Do you like winning? Then boy do we have a team for you!
The Kansas City Chiefs are back in the Super Bowl (again) and there’s still time to paint yourself red, declare your love for Patrick Mahomes and jump on the bandwagon.
Chiefs Kingdom is almost at full capacity, but if you’re new to the NFL, or are simply trying to work out which team you hate less, here are a few reasons why the Chiefs should be your team on Super Bowl Monday!
1. Because Winning is Fun
Let’s be honest, your average sports fan in 2024 is pretty fickle and latching on to a winning team is the easy thing to do.
Ask any NFL fan and they will tell you waking up at stupid o’clock is much easier when you’re watching a good team as opposed to the New York Jets.
Kansas City is the dynasty of the 2020’s, taking over from New England but they haven’t quite made it to those insufferable levels (yet).
But when they do, at least you’ll have the joy of seeing your recently beloved team winning a few titles while everyone else looks on in envy.
They’ve been here so many times lately you just have to let them have their moment.
A proper Vegas introduction for the reigning champs. @Chiefs
📺: #SBOpeningNight on NFLN & CBSSN
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/N2i58DBzaT— NFL (@NFL) February 6, 2024
2. Because They Have the Big Dog
Patrick Mahomes is the best player in the NFL right now and boy is he fun to watch.
Not only has he evolved from the video game style player that broke out in 2018 into the complete quarterback we watch every week now, but he’s still damn good at what he does.
It’s going to be very hard to replicate Tom Brady’s level of success but as he chases his third ring in six seasons, Mahomes is on his way to emulating the greatest of all time.
And boy has he been humble every step of the way, too.
“Burrowhead, my ass!”
— Arrowhead Pride (@ArrowheadPride) January 30, 2023
3. Because (Seriously) It Hasn’t Always Been Easy
For the past six or so years, being a Chiefs fan has been easy and fun.
Six straight AFC Championship Games, a pair of Lombardi Trophies, and double digit wins every season.
This run almost makes up for decades and decades of misery, shattered dreams, and mediocre football.
Before Andy Reid came along and unless you rewind back to the 60s, the Marty Schottenheimer regime was the previous glory era when it came to Chiefs football.
Kansas City made the playoffs in six straight seasons between 1990-1995, with only a blowout loss to the Bills in the ‘93 AFC Championship Game to show for it.
Following on, things got bleak.
The Chiefs went five years without making the playoffs between 1998-2002, until fans were promised better during the infamous Dick Vermeil and Herm Edwards regimes during the ensuing decade.
For a while, the Chiefs were a forgotten franchise.
Kansas City ranks 27th out of 32 teams in media market size, so when they finished last in the AFC West in 2007, 09, 2011, and 2012, no one was surprised to find them fading into obscurity.
Before you group this team in with the modern-day Patriots though, don’t forget what Chiefs fans have been through.
If you’re talking to a Kansas City fan that has remembers everything I’ve mentioned above, you know they are the real deal.
4. Because They’ve Done All of This Without Tyreek Hill
When a team loses its star wide receiver, it typically spells bad news – just ask the Packers.
Patrick Mahomes lost his go-to security blanket during free agency when Tyreek Hill got traded to the Dolphins 18 months ago, which makes his continued run of success all the more impressive.
You can’t really claim it’s the toughest job in the world when you have Travis Kelce and a steady, improving defence to offset the departure, but plenty of other teams have been derailed by big name players leaving.
It helps when you have plug-in guys who can come in and do a job, the Chiefs to their credit have found ways to stay productive.
5. Because They’ve Relied on Young Guys
One of the main ways the Chiefs have filled that void is with a bevy of talented young players stepping up in big moments.
Running back Isiah Pacheco’s unique running style has earned him a cult following as he powers through, over and around opposing defenders.
Isiah Pacheco running angry 😤
📺: #CINvsKC on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/sFjqko01pD pic.twitter.com/dRL2fb7uJZ— NFL (@NFL) December 31, 2023
No word yet on if the KC ground staff have had a word to him about the damage to the field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Rookie receiver Rashee Rice kind of came out of the blue in the draft, but he’s quickly become a popular member of the Kansas City community.
Rashee Rice's neighbors gave him the best Super Bowl send-off. 🥹❤️ @Chiefs
(via @RiceRashee11) pic.twitter.com/8r3YzLG336
— NFL (@NFL) February 5, 2024
All he’s had to do is catch the ball and it’s made him a better option than some of his teammates.
Part of that is a massive credit to Kansas City’s drafting over the last two seasons, but also the fact they’ve been hammered with injuries throughout the year.
6. Because this Snickers Commercial is Outstanding
Being a Chiefs fan in the ‘90s was a tough gig, but Snickers chose to see the funny side with this great, googly moogly commercial in 1996 that has stood the test of time.
7. Because How Could Anyone Not Like Andy Reid?
Guys like Tom Landry, Vince Lombardi and Don Shula are some of the most well-respected names in the history of the NFL, but perhaps nobody is more loved than Chiefs coach Andy Reid.
Very rarely will a returning player or coach get a standing ovation in his return to Philadelphia, but that’s exactly what unfolded when Reid ventured to the City of Brotherly Love back in 2013 in just his third game as Chiefs coach.
Largely, Reid’s laid back personality makes him hard to dislike, but really, it’s all about the moustache and this very memorable State Farm commercial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyRyYdHfkG4
8. Because You Can Stock Up on Gear at Your Local Rebel Sport
If you’re a diehard NFL fan like myself, you’re probably used to showing up to the pub on Super Bowl day, only to be surrounded by a bunch of dudes in brand-spanking new Majestic jerseys that they’ve just paid a fortune for at Rebel Sport.
Finding NFL gear around Australia is a bit easier than it used to be, but there’s only a few teams that seem to always find their way onto the shelves in stores.
Just beware of the inevitable person that’s decided to team a 49ers shirt with a Raiders cap.
9. Because Paul Rudd is a Fan
That’s right, Brian Fantana is a massive Chiefs fan!
Rudd was actually born in New Jersey but went on to become an avid Chiefs and Kansas City Royals fan during his college days at the University of Kansas.
He also narrated the 2007 edition of Hard Knocks.
10. Because Their Super Fans Are Elite
Few teams in the league have a cast of “super fans” that can rival those in the Chiefs Kingdom.
Firstly, there’s a Facebook group dedicated to these unique individuals, but even if you’re just a casual NFL fan, this is stuff you simply need to know.
Red Xtreme is the first that comes to mind for some not-so-friendly reasons. He reportedly got into a brawl with another Chiefs super fan, Xfactor, at a game last season. Xfactor claims he taught Red Xtreme all he knew about being a super fan, but after Red Xtreme slept with the mother of his child 18 years earlier, it was time for payback.
Things only got weirder a month ago when a super fan that dresses up as a wolf and goes by the name of “ChiefsAholic”, revealed he used to rob banks to pay for tickets to games.
Lastly, there is also a guy named “Helmet Man” who most definitely is (or was) on the terrorist watch list.