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A Kingdom’s Dynasty

HOW THE 2022 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS WON THEIR SECOND CHAMPIONSHIP IN FOUR YEARS

Inside Patrick Mahomes’ quest to elevate Chiefs’ new receiving corps

NATE TAYLOR • SEPT. 23, 2022

At some point, the days of Kansas City Chiefs training camp all start to feel the same. With this year being the team’s 10th consecutive camp at Missouri Western State in St. Joseph under coach Andy Reid, any change in routine is apparent to everyone.

When the person adding that own wrinkle is Patrick Mahomes, the franchise’s superstar quarterback, the moment can feel monumental.

During one special teams walkthrough this summer, while other veterans joked around or began cool-down stretches, Mahomes realized he couldn’t wait for the next part of his usual itinerary. With a remote control in his right hand, he gathered a few of his newest receivers — JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez ValdesScantling and Justin Watson — for an impromptu film session to dig into the details of plays the offense ran in practice.

“Don’t be surprised if that’s a back-shoulder (throw) for me,” Mahomes told his teammates on one play. Click.

“Don’t be surprised if I’m coming to (receiver No.) three and not (No.) two on this.” Click.

“In this window, you can throttle down. If you get open right here, you can give me your eyes and I can still throw you the ball.”

The more Mahomes spoke, the more players and coaches surrounded him. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy and receivers coach Joe Bleymaier nodded and smiled as they watched Mahomes in his newest role: a professor of Reid’s offense.

Similar to any subject in higher education, the Chiefs’ system of complex concepts — with principles from the West Coast, Air Raid and old-school option offenses — can be taught by different people in different manners. Entering his sixth season, the 27-year-old Mahomes understands his new receivers, most of whom came to Kansas City specifically to play with him, need to hear how he teaches the Chiefs’ offense. With every practice repetition and snap this season, he wants them to see the plays and postsnap adjustments unfold in the same way he does.

“You want them to accept the challenge, and be like, ‘All right, this is how the Chiefs do it; this is how we win games,’” Mahomes said. “I want to show them how to do it the right way. If they hear it from me, I feel like it means even more.”

Mahomes entered this season, one of the prime years of his career, with perhaps his greatest test.

In late March, the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill, the league’s fastest player and the perfect deep-threat, game-changing receiver for Mahomes, to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for five draft picks. The transaction, executed by Reid and general manager Brett Veach, was done to help improve the Chiefs’ defense and better balance the team’s roster.

In camp, Mahomes was asked the same question over and over: How will the Chiefs offense look without Tyreek? But Mahomes didn’t just lose Hill. Kansas City didn’t retain veteran receivers Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle as well. That meant the quarterback would take on even more responsibility — a duty, Veach said, that energized Mahomes even before the blockbuster trade was announced.

“He’s not content,” Veach said. “He’s had a lot of success, but he also has a chip on his shoulder. He’s always the first one to do extra work. He realizes there’s no shortcut.”

Mahomes doesn’t believe he did enough last season — on the field or in the team’s facility — to lead the Chiefs to a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, sometimes going through the usual routines without the intensity or focus necessary to ensure Kansas City’s offense maintained its usual excellence.

“When you’ve been a part of the same team over and over again,” he said, “you know what every guy is going to do.”

After suffering a torn plantar plate in his left foot (turf toe), Mahomes had, for the first time in his career, played himself into a slump with bad footwork, ill-advised passes that led to interceptions and an unwillingness to take shorter completions when opposing defenses used two deep safeties to thwart long passes to Hill.

The Chiefs adjusted midway through last season, and the league’s most talented quarterback returned to form. In playoff victories over the Steelers and the Bills, he generated 782 passing yards and eight touchdowns and committed only one turnover. He was almost flawless in the first half of the AFC Championship Game against the Bengals: 18 completions on 21 attempts, 220 passing yards, three touchdowns and zero turnovers.

But his last pass before halftime, a completion to Hill for no gain short of the end zone as time expired, began the Chiefs’ downfall, an 18-point collapse that resulted in an overtime loss. The following two quarters plus overtime marked the worst single-game stretch of Mahomes’ career: eight completions on 18 attempts, 55 passing yards, four sacks, two turnovers and zero touchdowns.

His final pass, a deep attempt to Hill covered by two defenders, was an interception.

“You can’t relax. That was the biggest thing,” Mahomes said. “Every game I had played in the playoffs, for the most part, it was back and forth and we had to battle

OPPOSITE: Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson (84) celebrates his touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers with wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Sept. 15, 2022.

JAY BIGGERSTAFF / USA TODAY SPORTS

Inside the mind of Nick Bolton: 10 stories that explain the Chiefs’ rising linebacker

NATE TAYLOR • NOV. 16, 2022

Meet Nick Bolton. A year ago, he led all NFL rookies with 112 tackles, and once again, as the Chiefs enter the second half of this season, Bolton is leading the team in tackles with 81. Among the league’s middle linebackers, Bolton is tied for the lead with eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

These are the best stories behind who he is as a person and a player, and what his leadership means to the Chiefs.

No. 1

Listening to Bolton talk is similar to listening to a podcast on double-time. Bolton, the cerebral middle linebacker, is by far the Chiefs’ fastest-talking player, a prodigy, his teammates believe, who transitions thoughts to verbalization at a rapid rate.

In training camp, Bolton explained how he wanted to improve this season with a 29-word statement that he communicated in just five seconds.

“Learning the scheme, I’m just trying to make sure I’m better with my steps, my eyes, my vision, hands, stuff like that,” he said. “Those are the little intangibles of football.”

Bolton often reminds reporters that he prefers his leadership style to be exemplary, through reliability and thoroughness

rather than with rousing speeches. Communication, though, is a critical part of his job. As the Chiefs’ middle linebacker, Bolton is the defender with the green dot on his helmet, meaning he gets the play calls from defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo transmitted in his ear, then relays the calls to his teammates. After relaying the play call, Bolton estimates four seconds is the maximum time he has to make pre-snap checks, audibles and alignment adjustments before the offense gets its next play in motion.

“Sometimes he gets going,” fellow linebacker Willie Gay, with a grin, said of Bolton. “He gets to thinking. It comes out so fast you’re like …”

Here Gay paused, then gave the universal body language for when you tell someone to slow down: head leaning forward, eyes squinting and palms out. Confusing moments like that happened at times last season, when Bolton was first given play-calling responsibility as a promising rookie. This season, though, Gay sees Bolton’s swift ability to process information and share it as an intangible element to the Chiefs defense’s success.

“It’s great,” Gay said of Bolton’s mind. “When he first got here, I used to tell him all the time, ‘Man, just relax. Don’t force it. Just let it flow.’ If he’s chilling, he’ll talk a little slower.”

In late August, Bolton shared what he does to relax when he’s away from the Chiefs’ training facility. In a speedy

rhythm, of course, Bolton mentioned two activities. One was NBA 2K, the video game he most often plays. The next activity was even more revealing.

“I watch tape,” Bolton said. “I try to get a little bit ahead if I can.”

No. 2

Even at age 22, Bolton’s reputation inside the Chiefs’ facility is one of a loyal worker, a problem solver who is eager for the next football puzzle.

In his 24 years coaching in the NFL, Spagnuolo has always valued one-on-one time with his players. He approaches his players with jokes, an occasional story about how older schemes in the league connect to modern tactics or with questions to better connect on a more interpersonal level.

“When you see him in the hallway, like the day to day, he’s always fully into football,” Spagnuolo said of Bolton. “I don’t think there’s a moment where he’s not thinking about it. He’s always coming to me on suggestions: ‘Coach, can we do this?’

“He sees the game, he knows the game, he feels the game.”

No. 3

Bolton understands Spagnuolo has designed the Chiefs’ defensive scheme to have him rack up tackles. Star defensive tackle Chris Jones is one of the league’s best interior pass rushers, often generating penetration. L’Jarius Sneed, the speedy

and intelligent nickel cornerback, sets the edge on running plays.

“It leaves me lanes to go downhill and be violent,” Bolton said last year. “It’s what I love to do.”

After most of his memorable stops, Bolton does a simple celebration: He uses his right fist to pound the left side of his chest three times.

“It’s going to be hard to find another guy in the league that tackles better than Bolton,” coach Andy Reid said last month. “I mean, he’s unbelievable.”

No. 4

Linebacker Elijah Lee, a six-year veteran, recalled the first time he watched Bolton. Growing up in nearby Blue Springs, Mo., Lee would watch the Chiefs when his team wasn’t playing at the same time. Last season, Lee had a free Sunday in late October after playing in a Thursday primetime game as a member of the Cleveland Browns. The Chiefs were in Nashville, and Bolton, making his first career start against the Tennessee Titans, was the lone positive for the team that day. The Chiefs were blown out by the Titans, but Bolton collected a career-high 15 tackles, including four for a loss. Lee said he was amazed that Bolton, in just his seventh NFL game, could win so many of the oneon-one matchups against star running back Derrick Henry.

“I’m like, ‘Yo, he can ball,’” said Lee, who plays for the Chiefs this season. Then Lee

OPPOSITE: Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton (32) during the second half against the Green Bay Packers at Arrowhead Stadium on Aug. 25, 2022. JAY BIGGERSTAFF / USA TODAY SPORTS

capitalize. After that final defensive stand, and a 29-yard punt return by Moore, Mahomes orchestrated the game-winning drive.

“Pat is a warrior,” said defensive lineman Chris Jones, who anchored the defense with two sacks. “His game speaks for itself. What he did for four quarters there, what he did for two-and-a-half quarters, he’s a resilient guy, and his play speaks for itself.”

Mahomes’ play certainly did, as did his ability to lead and inspire — both attributes synonymous with the greatest sports figures. But Mahomes never made it about himself. While his teammates showered him with praise, he credited them for motivating him.

“It took my teammates,” he said. “I truly believe that and just to come out here and battle against a great football team, it took all of us. At some points in games, you’ve got to put it all on the line. The defense gave us a chance. I knew I was going to get us there somehow.”

That crucial step has been taken, but Mahomes cautioned: “The job’s not finished.”

Fortunately for Mahomes and the Chiefs, he has two weeks to continue to receive treatment and rest for his ankle. And then, on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Ariz., he’ll try to lead his team to victory one more time against one of the toughest defenses he has faced all season.

Just getting back to the Super Bowl this season represents a monumental accomplishment for Mahomes, whose top wide receiver, Tyreek Hill, was traded to Miami during the offseason. Mahomes had to demonstrate patience with new and still-developing pass-catchers, which also forced him to do more with less. He made it look rather easy, passing for a career-high 5,250

yards and 41 touchdowns.

But as Mahomes prepares for the Super Bowl, he knows better than to take anything for granted.

Asked what a second Super Bowl victory would mean to him, Mahomes said: “I would appreciate it way more. … I think when I first got in the league, it all happened so fast. I won MVP and won the Super Bowl (in 2019) and I just thought that was just how it was going to be. But now that I’ve dealt with failure and losing an AFC championship (last year), losing a Super Bowl (to Tampa Bay at the end of the 2020 season), I know how much hard work and daily grind that it takes.

“So I’m just excited to get that game with the teammates I have here — a lot of new teammates that haven’t been in these Super Bowl games. Let’s bring them along and prepare them so we can go out and play our best football.”

As he prepares for the Eagles, Mahomes has a chance to join a select fraternity and become only the 13th quarterback in NFL history to win multiple Super Bowls. At just 27 years old, Mahomes already has a chance to cement himself as one of the best to play the position. The Chiefs already view him as such, and they fully expect him to position them for more greatness.

“Right now it’s an amazing feeling,” Kelce said, beaming. “I know that we have a warrior back at quarterback, going into the biggest game of the season and I know (he’s) going to give us a chance to win it.”

JON DURR / USA TODAY SPORTS

RIGHT: A sold out crowd ready for the opening kickoff of the AFC championship game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Jan. 29. 2023.

Why is Chiefs star Travis Kelce always open? Opposing NFL coaches try to explain

VIC TAFUR, TED NGUYEN AND AARON REISS • FEB. 10, 2023

There is only one question that needs to be asked as we get ready for the Super Bowl on Sunday.

How is Travis Kelce, with all defenses preparing for him, always open?

Yeah, yeah … the Chiefs tight end is too fast for linebackers and too big for defensive backs. But surely, defenses can double-team, chip him at the line of scrimmage or bracket coverage on top of him …

So, why is he seemingly running free downfield every week? Kelce, at 33, set career highs with 110 receptions and 12 touchdowns, and his 1,338 yards were the second-best of his career. He either recorded a first down or touchdown on 13 percent of his routes, also a career-best.

Kelce himself has a simple answer.

“Andy Reid, baby. Big Red,” Kelce said Thursday at his Super Bowl media availability. “He can dial stuff up at the right time, create some things at the right time, and then on top of that everybody’s doing their jobs. It’s not just a me-go-out-thereand-get-open-type play. I’m sure you guys like to think that, but there’s a lot of madness to it, and there’s a lot of guys doing their jobs for the big picture. I’m fortunate that I’m playing here, for sure.”

To try to get a further explanation, we

turned to the film and to the analytics and spoke to five NFL defensive coordinators, most of whom have spent portions of their career facing Kelce twice a year in the AFC West. They were granted anonymity in order to freely share information.

“He is extremely athletic and he uses your momentum against you,” said one coach who has served as a head coach and coordinator in the league. “It’s something that the Chiefs have passed on from the Tony Gonzalez days. If you have inside leverage, he breaks the route outside, and if you have outside leverage, he breaks the route inside. And Kelce and (Patrick) Mahomes and have so much continuity and chemistry between them that they know what to adjust to at the same time.”

In the AFC Championship Game win over the Bengals, Kelce was running to the right corner of the end zone before turning to the middle of the end zone to catch a 14-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes.

AFC Championship Game vs. Bengals, 4:23 remaining in the second quarter, fourth-and-1

On this fourth-and-1, Kelce lined up in a stack alignment with another receiver outside of it, one of the tactics the Chiefs use frequently to make it tougher to double-team him. The Bengals’ secondary was still communicating to adjust to Kelce in the formation when they were interrupted by the ball being snapped.

The play call was a rollout toward Kelce, who ran a corner route into the end zone.

The alignment might have caused the secondary to bust its double-team. Kelce was single-covered by safety Jessie Bates. Cornerback Eli Apple only dropped deep late because his initial assignment didn’t release into a route. Bates played Kelce with heavy outside leverage and had the corner route covered. With the route capped, most quarterbacks might move to their next read, but Mahomes kept his vision on Kelce.

Kelce knew he couldn’t win outside, so he started pivoting inside. Mahomes was on the same page and was already in his throwing motion as Kelce was pivoting.

The throw was a back shoulder off a corner route, a rare play that Mahomes and Kelce complete routinely.

“It looks like they are freelancing, but they are not,” one AFC coordinator said.

Kelce is a 6-foot-5, 256-pound former basketball player who uses his big body to separate from defenders at the top of his routes and blocks them out when the ball is approaching like he is positioning for a rebound. At that point, it’s all over, as Kelce can jump and has good hands.

Surely, though, he could not keep that up this season after the Chiefs lost Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins. The speedster stretched the field, taking a lot of defensive attention with him and opening up the middle of the field for Kelce to operate. Kelce — and Mahomes, for that

matter — would not be as prolific without Hill. Or at least that was the popular refrain around the league last offseason.

“But they just run the offense through Kelce now,” another AFC coordinator said. “He and Mahomes are using the players around him as chess pieces now.”

That’s where Reid comes in. The Chiefs coach has been drawing guys open since even before he was coaching Sunday’s opponent, the Eagles, in the Super Bowl 18 years ago. Kelce had a career-high 152 targets without Hill this season and his lowest average depth of target (7.13 yards downfield) since Mahomes became the starter.

“They just started playing a different way this season,” the coordinator and former head coach said. “They would kill you with explosive plays in the past, but now they spread guys around. You can’t play two deep anymore. They still get explosive plays, but they go about it a different way. They attack you from inside out and Mahomes can pick you apart. And Kelce sees the game as a quarterback too. He was one in high school.”

The numbers say that Kelce is better against zone coverage than man-to-man. He ranks eighth out of 185 qualified players in yards/route vs. zone (2.45), whereas he is only 26th in yards/route vs. man (2.18).

“He changes his routes as he is reading defenses running down the field,” one of the AFC coordinators said. “He is fluid

OPPOSITE: Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid fist bumps tight end Travis Kelce (87) after a score against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Dec. 24, 2022. DENNY MEDLEY / USA TODAY SPORTS

Andy Reid’s second Super Bowl win cements him among NFL coaching greats

BY MIKE JONES • FEB. 13, 2023

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The place in history and entrance into the exclusive club hadn’t crossed Andy Reid’s mind.

It’s not that the 64-year-old, wrapping up his 31st NFL coaching season and 24th as a head coach, doesn’t possess a strong appreciation for tradition or what others before him have accomplished. Quite the contrary.

It’s just that Reid had been so present during his Kansas City Chiefs’ quest for another Super Bowl victory, he hadn’t reflected on his legacy.

So, when asked after the confetti settled from Kansas City’s 38-35 Super Bowl LVII victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium about the significance of hoisting a second career Lombardi Trophy and becoming only the 14th head coach in NFL history to do so, Reid struggled for words.

“I’m honored to be in — whatever. I don’t even know that stuff,” Reid said with a shrug and dismissive wave of the hand. “But, I’m honored to be in that. I’m very fortunate. I’ve had a lot of great players and coaches that have helped me get to that spot.

“I respect the game, though, and respect all those guys and the jobs they’ve done. If I’m mentioned with them, man,

I’d have to think about that for a while.”

Those guys would be Bill Belichick, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs, Vince Lombardi, Tom Flores, Jimmy Johnson, George Seifert, Mike Shanahan, Tom Coughlin, Bill Parcells, Tom Landry and Don Shula.

So, whether he realizes it or not, Reid — who has now won two Super Bowls in the last four seasons and his second in four appearances (2004, 2019, 2020 and now Sunday) — certainly has fully earned his seat at that table of greats.

“He’s one of the greatest coaches of all time,” said quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who won Super Bowl MVP for the second time in his career, this time after recording three touchdown passes and leading the Chiefs back from a 24-14 halftime deficit.

“I think everybody knew that,” Mahomes said of Reid’s reputation, “but these last two Super Bowls kind of cemented that. To have someone that is such a great person, who gets the best out of the players to become men and players, you wanted to do that. You wanted to win those Super Bowls for him, and it’s great that we did that.”

But gaining that seat at the table has never fueled Reid. He has always coached because of a love for the game and its challenges. He also coaches because he loves teaching and positioning players for success. Those pure and humble intentions are probably why Reid has had so

much success with two franchises (which happened to meet in Sunday’s Super Bowl). And that love of the game and the process is probably why Reid can’t see himself hanging up his whistle anytime soon. He’s having too much fun.

Mahomes is right, though.

Already regarded as one of the best offensive minds in the history of the game, Reid didn’t need another Lombardi Trophy to define his legacy. But the Chiefs’ return to the Super Bowl and second victory there in four seasons and how they pulled off that feat only further exemplified Reid’s greatness.

Of all of his coaching jobs, this one may go down as his best, and certainly one of his most challenging. After the Chiefs’ failed quest for a repeat in Super Bowl LV, where they fell 31-9 to Tampa Bay, they then lost in overtime the next year in the AFC Championship Game to Cincinnati. Reid knew his team had to make significant changes, but not a complete tear-down.

So this offseason, Reid and general manager Brett Veach got to work.

Although Mahomes remained the centerpiece, Reid essentially reimagined the Kansas City offense — trading the explosiveness offered by elite speedster Tyreek Hill (whom the Chiefs shipped to Miami for five draft picks and salary cap relief) for an improved offensive line and greater overall versatility and depth at the skill positions.

This Chiefs team may have lacked the Hill home-run threat of years past. But it did still have the game-changing talents of tight end Travis Kelce, and as a whole, Mahomes had a more well-rounded collection of weapons at his disposal. We saw even greater creativity out of Reid and coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s offense.

Kansas City kicked off its quest to return to the top with a roster that featured only 13 players from its Super Bowl win over the 49ers, and 18 from the team that lost to Tampa the following years. But the results spoke for themselves. Despite the change and an injury-induced revolving door at wide receiver and running back for much of the year, Mahomes led the NFL in passing, and the Chiefs led the league in both yards and points.

Sunday night, so many of those new faces delivered pivotal performances. Rookie running back Isiah Pacheco with 76 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster with seven chain-moving catches for 53 yards. Kadarius Toney with a touchdown catch and 66-yard punt return.

And the outcome was familiar: another comeback on the biggest stage to secure the Lombardi Trophy.

But for all of Reid’s creativity — and we’ve seen a lot, both in Philadelphia and Kansas City as Reid’s teams made the postseason 18 out of 24 seasons — he probably doesn’t get enough credit for his

OPPOSITE: Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid celebrates on the podium with tight end Travis Kelce after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. MARK J. REBILAS / USA TODAY NETWORK

ABOVE: Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LVII. MARK J. REBILAS / USA TODAY SPORTS

OPPOSITE: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LVII. KIRBY LEE / USA TODAY SPORTS

LEFT: Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Carlos Dunlap (8) kisses the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LVII. KIRBY LEE / USA TODAY SPORTS

FOLLOWING PAGE: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) celebrates on the podium with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl LVII.

JOE CAMPOREALE / USA TODAY SPORTS