People were asking themselves, “What the heck was wrong with the Kansas City Chiefs?” throughout the regular season.
Despite winning their division, all the statistics indicate that they had a very poor season by their standards.
Receivers were dropping passes left and right, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes passed for the second-fewest yards in a season (Travis Kelce missed 1,000 yards for the first time since 2015).
The Chiefs are now establishing themselves as a dynasty as they are enjoying their third Super Bowl victory in five years after something clicked during the playoffs.
It was hardly surprising that Kansas City, playing in below-freezing weather, defeated the Miami Dolphins 26-7 in their wild card playoff matchup.
However, they were on the road as underdogs against the Buffalo Bills and the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens in their next two games. In those two games, they prevailed.
In the Super Bowl, they were also betting on the underdog San Francisco 49ers, with lines closing at about 1.5.
Following his third Super Bowl MVP award, Patrick Mahomes joins an elite company.
But in overtime, the Chiefs emerged victorious.
Given their difficulties during the regular season, the Chiefs have talked about their issues with adversity during the playoffs.
After winning three straight games as a favorite to win the Super Bowl once more, Mahomes was direct in his postgame remarks.
“Just know that the Kansas City Chiefs are never underdogs,” he added. “Just know that.”
He makes a valid point; Mahomes is currently 17–14 when down by ten points or more, including throughout the postseason. In all four Super Bowls he has participated in, he has faced a deficit of ten points or more and has still won three of them.