Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs took the stage on Super Bowl LVIII Opening Night, and there was plenty to cover in a finite amount of time.

In advance of Sunday’s matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, players and coaches for both teams followed a yearly NFL trend by answering questions from those in attendance. With Allegiant Stadium packed, tons of folks predictably wanted to speak to and hear from Kansas City’s superstar duo of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

Mahomes, who’s somehow grown even more as a leader for the Chiefs this season, was questioned about being a current underdog in the Super Bowl. Despite San Francisco being favored by just under two points early in the week, Mahomes doesn’t plan on playing that role. As far as an underdog mentality is concerned, the reigning NFL MVP winner said the best way to handle it is to not lean into it at all. He’s confident in the Chiefs’ chances on Sunday.

“Yeah, I mean, I think you approach it like any other game,” Mahomes said. “I never feel like the underdog. I always feel like we have a chance to win the football game, and that’s how we approach every single game. We were underdogs in the last Super Bowl, so all you can do is just have that same mindset of just going out there, playing your best football and hoping that you end up with a win.”

While Mahomes may not like not being favored, it undoubtedly appears to bring the best out of him and the Chiefs. In his career (factoring in regular season and postseason play), the 28-year-old is 11-1-1 against the spread as an underdog. In the playoffs, he’s 3-0 in straight-up scenarios when the opposing team is spotted points. That includes Super Bowl LVII last year, as well as the Divisional Round and AFC Championship Game just last month.

With Andy Reid at the helm as the franchise’s head coach, the Chiefs have experienced much success over the years. Even before Mahomes got to Kansas City, the organization established a winning culture and was a force to be reckoned with in the division. Mahomes raised the ceiling of the team, however, bringing it to a championship-caliber group every year. The best player in the NFL is well aware of his surroundings, taking Opening Night as an opportunity to express his gratitude.

“I understand how lucky I am to be in the situation [I am],” Mahomes said. “To get drafted to Kansas City, to have Andy Reid as my coach, Travis Kelce as my tight end… I got drafted here, and I just ended up with all these guys. I don’t want to look back at my career and say I regret how I went out there and performed every single day, if that’s working out, if that’s watching film, whatever it is. And if I give everything I have, I can be satisfied with the results, and that’s what drives me every single day.”

Only time will tell whether Kansas City can do what hasn’t happened in two decades. Winning back-to-back Super Bowls is no easy feat, but this will be the second swing Mahomes gets at it in his career. That in and of itself is an achievement, and it’s a testament to the consistency he’s helped bring the Chiefs as a whole. With the season’s ultimate contest approaching in a matter of days, he and the team exude aura of confidence and respect for the historical bar they can potentially reach on Sunday.