Mahomes and Kansas City have stepped up their game as they make their fourth Super Bowl trip in the previous five seasons.
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have had a different postseason than typical as they prepare to win back-to-back Super Bowls on February 11 in Las Vegas, Nevada, against the San Francisco 49ers. This year, the Chiefs were classified as “underdogs” owing to an up and down season of offensive struggles, but they embraced and shocked people in the playoffs.
Prior to this season, Mahomes had never started a postseason game on the road, with the exception of Super Bowl appearances, but it made little difference as he defeated the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens at home. There is little doubt that the Chiefs are playing with a different mindset this season, as Mahomes told the media on Wednesday that being in the “underdog” role has “lit fire” under himself and his teammates, according to Myles Simmons of NBC Sports Pro Football Talk.
“We just haven’t had that aspect, so it kind of lit fire under some guys, including myself,” Mahomes was quoted as saying. “At the end of the day, these are playoff games, and you want to win. This is what you play for, and I believe the fire would have been kindled regardless of whether we were an underdog or not, because this is the time of year for which you train and put in those hard sessions.
Mahomes: “I would have never dreamt” of making this many Super Bowls
The underdog narrative isn’t over yet, as they now face a 49ers squad that is superb from top to bottom. These clubs have some history, since they faced in the 2020 Super Bowl, with Kansas City winning, which was Mahomes’ first world championship.
“I think we have that mindset that if we’re going to practice the way we do, we’re going to work the way we work, we’re not going to let it slide by, we’re going to make sure we maximize our opportunity every time we’re out there,” Mahomes said.
Since 2019, Mahomes has appeared in every Super Bowl save one, in 2021, when the Chiefs were defeated in the AFC Championship game by the Cincinnati Bengals. However, he already has two Super Bowl rings and might add another to his already impressive Hall of Fame CV.
“It is incredible to have played in so many Super Bowls in such a short period of time. To be honest, I never expected it. It’s fine, but we want to go out and win. We don’t want to leave a negative impression. “We want to make it a good one,” Patrick Mahomes stated.
Rob Gronkowski gives explanation to Chiefs playoff success this season
Some were ready to write the Chiefs off during the regular season due to their off-kilter efficiency, but there is little denying they stepped it up. While some are perplexed as to how this is possible, former player Rob Gronkowski stated on the “Up & Adams” show that there is a potential they became “bored” because they always win championship games, so they stepped “it up a notch” in the playoffs.
