Travis Kelce at Super Bowl Parade: 'Haters' Said Chiefs Would Never Make Playoffs

The Super Bowl LVII-winning Kansas City Chiefs apparently found a source of motivation in how they felt outside observers perceived their team.

During Wednesday's championship parade, star tight end Travis Kelce declared, "The haters were saying the Chiefs would never make the playoffs." His comments echoed those of Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, who claimed, "They said we were rebuilding."

While it's understandable that a team of Kansas City's caliber would need to find ways to fight complacency, the underdog narrative Kelce and Mahomes are painting is hardly true. The Chiefs had the second-best preseason odds to make it to Super Bowl LVII, behind only the Buffalo Bills.

Kansas City faced some questions about how the team's offense would perform without star receiver Tyreek Hill, but those concerns were quickly quieted. The Chiefs led the league in scoring at 29.2 points per game and in total offense with 413.6 yards per game as the only team in the league to average over 400 yards.

In his sixth NFL season, Mahomes was as dominant as ever. He led the league with a career-high 5,250 passing yards as well as 41 touchdowns on his way to being named AP NFL MVP for the second time.

The Chiefs have been the gold standard in the NFL ever since Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback in his second season in 2018. The team has made it to five consecutive AFC Championship Games and three Super Bowls with the 27-year-old leading the charge, winning two titles.

It doesn't appear that Kansas City's run of dominance is ending anytime soon, but it wouldn't be a surprise if the team is searching for unique ways to maintain its commitment to excellence going forward.