Chiefs Rival Hypes Mahomes, Kelce's Commitment: Still Time for Commercials, Podcasts

One opposing coach marveled at how the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce haven't lost sight of their on-field goals as their fame grew off it.

"These guys are completely committed and they still have time for State Farm commercials and podcasts," the coach said to The Athletic's Mike Sando.

Sando also contrasted the fact that Mahomes and Kelce didn't miss a summer practice with how some other stars approached their offseason workouts. He specifically cited Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase staging a "hold in" as he sought a new contract in addition to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson missing some OTAs.

"These are the sorts of things that come to mind when the margins are so small and Kansas City prevails without playing its best," Sando wrote.

Beyond the roster attrition that results from being in a salary-capped league, highly successful teams such as the Chiefs can find it difficult to keep the same kind of sharpness and focus.

Former defensive lineman Trevor Pryce offered his perspective to ESPN's Elizabeth Merrill as a two-time Super Bowl champion on the Denver Broncos who was on the team when they chased a third straight title.

"Forget physically how difficult it is. ... All of a sudden the meetings are 15 minutes longer," he said. "The coaches want you to put a little more into the study of the game plan. There's 10 more plays than there was last week. It's that, 'No stone unturned.' But what people don't realize is, it takes a lot of goddamn energy to turn over all the f--king stones."

Kansas City's 26-25 win over the Cincinnati Bengals is a bit of a Rorschach test for how you feel about the team more broadly.

The Chiefs narrowly escaped again despite gaining just 286 yards and turning the ball over three times. Harrison Butker's 51-yard field goal as time expired was the difference.

The charitable view is that the two-time reigning Super Bowl champions continue to find ways to win even when they aren't at their best. What better way to show they're built for the challenge of another arduous title campaign?

A more critical assessment is that the Chiefs were again narrowly spared overtime at home to a fellow AFC contender. Evan McPherson's missed extra point for Cincinnati in the third quarter proved costly. In general, Kansas City has looked far from dominant through two weeks.

Of course, the same could've been said in 2022 when Andy Reid's squad started 1-1, and we know how that story ended.