Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
PAIN OF FAILURE HAS KELCE FIRED UP FOR CHIEFS
TRAVIS KELCE has vowed to use the pain of last season’s semi-final defeat to end Kansas City’s 50-year wait for a Super Bowl.
The Chiefs battled back from a 14-0 deficit 12 months ago against New England in the
AFC Championship Game to tie it at 31-31, only to lose in overtime.
New England went on to win the Super Bowl two weeks later but Kelce reckons that was the moment that he and his team-mates decided to put it right within a year.
Kelce said: “As soon as we lost in the AFC Championship, we knew we had a core group of guys coming back.
“Coach (Andy) Reid’s mentality was, ‘Recognise this feeling and let it motivate you. We don’t let this happen again’.
“And, sure enough, Miami has been on our minds ever since.”
The Chiefs won the fourth Super Bowl (below) in January 1970 but the road to a second crown has been a frustrating one ever since.
And Kelce (inset) wants to win it for the city as much as himself.
The 30-year-old tight end, who has played his entire career there, said: “I’ve been dreaming of this opportunity my entire life.
“I know how big this moment is and how big the stage is. To be able to be here and at least experience that with my family is certainly going to be special.
“I feel like I’ve been waiting for ever and I’ve only been there for seven years. I can only imagine what it would mean to the city, to the community in Kansas City, who love their sports so much.
“To be able to bring back the Super Bowl, knowing that they have been waiting quite a while and are well deserving of it, would be great. To finally be here is surreal, but I don’t see it meaning much unless we win.”