LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Allegiant Stadium might run “Red” as the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers compete in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday. If the Chiefs win, it could be a fairy tale ending to a “Love Story” that Taylor Swift fans didn’t see in their “Wildest Dreams” when the NFL season started.
Swift has brought even more fans into the sport and shined a brighter spotlight on the NFL. That spotlight will grow even brighter with this year’s championship being held in Las Vegas. There are many things that can distract teams but Swift’s boyfriend, tight end Travis Kelce, said the entire Super Bowl experience is about adapting and focusing at the right time.
“I think the beautiful thing about the Super Bowl is that you can’t get into your regular routines,” Kelce said. “You can never gauge it or guess exactly what’s going to be going on out here at the Super Bowl. It’s always kind of a wild card situation so trying to just make sure you stay focused while you’re in the building and just make sure that you’re doing the things you got to do to get ready for the game ... I’m not thinking about anything but this football game. There’s nothing in my mind that’s happening until this football game’s over with.”
For Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, that also includes not going into Super Bowl week blind.
“I think the biggest way I’ve changed is just kind of knowing what to expect of the week,” Mahomes said. “I’ve obviously grown as a quarterback and as a leader and as a person. But being able to have a game plan for what the Super Bowl week entails, and prepare myself to not play the Super Bowl before the Super Bowl game, is something that I’m hoping I can use to my advantage.”
The Chiefs have overcome some struggles throughout the season. In a way, the Las Vegas Raiders lit a fire under the Chiefs to fuel a comeback. On Christmas Day, the Silver and Black defeated the Chiefs 20-14. The Chiefs offense struggled for much of the game, even recording -18 yards at the end of the first quarter, making it the fewest in any quarter since 2011. Head coach Andy Reid said consistency is something they’ve been working on since then.
“We know it’s a huge challenge to get here when everything’s going right. We had some ups and downs that we had to battle through. The guys were persistent with it. Everybody kind of looked in the mirror,” Reid said. “It actually started with the Raiders. The Raiders came back to our place and then got after us. We all kind of had to step back and see what we were doing and do whatever we needed to do to get better.”
RELATED LINK: Silver & Black Beat Chiefs On The Road
“Sometimes you need that. You need to reset. You need to get your tail whooped so you can be better on the other side,” Mahomes said. “So I appreciate the Raiders for beating us like that because that’s gotten us to this game. It’s nice to be in their locker room but it’ll be a lot better if we win the game.”
Mahomes said the team has fought every step of the way to make it to Las Vegas.
“I’m proud of the guys because no matter what the outside world said, they still believed and they still worked hard and they strive to be great and that’s all you can ask for,” Mahomes said. “I see the talent. I know they can make the plays and if you continue to work at it every single day, then your fortunes are going to turn and that’s what happened ... We got the guys to win it and now, they’ve got to go out there and prove it.”
And for the rest of the Chiefs, they’re ready to get to work.
“The adversity is all the outside noise, from being underdogs the whole way through the playoffs to playing the hardest gauntlet to where we are right now and just knowing that we’re all that we got in the locker room and at the same time, we’re all that we really need to go out and play a good football game,” safety Justin Reid said. “So just blocking out the noise and being consistent to who we are, not trying to be anyone else and just playing physical.”
“It just comes with practice, hard work, and being prepared,” running back Isiah Pacheco said. “[It’s the] 5 P’s: Proper preparation prevents poor performance. And when you’re prepared and you understand what’s the goal and the mindset, just go out there and finish the job.”
OTHER FUN FACTS FROM OPENING NIGHT:
- Has Travis Kelce heard the new Taylor Swift album? Yes.
“I have heard some of it and it’s unbelievable. I can’t wait for her to shake up the world when it finally drops.? - Did he watch her at the Grammys? Yes.
“We landed in Las Vegas just in time for me to turn it on my phone and catch her winning her 13th award, announcing her new album. And then, obviously, the big one at the end, the album of the year for the fourth time setting records, which was pretty amazing,” Kelce said. “She’s unbelievable. She’s rewriting the history books herself. I told her I’ll have to hold up my end of the bargain and come home with some hardware too.” - Will we see a shirtless Jason Kelce in Las Vegas? Probably not.
“That’s a question for Jason. I was every bit as surprised after that Buffalo game as I think everybody was when the camera panned to him,” Kelce said smiling. “It’s just who he is. He enjoys the game of football. I think the desire and the love that we have for this game since we were kids. It oozes out of us and we can’t help that. With an unbelievable fan base like Buffalo and going up there, I think it was a fun experience. I don’t know if the Vegas crowd is going to make him want to take his shirt off though.” - Are any of the Chiefs hockey fans? Yes.
“I’m a hockey fan,” Kelce said. “Shout out to the Knights, man. Shout out to the Knights. I’ll take them all. Fly them over here.”🫶 @tkelce (Vegas Version) 🫶 https://t.co/9OhDfWO2As
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 6, 2024 What are the Chiefs favorite Usher songs?
“I like ‘There Goes My Baby’,” wide receiver Rashee Rice said. “He be hitting them notes.”“Confessions is actually one. Do doo doo doo doo,” Justin Reid said laughing. “That was the one actually going through my head. I just don’t know the lyrics to it.”
“I’m a big “Confessions” guy,” Mahomes said. “I don’t know if the Super Bowl is the perfect time for that one but I would definitely be feeling it if I heard it live.”
“Let It Burn”, I guess,” defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “It’s a classic. He’s performing the half-time show. I can’t wait to see it. Usher has so many tracks and does so many good features that he can bring out anyone and kill it.”
- Chiefs defensive coach Steve Spagnuolo’s wife makes some of “the best” desserts for the team.
“Shout out to his wife too because she’s been doing desserts for us on Fridays,” Justin Reid said. “You know? Like bread pudding, upside down cake, all types of stuff. Yeah. It goes crazy.” - Isiah Pacheco temporarily became another member of the Blue Man Group.
.@isiah_pachecoRB: The newest member of the @bluemangroup 😭
— NFL (@NFL) February 6, 2024
📺: #SBOpeningNight on NFLN & CBSSN
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/S7o73yBCpj
