Many football fans have convinced themselves that the NFL has rigged games to benefit the Chiefs, despite former coaches and players saying that talk is ludicrous.
But those fans believe that game officials are purposely aiding the Chiefs, and that chatter increased during the playoffs. It’s led to talk of boycotting the Super Bowl and a petition to get the NFL to change how games are officiated.
Support for the Chiefs has cratered since 2019 and my colleague Vahe Gregorian wrote about the Chiefs becoming Public Enemy No. 1.
On the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, tight end Travis Kelce talked about how he and the Chiefs have embraced becoming villains.
“I love it. I love it,” he said. “At one point in time, it wasn’t that. I was the ‘Do you feel bad for ‘em guy.’ I’m just, I’m enjoying doing this with the guys together, the guys that we have in there.Because it just makes us even more of a family. You just circle the wagons when … people are saying whatever they want. You just band together, and it just makes you appreciate more of what you have, because people want what you have.”
The Chiefs are on a historically great roll, having won two consecutive Super Bowls and three straight AFC Championship Games.
“Life is amazing,” Kelce said. “I mean, it’s a crazy feeling to be this fortunate in a game that you’ve been playing your entire life, and I’ve had a lot of heartbreak. I’ve had a lot of times where it hasn’t been this sweet. And right now I’m just riding the high of living this dream out with my brothers and everybody in Kansas City.”
JASON KELCE noted that the Chiefs already made history by being the first two-time defending Super Bowl champion to get back to the Super Bowl.
“I don’t give a (care) about a record,” Travis Kelce said. “I want a Super Bowl this year.”
And he reiterated that the Chiefs haven’t talked internally about the potential of becoming the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowl championships.
“It hasn’t been mentioned one time, outside of being asked about it in the media,” he said. “Everybody in the building is just focused on doing their job. That’s how we got here. That’s how we got the first one. That’s how we got the second one. It’s the only way you win football games and get to the Super Bowl is if you focus on the task at hand.
“And we got a huge task coming up, and man, it’s going to be electric. It’s going to be absolutely electric. We know Philly’s got the sour taste in their mouth from the last one, and they’re a hell of a … football team. This will be the best team we play all year.”
