chiefs have a long drive. They get in field goal territory. 3rd down. You think, worst case scenario, they're about to make it a one-possession game. Picked. He had played 4 and a half playoff games with no interceptions and just threw two back-to-back in the Super Bowl.
At this point the 49ers D has stopped the Chiefs of three straight drives. The 49ers offense has scored on two straight drives. It's been all SF basically since the first quarter. The entire 49ers defense gathers in the end zone and poses in celebration.
I'm sitting there thinking all the experts were right. The 49ers are a dominant team, built in the trenches. Their defense can stop anybody and they can run on anyone. They are built to pressure Mahomes and cover up the Chiefs' speed with their zone. All the pundits who said you pick the best team not the best player were right. And it sucks.
I know the game's not over yet, but my mind starts going to all the worst places. I don't believe in curses but I do believe in Super Bowl Hangovers. So do the Rams, Falcons, Panthers, and Seahawks. If you're not the Patriots, losing in the Super Bowl is almost a death sentence.
Terez Paylor explained it perfectly on his recent podcast. When you win a Super Bowl, there's a happy tax. Players rightfully want to get paid. Other teams are willing to pay a premium for Super Bowl talent. Often coaches leave for promotions. But the losers have to pay that tax too. And to go through 21 weeks and invest so much and come up short, it's draining.
Not to mention the pressure that builds. That Reid can't win the big one. That Mahomes is the next Marino in a bad way.
We're staring losing in the Super Bowl in the face.
On 3rd and 14 for SF, the Chiefs get lucky twice on the same play. Refs could have thrown a flag for offsides at the start and could have thrown one for a late hit at the end. But they didn't and the Chiefs got their first stop of the second half.
Jump back to February 6, 2005, the last time Andy Reid was in the Super Bowl. His team got the ball down 10 with 8:40 to go. McNabb threw an interception. The Eagles would get the ball back, go full huddle and score a touchdown with 1:48 remaining. Everyone criticized Andy Reid's time management.
Jump forward to now. Andy Reid is back in the Super Bowl His team got the ball down 10 with 8:53 to go.
On 2nd and 15 the ball slides through Hill's arms and hits the ground. It was initially ruled a catch. But San Francisco challenged the play.
As the Chiefs looked up and saw it was incomplete, they knew they'd be facing 3rd and 15.
This is the biggest call of the game. But the replay review gave them basically a free timeout to think about it and dial up the call they felt most comfortable with. Mahomes asks Andy to run "2-3 Jet Chip Wasp." The Chiefs ran this play in the first half, as a setup. On 3rd and 15, everything about the play is the same except that Hill changes his route at the end, going toward the corner. Some called it a blown coverage. But it wasn't. It was brilliant design.
That pass traveled 57 yards in the air. Mahomes' longest completion by air yards...of the season.
Jump back to Super Bowl IV. Hank Stram calls "65 Toss Power Trap" and it becomes the most famous play call in Chiefs history. Now we have "2-3 Jet Chip Wasp."
A few plays later, Mahomes tosses one to Kelce in the end zone. 6:13 on the clock. The Chiefs had gone no huddle and scored in less than three minutes. Redemption for Andy Reid, clock manager.
All very exciting. But I told my kids, if the 49ers score a touchdown here, they win. On 2nd and 5, the 49ers get Kittle wide open. Chris Jones knocks it down. On 3rd and 5, the Chiefs send pressure and create an off-target throw.
This Chiefs defense forces the first 3-and-out punt of the night when they needed it the most.
And when Mahomes got the ball back with 5 minutes to go, every Chiefs fan knew what was happening next. He was going to go down and score.
Sammy Watkins beat Richard Sherman one-on-one to get the Chiefs in the red zone. After the game, he'd credit Davante Adams for putting the film out there on how to beat Sherman.
On 3rd and Goal, Mahomes floats the ball over Dee Ford's head and finds Williams. He catches it at the 4 and it's a race to the pylon.
If they rule he's out at the one-inch line, that sets up a 4th and Goal for the ages. But it appears he breaks the plane and steps out simultaneously.
The Chiefs are leading in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl. And after worrying about not having enough time to score twice, suddenly there's a lot of time for SF.
They get to midfield with two minutes left. On 3rd and 10, Sanders has a few steps on the Chiefs defense.
Jump back to 2014. Andy Reid wanted to sign Sanders as a free agent. Reports were that he did agree to a deal with the Chiefs. But then he backed out and signed with the Broncos instead. He won Super Bowl 50 with Denver. And now here he is with a chance to take the lead back.
With 1:35, if he catches this for a touchdown, I still think Mahomes comes down and at least gets a field goal. But the worst scenario would be if he gets tackled at the 5. The 49ers run some clock and use up the Chiefs timeouts before getting a TD. That could have been the ball game. Except if you look above, in order to catch that ball, Sanders would have to be approximately 22 feet tall.
So now it's 4th down. The game is moving faster than I can process. Chris Jones and Frank Clark hadn't been healthy and playing side by side for that much this year. But on this play, Jones opened up the path for Clark to sack Jimmy G.
The @Chiefs sack Garoppolo on fourth and 10. #ChiefsKingdom— NFL (@NFL) February 3, 2020
📺: #SBLIV on FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app pic.twitter.com/7dfzgovv3O
I know it's not over. My mother-in-law is rummaging through her basement storage looking for a cowbell to ring. I tell her you can't ring anything yet, the Chiefs still need a first down. She says she's going to ring it anyways.
It's 2nd and 6, I'm very much aware that a fumble or a stop gives this ball back to the Niners. And Damien Williams calls game.
Joe Buck's call is worthless and Mitch Holthus' is brilliant so I'm going to wait until I can find the clip to post it here. Update: here it is:
"Damien Williams runs to immortality!" @mitchholthus pic.twitter.com/sD0gBkArCe— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 6, 2020
Went from being down 10 to up 11. With a minute left, I knew it was almost impossible for SF to come back but I wasn't celebrating yet. Until it was sealed with a pick. The player? Kendall Fuller.
The guy the Chiefs traded Alex Smith away for.
Jump back to the post I wrote after Alex Smith got traded. Before Mahomes was even the starter I wrote: "Mahomes + Fuller + pick seems a hell of a lot better than just Alex Smith." When I wrote that I was thinking about the draft pick. But Mahomes + Fuller + pick is how the Chiefs became Super Bowl Champions.
In fact, look at what I wrote two years ago:
I had never seen the Chiefs play in the AFC Championship and here I am willing this dream into existence.
Back in 2007, I wrote how Sports Illustrated had cluttered up their championship covers. They took something framable and made it so cheap. Well, look at this bad boy:
Andy Reid and Alex Smith went 1-4 in the playoffs over five years.
Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have gone 4-1 in the playoffs in two years.
Jump back to Saturday night. Lamar Jackson was crowned the 2019 NFL MVP. I could no longer call Patrick Mahomes the league's reigning MVP. Less than 24 hours later I can call him something else.
Super Bowl Champion.
Super Bowl MVP.
Super Bowl MVP.
The youngest to win a Super Bowl and league MVP.
The youngest to ever win Super Bowl MVP.
The NFL has been around 100 years and this kid is doing things that have never been done before.This win has changed how I look at sports and championships. I used to think it was realistic to just get into the playoffs, get hot and go on a run. Like the Titans did this year. But the Titans were not on the Chiefs or 49ers level.
Now I see what it takes to actually win a title.
A hall of fame coach.
The greatest quarterback in the league.
Playmakers on defense.
Being healthy.
Getting some 50-50 calls to go your way.
Avoid mistakes that can happen to anyone, like jumping offside or dropping passes.
Never in my life have I seen a Chiefs team this complete. And they still almost lost.
The margins are so thin. All this talk about future Super Bowls already drives me crazy. It's freaking hard to get to the Super Bowl. It's freaking hard to win the Super Bowl.
There's 32 teams in the league. But life is not fair and neither are sports. The Patriots have won 6 Super Bowls in two decades. Some fans have never come close to being here.
You can root for a team your whole life and never see it happen. You accept that. It's part of the deal. The uncertainty makes this moment special. I hoped this day would come. But I knew it might never come.
This changes everything. I don't expect to the Chiefs to win again next year. Like I said, it's hard to do once and even harder to repeat. But I'm playing with house money for a long time. If the Chiefs get knocked out of the playoffs, I won't have to wonder what it feels like to make it to the Super Bowl. I can just pop in the DVD.
Jump back to February 8, 2016. I lived in Denver at the time and it was the worst day at the office I ever had. I was surrounded by Broncos fans celebrating their Super Bowl win. All of them enjoying something that I had never been close to feeling.
Just a few weeks prior I called the 2015 Chiefs season the best of my life because I finally got to see my team win a playoff game. I felt dumb for making a big deal out of a Wild Card Win. Brady and Manning would never.
The next day my co-workers went to the Broncos parade and I couldn't have been any more jealous.
Jump forward to today, February 5, 2020. It's time to go to my own parade.
I fell asleep around midnight last night but woke up a little after 2am...completely wide awake. I was excited about the parade of course, but also I kept thinking of things I wanted to include in this post. My mind just keeps spinning until I get everything out and can relax again. So for the first time ever, I wrote in the middle of the night. I had already done the setup to the game itself. So I started writing about the game and did the rest for three hours. Then got two hours of sleep and went to the parade. First time for that kind of blogging schedule. But then again, first time I've seen my team win a title.
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