Chiefs relish underdog status in Super Bowl
For most of the past six years, Patrick Mahomes has had to manufacture the chip that he carries on his shoulder, because the Kansas City Chiefs have been so good for so long that they were almost always expected to win.
That is no longer the case. During a season in which the Chiefs scuffled along on offense, and at one point lost five of eight games, they went from being the favorite on a weekly basis to something entirely different: an underdog. They became the team that received the points when betting lines came out, rather than giving them up, and that chip on Mahomes’ shoulder suddenly appeared on its own.
“It kind of lit a fire under some guys,” Mahomes admitted, “including myself.”
Perish the thought of giving the two-time league and Super Bowl MVP another reason to feel he needs to prove himself.
Yet that is exactly what Mahomes has done in the playoffs, where he’s played the best he has all season. He threw for 262 yards and a touchdown in a frigid wild-card win over Miami, doubled down with 215 yards passing and two scores in a divisional win in Buffalo, and had 241 yards passing and a TD in Baltimore — all without throwing an interception.
In the past two of those games, the Chiefs were underdogs at kickoff, just as they likely will be when they play the 49ers in the Super Bowl on Sunday in the gambling mecca of Las Vegas. San Francisco has been a consistent 1.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, though that number could change by game time.
Only five teams since 2000 have won the Super Bowl while being underdogs in each of their final three games.
“Listen, we understand the reasoning behind it. I mean, we get it, and understandably so,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “We may not be the prettiest bunch, but we’re going to battle, and that’s kind of been the personality of this team.
“I don’t think it bothers us,” Reid added. “We understand, so it is what it is.”
In fact, the Chiefs seem to relish the underdog role.
Mahomes certainly does. He is 9-3 as an underdog, giving him the best