The Kansas City Chiefs are the NFL’s modern gold standard.
There’s no other argument after they clinched a sixth consecutive appearance in the AFC title game at the expense of the poor Buffalo Bills. But up until Sunday night, with Patrick Mahomes as their quarterback, Kansas City hadn’t yet played in a true road playoff game (a neutral site Super Bowl 55 doesn’t count). So, even with the Chiefs’ established success, it was fair to wonder how they’d fare away from their home stadium.
Ever one to look for motivation literally anywhere, Mahomes took exception to this.
In his postgame interview with Tracy Wolfson, Mahomes praised the harsh environment of playing in Buffalo. At the same time, he admitted the Chiefs saw all the questions about their road game chips and that they wanted to prove everyone wrong:
“We were here to prove a point. To show that we can play anywhere.” – Patrick Mahomes to our @TracyWolfson following the Chiefs victory pic.twitter.com/RtMImuaoim
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 22, 2024
Not that anyone was really doubting the defending Super Bowl champion’s ability to play anywhere, but this gives a great insight into the Chiefs’ mentality. They are now clearly at a point where all their rampant postseason success almost feels boring. And to add fuel to their fire, they’re taking even the smallest, most anodyne slights as criticism.
They’re the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick New England Patriots, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing — even if it’s a little annoying for everyone else.