If there’s such a thing as a lovable loser, then there’s absolutely such a thing as a hateable winner. Kansas City has unquestionably taken the place of the former New England dynasty in that category of pro football.
And you know what? That’s OK.
Many smarter than me will say we should be content – nay, in awe – with witnessing greatness. And it is, in fact, greatness. If the Chiefs win Super Bowl LIX, they will become the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Lombardi Trophies.
Tom Brady’s Patriots never did that. Joe Montana’s 49ers never did that. Terry Bradshaw’s Steelers never did that. Troy Aikman’s Cowboys never did that. Nor did Roger Staubach’s Cowboys. Or Bart Starr’s Packers.
People couldn’t stand the Patriots during their near 20-year dynastic run. And for good reason. They were inevitable, always in the mix at the end and winning six Super Bowls – tying the all-time record in just one run. Brady always seemed to make the right plays in the clutch, and Bill Belichick was a defensive and strategic mastermind. No matter what, they were usually the best team out there.
Which made it all the more confusing when every borderline call would go their way. And now we’re seeing that with the Chiefs, which makes them a villain to the masses.
It’s not unusual for a superstar player or team to get favorable calls. Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James all got the benefit of the doubt in basketball, often getting generous whistles. Wayne Gretzky would get the benefit of the doubt on occasion in hockey. Think of any superstar in any sport. They likely had help.
But just because it happened with those names doesn’t make it right when it favors Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Hence, backlash.
You’ve seen the discourse online at some point or another by now. It’s an often-used joke that if you breathe on Mahomes too hard it’s a 15-yard penalty. The people you see saying that are only half-joking. We saw two very questionable unnecessary roughness calls go Mahomes’ way in the Divisional Round against Houston, a game the Texans likely wouldn’t have won anyway. But why not give them the chance?
Thankfully for America, there were no such penalties Sunday in the AFC Championship. But the Buffalo Bills were wronged on two plays in a row, and they turned out to be crucial.
On third-and-3, Bills leading 22-21 in the fourth quarter with a chance to go up by eight points, Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen tossed a short pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid for a 3-yard gain. He appeared to pass the first-down marker, but the line judge ruled him short. I disagreed.
On the next play, fourth-and-inches, Allen kept it himself on a quarterback sneak and was met near the line of scrimmage on a play the Bills got next to no push from their offensive line. Everyone in the CBS booth thought Allen reached the line to gain, even the line judge from the previous play. But the official on the opposite side of the field disagreed and overruled his peer, marking the ball short of the line to gain. Chiefs ball. I disagreed.
Did those plays screw the Bills? No, they still had ample opportunities to win the game. But it did change the course of that game, and it’s a microcosm about what makes these Chiefs so hateable. When in doubt in a big game, the stripes side with the champs. Rinse, repeat.
Throw that in with the overexposure of Travis Kelce and his famous girlfriend – Taylor Swift, maybe you’ve heard of her? The duo is everywhere, impossible to miss. Swift is shown at least five times per game, used to be more, on average. Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid – who remains likable, which doesn’t mesh with the rest of his team – are constantly featured on commercials during their games, other games and non-sporting events. The Chiefs are everywhere. You can’t escape them. They are inevitable.
A lot of this might seem like ranting or complaining. Don’t shoot the messenger – I’m just relaying what most of America thinks. And while my feelings aren’t as strong as theirs, I do see their point.
Personally, I tend to root for the underdog in most cases. I did attend Southern Miss, after all, who used to be known as a giant killer. My girlfriend, who pays as much attention to sports as I did in math class, always laughs how I typically want the lesser-ranked or unfavored team to win. It’s not bias, just me rooting for the storyline I’d most like to see. And when it comes to the NFL, I want to see someone take down Kansas City.
It’s not denying greatness. It’s wanting to see “The Evil Empire” lose once in a while. A good heel needs to lose once in a while for the story to be entertaining. If Thanos beat the Avengers in “Avengers: Infinity War,” then again in “Avengers: Endgame,” then again in the next Avengers movie, and the next one, and the next one and the next one, it would get beyond tiresome. That’s how most football fans have felt since 2001. The first version of Thanos was New England, now it’s Kansas City.
Philadelphia, an unlikely hero, has the chance to follow the script of its hometown fictional hero’s second film. After narrowly losing to Apollo Creed in “Rocky,” Rocky Balboa came back to win the world title in “Rocky 2.” After losing 38-35 to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII two years ago, the Eagles have a shot at redemption in New Orleans Feb. 9. Just like when Balboa single-handedly ended the Cold War in “Rocky 4,” I know which side America is on.
