Why You Should Support the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX

Why You Should Support the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX

James Caughlin

Every year when we plan out our Super Bowl content at Neds we decide to do one of these “fan for the day guides” making a case for why you should support that team.

To be completely honest, across the entire office we have run out of new reasons why Aussie fans tuning in for their one game per season should don the red and white of the reigning champions.

Over the last half deceade, no team has enjoyed more success and we’ve had to write these articles for them for four of the last five Super Bowls.

Bottom line is, we’re done trying to come up with a bunch of half-baked, corny catch phrases about why the Chiefs are special, unique and deserving of your support.

So instead of doing that, let’s go back to February 2020 and look back at some of the reasons given then and whether or not they still hold true five years on.

The Franchise is Due for Some Success

Before the Reid and Mahomes duo propelled them into the NFL’s stratosphere, Kansas City’s major contributions to the Super Bowl came in the late 1960’s.

Owner Lamar Hunt coined the term Super Bowl for the game originally known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game (thankfully Super Bowl was a much less wordy option).

They did make it to the first edition of the game in January 1967, losing to the Packers 35-10 before winning the title in Super Bowl IV over the Minnesota Vikings.

Between that game and their win in Miami in 2020 though, there was a half century drought where they could not reach the game’s premiere event.

The subsequent seasons however have more than made up for those years of austerity though, with a win over the 49ers followed by a loss the Buccaneers.

After taking a break in season 2021, they have gone back to back, knocking off the Eagles in Arizona as well as the 49ers (again) in Las Vegas last year.

So that plucky underdog story of the long-suffering team doesn’t really work for this season anymore.

Although the “nobody believes in us” line will no doubt get trotted out at some point this week despite the Chiefs being a popular pick to win the game.

They Are One of the League’s Most Exciting Teams

Depending on how you define “exciting” this is kind of true and also really not true.

Most of Kansas City’s games have gone down to the wire this season so they have at least had that sort of excitement going for them.

But five years ago the term excitement was referring to their dynamic offence created by Andy Reid and run superbly by the budding superstar Patrick Mahomes.

They were scoring for fun, producing all sorts of big plays and Reid was in his creative element coming up with many creative ways to move the ball.

Of the three positive traits, the last one is still true with Kansas City still getting creative with their play calling.

You just never know what they will do next.

However over the last two seasons, this once explosive offence that put up video game numbers has stalled in its tracks.

In 2024 they are now a smart and efficient team that beats teams by playing smart, not making a mistake and waiting for their opponent to slip up.

Statistically their team is in the middle of the pack in terms of production and scoring, but when they need to move the ball they just find ways to do it.

Patrick Mahomes is the Future of the NFL

Well this one definitely still tracks, this guy is going to be the face of the league for as long as he plays.

Perhaps the only difference from five years ago is that he has gone from being the hunter to the hunted.

But that is what comes with the territory when you become a three time Super Bowl champion, three time Super Bowl MVP and two time NFL MVP.

Mahomes has become a legitimate challenger for Tom Brady’s status as the greatest of all time and doing one of two things Brady never did, winning a third straight title, would vault him right onto Brady’s doorstep.

If he keeps playing and winning at this level for another five years, Mahomes might end his career not only surpassing Brady’s legacy but leaving him in the dust.

They Shun the Spotlight

Well this one just isn’t true anymore and its solely because of their boisterous tight end.

Off the field Travis Kelce has been in the spotlight for the last 18 months through his relationship with the world’s biggest pop star Taylor Swift.

Guess that one wasn’t just a marketing exercise for his podcast or her upcoming tour.

Speaking of that podcast, Kelce co-hosts New Heights with his brother Jason, a now-retired Philadelphia Eagles lineman and Spotify bought the show for a reported US$100m.

Even their mum Donna has made it into the limelight because of her sons and she will without a doubt get some camera time during the big game.

Love him or hate him (and there is a strong case for both), you just can’t escape Kelce and the Chiefs in 2025.

They Are Scandal Free

Ok, out of all the proclamations from five years ago this one has definitely aged the worst.

While no longer on the team, receiver Tyreek Hill came into the league under a cloud of domestic violence accusations and was a part of their Super Bowl appearances in Miami and Tampa Bay.

His time in Kansas City was blighted with several off-field incidents and the team eventually traded him to Miami for a boatload of draft capital.

They then replaced him with Rashee Rice, a guy who spent most of the 2024 season dealing with the legal ramifications of an alleged street racing crash during the offseason.

Rice won’t be playing in the Super Bowl though after suffering a knee injury after a misdirected tackle attempt from Mahomes.

Then there’s Britt Reid, son of coach Andy who was an assistant on the Chiefs staff, until a drink driving crash left a kid seriously injured and he was quietly dismissed the following offseason.

While not a part of the team, you have to also remember Jackson Mahomes, who has spent most of his adult life trading off his brother’s fame and getting sued by restaurant managers while also being one of the most irritating people on the planet earth.

Not to mention the constant accusations of referee favouritism and preferential treatment and sure they get some calls, but find a dominant team in any sport that has not benefitted from a couple of 50-50 calls here and there.

Granted, every NFL dynasty has had their share of scandals on and off the field, just look at the history of the Patriots, Steelers and Cowboys alone, so maybe this sort of stuff comes with the territory.

But they aren’t the squeaky clean new kids on the block from five years ago as the spotlight uncovers all sorts of warts in that time.

They’re Good

This is the team that has gone from the loveable new kids on the block into the new Evil Empire.

Well there are still some reasons to get behind this team on Monday morning and the above one is the main argument in this case.

Maintaining success at this level in a league with rules to prevent teams being too good for too long is a damn tough thing to do.

That is why they are on the verge of history now, no team has won three titles in a row and that level of unprecedented success is always something worth admiring.

They have superstar players, both veterans and emerging that are capable of producing momentum shifting plays at any given moment.

Andy Reid is still one of the most creative offensive minds in the game and has done a remarkable job adapting to the shifting league trends over the last 10 or so years to make his team even more dynamic.

And when the chips are down, there is no player in the league more comfortable on the biggest stage than Patrick Mahomes.

If the Chiefs have the ball in the final two minutes and need a score to win the game, you can be damn sure he is going to do it.