HENDERSON, Nev. — The Kansas City Chiefs were loudly booed by fans when they were introduced on opening night of the Super Bowl on Monday. Perhaps the reaction was a little skewed by the presence of fans of the Las Vegas Raiders, one of the Chiefs' biggest rivals.
But there appears to be fatigue among football fans over the success of the Chiefs, who on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers will play in their fourth Super Bowl in five seasons.
The Chiefs have noticed it. Defensive tackle Chris Jones has called the Chiefs “villains” in the eyes of many fans. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes said disappointing those fans wasn't necessarily one of his goals.
“I guess I just like winning,” Mahomes said. “If you win a lot and that makes you a villain, then I don't care.” But at the end of the day, I'm going to enjoy playing and try to win as much as possible.”
The Chiefs seemed to be fan favorites when they faced the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV four years ago. Then, they were seen as new entrants. In fact, that Super Bowl appearance was the franchise's first in 50 years.
Additionally, the Chiefs had some new stars on the national stage, most notably Mahomes. But fans are now familiar with Mahomes, Jones and Travis Kelce.
“Everyone loved us,” Jones said. “We used to be one of the most favored teams. Now everyone is ready for the Chiefs to lose.
“It's okay. You can keep hating. You call it hate when you win a lot. The problem is that we haven't won as much as people think. We've only won two [Super Bowls], good? We only won two out of three.”
