Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes shares thoughts on being the 'villain' in Super Bowl LVIII
The Kansas City Chiefs are making their fourth Super Bowl appearance in five seasons, prompting some NFL fans to root against them. However, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and company embrace being the "bad guys."
"I think I just like winning,'' Mahomes told the media Wednesday. "If you win a lot and that causes you to be a villain, then I'm OK with it. But at the end of the day, I'm going to enjoy playing the game and try to win as much as possible.''
Per ESPN's Adam Teicher, the Chiefs were booed on Monday during the Super Bowl's opening night. Las Vegas is the home of their longtime divisional rival, the Raiders, which could explain the jeers.
Star Kansas City defensive tackle Chris Jones would beg to differ. He claims fans have turned on the franchise and don't want it to capture its third championship in five seasons Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.
"Everybody used to love us,'' Jones told Teicher. "We used to be one of the most favorite teams. Now everybody's ready for the Chiefs to lose. It's OK. They can continue hating. You call it hate when you win a whole lot. The problem is we haven't won as much as people think. We've won only two [Super Bowls], right? We only won two out of three.''
The Chiefs aim to become the first team to repeat as champions since the 2004 New England Patriots. Only seven clubs have won back-to-back titles.
San Francisco presents a difficult challenge. The 49ers have a star-studded roster, including running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and linebacker Fred Warner. As of Wednesday, FanDuel lists them as a 2.5-point favorite.
Don't count the Chiefs out, though, especially when they're coming in with a chip on their shoulder. Mahomes, 28, has 14 postseason victories — tied for third in NFL history.
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