KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The NFL pundit class penned an obituary for the Kansas City Chiefs’ dynasty as the losses and offensive struggles piled up in December.
The bullies of the AFC for the previous half-decade since Patrick Mahomes took the league by storm and were dead and buried.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the beaches of Cancun, the Chiefs just kept on winning.
First, it was Miami in a meat locker.
Then, it was on the road for the first time in Mahomes’ postseason career against Buffalo, the league’s hottest team.
Finally, it came Sunday after a win against an indomitable Baltimore team that took no prisoners en route to the AFC’s top seed and its spot in the conference title game.
“I’ve never doubted, no,” Kansas City coach Andy Reid said. “That’s not how we roll.”
Suddenly, the Chiefs are on a roll and headed to their fourth Super Bowl in the last years, set to square off against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Kansas City stubbed its toe in Green Bay, blasted the officials after a home loss to Buffalo and face-planted on Christmas Day against the Raiders with a chance to clinch the division at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
The speculation that the Chiefs were cooked and couldn’t return to the Super Bowl for a chance to defend their crown was understandable, perhaps even deserved.
But Kansas City once again showed its championship mettle and reminded the AFC who (still!) runs the block.
“Andy’s head was never down,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “He and the staff never doubted the team. He and his staff just kept teaching. The result was, by the time we got to the playoffs, we started playing our best football of the season.”
Hunt also praised “the fantastic job” General Manager Brett Veach and his staff have done drafting players, especially young defensive standouts.
“No one hung their head and everybody was ready to go, and now we’re going to the Super Bowl,” Mahomes said.
Reid credited his coordinators for a terrific game plan Sunday in Baltimore and throughout the season, “and, most of all, keeping the hope when things weren’t maybe going as well.”
Perhaps no play better captured the Chiefs’ unflinching confidence and resilience than Mahomes’ 32-yard lob to Marquez Valdes-Scantling on third-and-9 in the closing minutes.
The Ravens had just burned their final timeout and hoped for one more chance to tie the game, but Reid opted for the kill shot.
“It wasn’t hard to call — just a couple words,” Reid joked. “It was zero blitz. We knew it was going to be zero blitz — or at least had a good idea, you never really know, but we thought we knew, and it was — and got MVS in a great position to make the play.”
Mahomes knew to look for Valdes-Scantling with Baltimore likely to blanket tight end Travis Kelce and make anyone else beat them.
“I looked at (rookie wide receiver) Rashee (Rice) first, and the safety cut him and it gave MVS the free lane,” Mahomes said. “I put it up and let him make a play. In those situations, you put it up. You don’t want to overthrow it, so you just put it up there, one-on-one and try to make a play. That’s what he did.”
Valdes-Scantling had a disappointing year with drops in key moments and tepid production. He’s supposed to be a big-play threat, but he entered the AFC Divisional Round last week at Buffalo without a 30-yard reception since Week 7 in late October and only three all season.
After Sunday’s game-clinching catch, Valdes-Scantling now had three in the last two games, wins against the Bills and Ravens to reach the Super Bowl.
“MVS is the picture of that (resilience),” Reid said. “People coming down on him everywhere, he keeps it right there and does a great with it. Just phenomenal. That kid, he’s taken a beating here, and he was able to just hang in there and battle.”
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