The Kansas City Chiefs are preparing to face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, which always includes coaches and players addressing the team ahead of the big game.
ESPN NFL Insider Jeff Darlington reports that the Chiefs held a team meeting on Saturday night to hear from head coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, quarterback Travis Kelce, and defensive lineman Chris Jones. The goal was to get everyone fired up and focused ahead of the game.
Andy Reid’s message was strong and emblematic of how this team has sustained its success. They’re not playing for history, fame, or glory; they’re playing for the man standing beside them.
“Andy Reid, last night, assembled his team at 9 p.m. local time and he told his team to look right, and look left, and play for the person next to them,” Darlington said. “He wants this team to be insulated. To ignore the noise. Quite honestly, to ignore the potential history of a three-peat. Never in his speech did the idea of a three-peat come up.”
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This mentality has bled down throughout the locker room; the Chiefs aren’t focused on what they can accomplish historically. The three-peat is furthest from their mind. They’re focused on the Philadelphia Eagles and the game plan for Super Bowl LIX.
“Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones also stood before the team,” Darlington said. “The message was similar, and again, nothing about the three-peat. They want this game to be about this game and this game only.”
It’s also clear that they are in the mindset Reid preached in his speech: Winning this game for those teammates next to them.
Take Quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ comments from the week before Super Bowl LIX. He’s not thinking about himself and his own legacy; he wants players like DeAndre Hopkins and Kareem Hunt to experience what it’s like to win in the game they’ve been dreaming of playing in since they were kids.
“You want people to have this experience, especially guys that put in the work like DeAndre (Hopkins) has, or Kareem (Hunt) has, and they haven’t been able to get to this game, and they’re gonna go out there and try to maximize that opportunity. And so, I think, more than anything, just giving those guys the chance to go out there and make plays, and they’ll be excited for it.”
