Chiefs WR Rashee Rice receives neighborhood Super Bowl send-off
5 February 2024
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The more teams win in the NFL, the more fanbases loathe them and root for them to lose.
That has certainly been the case for the Kansas City Chiefs, who have been the most successful team in the NFL over the past five years.
But it wasn’t always like this.
The Chiefs were once the team many were rooting for when they began their run of AFC Championship game appearances back in 2019 against the New England Patriots, the team that many were rooting against.
Well, the Chiefs have become that team. In essence, they have seen themselves become the villain.
In an interview with ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes shared his thoughts on playing the villain role.
“I can definitely sense it. I never felt like that because I’ve never been like that in my entire life. But it’s become a little bit funny,” Mahomes said.
Mahomes stated he wants to sustain a Patriots-like longevity at the top of the NFL but go about it in a completely different way.
“I don’t want to say you enjoy it. I know the Patriots had that for a while. I’m hoping we do it in a different way with a little bit more fun and personality with it. But as long as you keep winning, teams start to not like you, and I want to keep winning.”
“So if that means some of the other teams and other fan bases aren’t going to like me, I’ll try to still have a smile on my face and not be a bad example, but I can be that villain for them if they need me to be.”
The Chiefs have certainly fared well embracing the villain role, securing two playoff road wins against two of the hottest teams in the NFL in the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens along with being underdogs at the sportsbooks in both matchups.
“I like being the villain. It feels good being the villain,” Chiefs DT Chris Jones said after winning the AFC Championship against the Ravens.
The Chiefs are also underdogs to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
While their back in the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years, this journey was certainly the most unique as they played their first road playoff game in almost a decade and dealt with regular-season struggles.
But, they’re back where they belong looking to grab their third ring and be the first team with back-to-back titles in over 20 years.