Appreciate the Greatness

In the two weeks since the Conference Championship Games, there's been plenty of whining about the matchup and people claiming they won't watch because they don't want to see the Chiefs and Eagles.  Most of the hate, of course, is directed at the Chiefs, who are making their fifth Super Bowl appearance in six years and going for their third straight title.  And I get it.  People who aren't Chiefs fans are tired of seeing them win, for whatever reason.  Which, frankly, is ridiculous!

Everything Nate Burleson said after the AFC Championship Game was 100 percent correct.  The Chiefs are just the latest team to be hated for, essentially, being too good.  Before them, people had the exact same complaints about the Bradicheck Patriots.  And, as the excellent 30 for 30 "Four Falls of Buffalo" (which aired last Sunday night) reminded us, 30 years ago, it was the Bills.  Which is more than a little ironic when you consider what team's fans dislike the Chiefs the most.

Most of those Chiefs complaints seem to center around officiating and the fact that they seem to receive beneficial calls.  Roger Goodell even addressed it at his Super Bowl press conference, and the NFL Referees Association released its own statement the next day.  They both said the exact same thing.  It's ridiculous to even suggest.

Your perception is your reality, obviously, so statements from the commissioner and the officials' union will do nothing to do anything to change anybody's mind.  But, if you look at it objectively (not with a Chiefs-hating lens), you'll see how absurd it is.  Even taking the questions of integrity out of the equation, why would the NFL be stupid enough to risk a $20 billion-a-year business trying to rig a certain result? 

It's asinine to think they'd be that dumb simply because you don't like a particular team.  If it was your team, would you have a problem with it?  Of course not!  That's the other reason why it's so crazy to suggest that!  If your team was on the receiving end of the favorable calls that the Chiefs get, would you think it was good call?  If so, that might just be proof that the officiating is fair (whether people want to believe it or not).

All of that talk about nonsense overshadows what we've been witnessing over the past six years.  Greatness.  The Chiefs are the first team ever to reach the Super Bowl five times in six seasons, and they're looking to be the first to win three in a row.  (That's another thing that's been annoying me in the two weeks since the championship games.  Packers fans chiming in with their reminders that the Chiefs wouldn't be the first team to win three straight championships.  They wouldn't be.  No one's claiming they would.  They would, however, be the first to win three straight Super Bowls, which is an important distinction that has been made time and again.)

Anyway, if you don't want to see the Chiefs anymore, there's a very simple way for that to not happen.  Beat them!  The fact that no one has been able to isn't a sign of a rigged system.  It's a sign that what we've been seeing in Kansas City over the past six years is actually something pretty special and will be appreciated as such in time.  Frankly, it should be appreciated as such now.  Because what Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce & Co. is unprecedented.

The Chiefs win so many different ways, too.  The AFC Championship Game was the first time all season they've scored 30 points.  Meanwhile, they're 17-2 (and one of the losses came in Week 18, when they didn't care at all).   So, they're not outscoring you like in years past.  They've been winning because of their defense, with some late Mahomes Magic sometimes sprinkled in.  And the fact that they win so many close games, especially with late comebacks, shows just how good they really are.  The Chiefs are never out of the game.

Take their three Super Bowl wins.  They've all followed a similar script.  The Chiefs trailed in the fourth quarter of all three.  In the last two years, they've kicked a late field goal (for the win against the Eagles, for the tie last year).  Last year, they were down by a field goal in overtime, too...and drove for the game-winning touchdown.  So, basically what I'm saying is that you need to play all four quarters against them.  If you don't, they'll make you pay.

(Also, this stuff has nothing to do with the game, but they're just quirky little stats that I found interesting.  This is FOX's third time covering a Chiefs Super Bowl.  They've had a different broadcast crew each time.  In Super Bowl LIV, it was Joe & Troy, then Burkhart & Olson two years ago.  Now, it's Burkhart & Brady.  Speaking of Brady, prior to Super Bowl LV, we'd never had a home team win the Super Bowl.  Then we got it back-to-back with the Bucs and Rams.  And that could be immediately followed by the first-ever Super Bowl three-peat.  It's also just weird that Kansas City can make it four in six years with the wins coming against the same two opponents: San Francisco & Philadelphia, twice each.)

Super Bowl LIX: Chiefs (17-2) vs Eagles (17-3): Kansas City-I think this year's game will be very similar to what we've seen in the Chiefs' last two appearances.  The Eagles are better than they were two years ago, when it was really left up to Jalen Hurts and the defense was a clear weakness.  That's not the case anymore.  Philadelphia's defense is the biggest positive difference for them this season.  And, not to mention, they had Saquon Barkley rushing for 2,000 yards.

Saquon has shown all season that he's a master at the big play.  It's why he won Offensive Player of the Year.  You obviously have to be aware of his presence, which opens up things for Hurts.  Saquon is still the Eagles' No. 1 offensive option, so the run game will be key.  If the Eagles are able to run the ball as efficiently as they hope, they'll wear out the Kansas City defense.  If the Chiefs can stop the run and get off the field, that puts the onus on the Eagles' defense stopping Mahomes.

As we've seen time and again, one of Kansas City's greatest strengths is its ability to hang around.  The Chiefs are never out of a game.  And the longer you let them stay within striking distance, the better the chances they'll take advantage.  So, the Eagles not only need to control possession, they need those long drives to end with points.  Preferably seven.  If they can do that, they have a very real chance of winning.  If not, we're likely looking at a three-peat.

Seemingly no matter what over the past three years, the Chiefs have found a way to stay motivated and used it to fuel their success.  They've been thinking about a three-peat since the confetti fell in Las Vegas last year.  And, I've learned better than to bet against Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.  That's why I think we'll see NFL history in New Orleans.  Kansas City lifts the Lombardi Trophy for the third straight time, cementing its status as one of the greatest NFL dyansties of all-time.

Conference Championships: 1-1
Playoffs: 8-4
Overall: 185-99