Super Bowl Opening Night Confirmed Whatever Chiefs Narrative You Believe

As Harvey Dent famously said in The Dark Knight, you either become a hero or live long enough to become a villain. During the 2023 NFL campaign, the Kansas City Chiefs seemed to have crossed over to the latter side of that sentence. While the club had generally been likable during their rise to prominence—KC wasn't the Patriots and represented a fresh face at the highest echelon—things are different. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are everywhere, and the team just keeps winning. Even if you don't feel they're getting all the calls (or are a group of whiners who have been spoiled by a run of incredible success), it's natural to want something fresh.

But it goes without saying that no sentiment is universal. Even in a world of near-unanimous playoff preferences, some fans still love the Chiefs and their stars. If you sat through 50 years of pain between Super Bowl appearances, you'd probably think pretty highly of Mahomes, too.

And Super Bowl Opening Night didn't change that. The quotes that emerged from the event, for better or worse, are just going to underscore everyone's existing attitudes.

Mahomes and Kelce Seem Happy To Play the Villain

With the Big Game taking place in Las Vegas, you know there's going to be some drama and pageantry applied to everything NFL.

When the AFC representatives entered the arena for their media engagements, they were introduced by UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer as "the reigning, defending, Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs." Nothing was wrong with that statement, but it did provide somewhat of a "wrestling heel" vibe. And that was underscored by the boos.

During the course of the night, both Kelce and Mahomes felt the heat from the crowd, but neither seemed too bothered.

"I appreciate it Niners Nation, we're here," the quarterback said at one point, cupping his hand to his ear for good measure.

Kelce, for his part, said that the reception was getting him fired up.

To be clear, there's nothing wrong with those reactions. But if the Chiefs stars were already rubbing you the wrong way, then you probably weren't thrilled with those quotes.

Beyond that, Mahomes also spoke about his willingness to act like the league's villain, if that's the cost of winning.

"I can definitely sense it. I never felt like that because I've never been like that in my entire life. But it's become a little bit funny. I don't want to say you enjoy it. I know the Patriots had that for a while," the quarterback told ESPN's Jeff Darlington. "I'm hoping we do it in a different way with a little bit more fun and personality with it. But as long as you keep winning, teams start to not like you, and I want to keep winning. So if that means some of the other teams and other fan bases aren't going to like me, I'll try to still have a smile on my face and not be a bad example, but I can be that villain for them if they need me to be."

Add No. 15 appearing on the Sphere as part of an Adidas campaign, and there's plenty of ammunition for Chiefs haters to latch onto. If media night was any indication, the coming week will feature plenty of Chiefs' biggest stars, who are apparently more prepared than ever to lean into how much they're disliked.

KC's Stars Also Had Some Wholesome Moments

But that's not to say that opening night was all booing and villainy talk. Thanks to 11-year-old reporter Jeremiah Fennell, we also saw the sweeter side of some Chiefs stars.

Head coach Andy Reid, for example, assured Fennell that he was doing a great job when he forgot a question. The pair also discussed food, which is always a favorite topic for Big Red.

Moving along to Kelce, the tight end remembered how the Chiefs celebrated last year's championship in a Vegas club. "You can't go there yet," he told Fennell. "But maybe one day."

Mahomes also got in on the action, doing an all-time fantasy draft with the young reporter. And while cynics could take issue with one of No. 15's picks—he selected Ja'Marr Chase, who's no stranger to trolling the Chiefs, as his third receiver with a bit of a smirk—the interaction seemed to be genuine.

Beyond that, Mahomes also had plenty of praise for 49ers QB Brock Purdy.

If you're part of the contingent that hasn't got sick of Kansas City, you'll probably latch onto these moments as proof of the club's collective character. Even if you can pick out some less-than-ideal moments on the field, interactions like these can be used as proof that the Chiefs aren't bad guys.

To be clear, that isn't to say that Kansas City deserves any special praise or should be held up as a collective paragon of virtue. Kelce, Mahomes and everyone else are pros, and they're well-versed in how to interact with the public. If anything, it's possible that cynics could feel they were too saccharinely sweet as soon as a child approached.

So, what's the point of all this?

While media night doesn't ultimately matter in the big picture, Monday's quotes and videos can almost be seen as an appetizer to the Super Bowl. We're going to see plenty of the Chiefs, especially Mahomes and Kelce. Taylor Swift, like it or not, is probably going to make her regular appearances on the broadcast. And, depending on your perspective, you're either going to love it or hate it.

That's the thing about having rooting interests: we're going to latch onto what we see. If you love Kansas City and waited decades for any form of sustained success, then you're probably loving every moment of the current run. If you're a fan of another team, though, you'll see the more annoying parts of a team that's on national TV virtually every weekend.

The same can be said for Super Bowl Opening Night. Whichever clips you latch onto (and whether you think they're cool or performative) will depend on your perspective.

But ultimately, that doesn't matter. It's the Big Game. You're probably going to tune in and see what happens.