The 2019 NFL football season officially came to an end on Sunday, as the Kansas City Chiefs topped the San Francisco 49ers, 31-20.
But before the Chiefs had the chance to win the Super Bowl LIV title, they had to go through the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game.
While the contest was played in Arrowhead Stadium on the Chiefs’ turf, the Titans were well-represented by their fan base considering the 547 miles between the two teams’ home fields.
According to the Vivid Seats Fan Forecast, which uses sales data to predict the percentage of the crowd cheering for each team, there were an estimated 25% of Arrowhead rooting for the Titans — the highest of any away team this playoffs.
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Obviously, the fans who made the trip were hoping for a much better outcome than the 35-24 loss that left the team just one game away from an appearance in Super Bowl LIV.
“It’s tough — I’m kind of in shock a little bit,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said after the game. “You don’t prepare yourself for this outcome. Everything in your preparation and your mind is: ‘We’re going to win this game.’ So when it hits, it hits hard. I love this team, I love these guys, the way we competed this year.
“It hurts. You feel the pain across the locker room and how far we’ve come, only to come up short from our end goal. It hurts. It’s going to take a while to get over.”
The Titans face a long offseason ahead, as they prepare to make another Super Bowl run in the 2020 season.
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