If you think back to a month ago, few had the Kansas City Chiefs returning to the 2024 Super Bowl after a Christmas Day loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium.
Some fans still believed — no doubt — but many were concerned as a hapless offense was held to 14 points against a defense they typically dominate. According to head coach Andy Reid, that defeat was the turning point for Kansas City.
“I think that was a good wake-up call for us,” Reid stated candidly on January 29, one day after eliminating the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship.
“[The Raiders] came out with great emotion,” he expressed. “Antonio [Pierce] had them ready to go, but that emotion was the thing that jumped out at you that they played with. I think it gave our guys a nice little — for [lack of] a better term — a wake-up call that we need to step things up here. Things aren’t just going to fall in our lap.”
“We were able to learn from [that loss] and move on,” Reid said, finishing the thought. “I felt all along that we had the ability to do that, [but] like I said, we needed just a little kick in the tail there.”
Chiefs’ Spirit & Toughness Have Impressed Andy Reid This Season
Later in the post-AFC Championship press conference, Reid was asked if anything about this Chiefs team specifically has surprised or impressed him.
“You know, I’d tell you, yes,” Big Red replied. “It’s a group that has a great spirit about them, and there’s a certain toughness that they have to where they don’t get down on each other. They challenge each other. They support each other, and it’s been that way through the highs and lows — I mean, nothing’s changed.”
In terms of the Raiders performance on December 25, Reid noted that the players came together to discuss “upping their game.”
“It wasn’t us as coaches jumping up and down on them,” he explained. “They took it within themselves to say, we know what we are and can be — we’ve got to do it. I mean, that jumps out at me, just that attitude.”
Reid classified the character trait as a form of “grit,” adding: “Maybe you’re not the most talented, maybe you’re not the fastest or the quickest or whatever, but let’s go maximize what we are and let the chips fall where they may,” the future Hall of Famer concluded.
You hear the term “winning culture” tossed around a lot when people talk about finding sustained success in this league. No NFL head coach has done a better job of creating that type of culture within multiple organizations as Andy Reid.
Gritty Chiefs Will Face Powerhouse 49ers in 2024 Super Bowl
Gritty and experienced is a great way to categorize this current Chiefs roster. Patrick Mahomes II is transitioning into a savvy veteran of the league, and stars like Travis Kelce and Chris Jones have already held those positions for several years.
Sure, the defense and skill positions are filled with youth, but the Chiefs are battle-tested where it matters most. Head coach, quarterback, offensive and defensive line. Not to mention hand-picked leaders throughout the roster including Kelce, L’Jarius Sneed, Justin Reid, Nick Bolton and more.
On the other side of the 2024 Super Bowl matchup stands the powerhouse.
The San Francisco 49ers have been pegged as a championship favorite since training camp, and they’ve generally lived up to the hype. With superstars on both sides of the ball and an offensive mastermind holding the playbook in Kyle Shanahan, this will be a worthy foe for the defending champs.
A lot of focus will fall on second-year quarterback Brock Purdy against a crafty Chiefs defense — but he’ll have plenty of help overcoming it with Shanahan, running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle, and wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk around him.
Defensive end Nick Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner and ex-Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward headline a power-packed defense as well.
