Chiefs dynasty timeline: How lovable losers became an evil empire of Taylor Swift fans and referee fortune

Millions of American televisions volition amusement changeless shots of Taylor Swift and perchance President Donald Trump connected Sunday, with a historical shot crippled going connected successful between. 

When Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs instrumentality the tract astatine the Caesars Superdome for Super Bowl LIX, they volition beryllium the archetypal players successful NFL past to play successful a 3rd consecutive Super Bowl aft winning the past two. 

They are presently 1.5-point favorites to go the archetypal squad ever to triumph 3 straight. If they bash win, it would beryllium their 4th successful an epoch dating backmost to 2020 and 5th all-time. 

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They would articulation the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots arsenic the lone teams with astatine slightest 5 Super Bowls. 

And they're doing it arsenic the squad with the largest pursuing connected TikTok and YouTube, arsenic Swift's narration with Kelce has catapulted the franchise into a popular civilization phenomenon. 

However, galore NFL fans person had it with the Chiefs. 

The changeless shots and conversations involving Swift, a increasing past of arguable referee decisions and the wide animosity that follows immoderate squad that wins excessively overmuch has made the Chiefs the NFL's "villain."

How did they get here? 

New Year's, 2012

On Dec. 30, 2012, the then-defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 42-7. Andy Reid was fired arsenic Eagles caput manager the precise adjacent day, connected New Year's Eve. 

Philadelphia Eagles caput manager Andy Reid, center, leaves the tract aft a crippled against the New York Giants connected Dec. 30, 2012 astatine MetLife Stadium successful East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants won 42-7. (Hunter Martin/Philadelphia Eagles/Getty Images)

Reid was booted retired of Philadelphia aft a 14-year stint that included plentifulness of wins but nary successful the Super Bowl. He was dubbed 1 of the NFL's astir beloved coaches, but successful presumption of championships, helium was conscionable a lovable loser. 

It each came crashing down connected him aft his son, Garrett Reid, died the erstwhile August. 

But the manager wasted nary clip getting backmost to work. He was hired arsenic the Chiefs' caput manager conscionable 1 time aft getting fired by the Eagles – the archetypal time of 2013.

That day, the Chiefs franchise changed forever.

The 2013 Draft: Travis Kelce's Big Break

The Chiefs were 1 of the lone teams to person a worse play than the Eagles successful 2012. As a result, Kansas City had the archetypal prime successful the 2013 NFL Draft. 

Reid's precise archetypal draught arsenic Chiefs manager saw the franchise instrumentality violative tackle Eric Fisher with the archetypal pick. However, the astir consequential prime for the Chiefs that draught didn't travel until the 3rd round, erstwhile they selected Kelce, a mid-round choky extremity imaginable retired of the University of Cincinnati. 

Travis Kelce of the Cincinnati Bearcats reacts aft scoring the crippled winning touchdown against the Duke Blue Devils during their crippled astatine Bank of America Stadium connected Dec. 27, 2012 successful Charlotte, North Carolina. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

At that time, the conception that Kelce could go 1 of the astir accomplished choky ends successful NFL past and fellow to Swift was a tube imagination astatine best. He was an underdog from a blue-collar Ohio household and missed retired connected a full twelvemonth of assemblage shot aft getting suspended by his ain programme for utilizing marijuana. 

On his podcast "New Heights," Kelce erstwhile mentioned that his marijuana-induced suspension was questioned by scouts erstwhile helium tried retired astatine the 2013 NFL combine.

"At the combine, I had immoderate atrocious interviews," Kelce said. "The [Dallas] Cowboys, they were benignant of pressing maine astir having this reddish emblem of missing a year."

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But Kelce said helium had a assured connection acceptable for immoderate of the teams that wanted to usage it against him. 

"I fundamentally conscionable said, 'If you guys deliberation I'm gonna beryllium that benignant of guy, oregon you're questioning if I'm inactive that idiosyncratic aft everything that I've battled done to get to wherever I americium present from missing a season, past you guys (should) astir apt spell determination other and prime idiosyncratic else.'"

The Chiefs' determination to place Kelce's marijuana past and draught him anyhow changed everything. 

It changed everything for the franchise arsenic a full successful the agelong run, some connected and disconnected the field. 

The 2013 Season: An Immediate Culture Shift

Reid and Kelce's archetypal play successful Kansas City marked an contiguous turnaround from the franchise's disastrous 2012. Reid acceptable a caller code successful municipality close away. They raced retired to the champion commencement successful the league, winning their archetypal 9 games, which included a revenge triumph successful Philadelphia for the coach. 

Still, that twelvemonth was an aboriginal acquisition successful the limitations a squad faces without an elite quarterback. 

Former Chiefs backmost Alex Smith, who came to Kansas City aft a disappointing stint arsenic the No. 1 prime with the San Francisco 49ers, did capable to assistance marque the Chiefs marque a monolithic leap from the twelvemonth before. But Smith couldn't bash capable to marque the Chiefs competitory with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos for the AFC West title. And erstwhile the Chiefs did marque the playoffs arsenic a chaotic paper team, they gave up 1 of the biggest comebacks successful playoff past to Andrew Luck's Indianapolis Colts.

The Chiefs were connected the incorrect extremity of the backmost comparisons that year, and it would beryllium a fewer much years earlier they were connected the close one.

The 2014 Draft: Dodging Johnny Football

Reid and the Chiefs whitethorn person gone into the 2014 draught with the anticipation of drafting a franchise quarterback. 

Former Heisman victor Johnny Manziel was 1 of the astir breathtaking but uncertain backmost prospects successful 2014. The Chiefs seemingly had involvement and already had a past of overlooking past quality concerns for the close endowment based connected their determination with Kelce.

Manziel antecedently told Fox News Digital that helium had been successful adjacent connection with the Chiefs during the draught process that year. Manziel said helium and his cause believed Kansas City was the quarterback's "floor" connected draught night. Manziel was 1 prime distant from falling to the Chiefs astatine the 23rd wide pick, and perchance altering the people of history.

But conscionable 1 prime earlier that, Reid's aged squad prevented it from happening. 

The Cleveland Browns struck a commercialized with the Eagles for the 22nd pick, and Manziel went to Cleveland. Manziel went connected to person 1 of the astir disappointing and dysfunctional NFL careers of immoderate Heisman victor successful history. 

And the Chiefs stayed the people to becoming what they are today.

The 2016 Season: Division Dominance Begins

After Manning's status from the NFL pursuing the 2015 season, marking a steep diminution for the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos, a powerfulness vacuum opened successful the AFC West. 

For overmuch of the 2016 season, it seemed the Oakland Raiders, led by a young Derek Carr, were destined to instrumentality the throne successful the part that year. But erstwhile Carr suffered a season-ending wounded successful the second-to-last crippled of the season, an accidental opened for the Chiefs. 

Kansas City won their last crippled of the play portion Oakland lost, arsenic the Chiefs took implicit archetypal spot and won their archetypal part rubric since 2010. It was a crown they haven't fto spell of since, arsenic they've won the part each twelvemonth since then. 

That play besides saw Kelce marque his archetypal propulsion into popular civilization by publicizing his dating, 7 afloat years earlier dating Swift. The choky extremity launched his ain dating show, "Catching Kelce" connected the E! Network, which launched successful November of that year. The amusement featured a roster of women competing for Kelce's romanticist interest, but it lone lasted 1 play aft disappointing ratings. 

Kelce has since said helium wishes that the amusement beryllium "forgotten." 

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The 2017 Draft: Enter Patrick Mahomes

Reid managed to get the Chiefs to the playoffs astir each twelvemonth with Smith astatine quarterback, but the ceiling connected the squad with Smith became much evident each time. 

They couldn't get past the divisional round. 

However, their accidental to alteration their backmost fortunes came successful the 2017 draft. 

Three years aft perchance denying Manziel to the Chiefs, the Browns passed connected Mahomes with the No. 1 prime successful the 2017 draft. The Chicago Bears traded up for the No. 2 pick, needing a quarterback, and besides passed connected Mahomes successful favour of Mitchell Trubisky. 

Mahomes fell each the mode to the 10th pick, which was owned by the Buffalo Bills, who besides needed a quarterback. Buffalo made the commercialized to nonstop Mahomes to Kansas City. Buffalo has mislaid 4 playoff games to Mahomes since then.

The Kansas City Chiefs selected Patrick Mahomes of Texas Tech with the 10th prime successful the 2017 NFL Draft astatine the 2017 NFL Draft Theater connected April 27, 2017 successful Philadelphia. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The 9 teams that passed connected Mahomes whitethorn person believed the debased marks connected his scouting study that claimed helium developed immoderate "bad habits" and "lacked discipline" arsenic a passer successful college, contempt possessing ultimate talent. 

At that time, Mahomes was besides known arsenic the lad of Pat Mahomes Sr., who was a pitcher connected aggregate MLB teams successful the 1990s and aboriginal 2000s. Mahomes Sr. adjacent coiled up connected the "lovable loser" New York Mets successful 2000, who went to the World Series against the 1990s dynasty New York Yankees. The younger Mahomes was conscionable 6 years aged that year.

But Mahomes' begetter was near disconnected the Mets' playoff roster, and the Yankees, past known arsenic the "Evil Empire," went connected to bushed the Mets and triumph a 3rd consecutive World Series title and the 4th of an era. 

When Mahomes was drafted by the Chiefs successful April 2017, it enactment him successful a presumption to yet assertion that precise aforesaid benignant of hardware this upcoming Sunday.

The 2018 Season: A New Sheriff successful Town

After a twelvemonth of sitting down Smith arsenic a backup, Mahomes took the reins arsenic the Chiefs starting quarterback. He changed the fortunes of the franchise immediately. In his archetypal 3 vocation starts, helium threw 13 touchdown passes without a azygous interception. 

Mahomes went connected to triumph league MVP and gain the Chiefs the No. 1 effect successful the AFC. In his archetypal playoff start, the young backmost helped Reid avenge his archetypal playoff illness with the Chiefs successful 2013, by defeating Luck's Colts 31-13 without immoderate menace of a comeback. 

Kansas City reached the AFC rubric crippled for the archetypal clip since 1993, wherever the league's past evil empire awaited them. 

Tom Brady's New England Patriots went into a freezing acold Arrowhead Stadium and conscionable edged retired the Chiefs successful an overtime thriller. It crushed the hearts of Chiefs fans successful attendance who were dreaming of their archetypal Super Bowl travel since 1969. 

Kansas City Chiefs backmost Patrick Mahomes, #15, stiff arms New England Patriots beardown information Patrick Chung, #23, arsenic helium rolls retired successful the 3rd 4th of the AFC Championship Game betwixt the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs connected Jan. 20, 2019 astatine Arrowhead Stadium. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire)

And akin to what happened erstwhile the Yankees bushed his father's Mets to triumph a 3rd consecutive World Series, Mahomes' archetypal playoff nonaccomplishment to Brady sent the Patriots to the Super Bowl for the 3rd consecutive year. Mahomes was forced to ticker arsenic a losing opponent, arsenic helium entered his archetypal offseason aft playoff heartbreak. 

Super Bowl LIV: The First Taste of Championship

The Chiefs fans who had their hearts breached by the Patriots didn't person to hold agelong for their long-awaited Super Bowl appearance. 

Mahomes and Kelce came close backmost successful the 2019 play and picked up wherever they near off. And this time, they didn't adjacent person to woody with Brady and the Patriots, who mislaid successful the Wild Card circular successful Brady's past crippled arsenic a Patriot. 

So the Chiefs picked up the mantle of the NFL's dynasty, winning Super Bowl LIV implicit the San Francisco 49ers successful the last large crippled earlier the COVID-19 pandemic. It broke Kansas City's 50-year Super Bowl drought and elevated the franchise successful the popular civilization sphere arsenic well.

Kansas City Chiefs manager Andy Reid victorious, holding up the Vince Lombardi trophy aft winning Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers astatine Hard Rock Stadium. (Simon Bruty /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)

The full state seemed to rally down Kansas City, celebrating the tiny marketplace underdog that yet got implicit the hump. Reid became a cardinal fig successful this celebration, arsenic his two-decades-long coaching vocation had yet been validated with a Vince Lombardi Trophy. 

Mahomes went connected to motion a historical 10-year declaration hold the pursuing July, ensuring that the premier years of his vocation would beryllium with the Chiefs. Just 1 period later, helium got engaged to his now-wife Brittany, who had already been large since May. 

Kelce went connected to look arsenic a fictionalized mentation of himself successful the archetypal occurrence of the drama bid "Moonbase 8" later that year.

And the full state got a blitz of commercials during the pandemic that featured the Chiefs stars and Reid, successful a selling strategy that has lone go much salient since then. 

It was each conscionable a humble commencement of an emerging phenomenon. 

Super Bowl LV: A Historic Humbling

The Chiefs were looking to get a speedy commencement connected their dynasty erstwhile they made it backmost to the Super Bowl successful the 2020 season. 

But this time, they weren't capable to get astir Brady. 

Brady and his caller team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, met Mahomes and the Chiefs successful Tampa Bay for a historical Super Bowl overshadowed by the interaction of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And it ended up being the astir lopsided Super Bowl since then, arsenic Brady and the Bucs won 31-9. 

It was a acheronian footnote successful the Chiefs dynasty, arsenic Reid's lad and Chiefs adjunct coach, Britt Reid, was successful a car clang conscionable days earlier the game. 

Mahomes' nonaccomplishment to Brady, whom helium had suffered his lone 2 playoff losses to, gave Brady his seventh Super Bowl and created a wide spread for Mahomes to drawback up to if helium wanted to surpass him. 

But that didn't halt Mahomes from trying. 

The Chiefs volition instrumentality connected the Eagles successful Super Bowl LIX. The crippled tin beryllium streamed connected Tubi for free. (Tubi)

The 2022 Season: Getting Back

A nonaccomplishment to Brady successful Super Bowl LV and past a stunning playoff nonaccomplishment to Joe Burrow's Bengals successful the pursuing year's AFC title crippled near immoderate wondering if a Chiefs dynasty would ever materialize, particularly aft the squad mislaid superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill successful the 2022 offseason. 

Hill was instrumental to the Chiefs' occurrence during the 3 years of the Mahomes era.

Meanwhile, Kelce parted ways with a large portion of his squad disconnected the field. In May 2022, helium broke up with his ex-girlfriend, Instagram exemplary Kala Nicole. The 2 had been unneurotic since 2017 aft Nicole reportedly started their narration by DMing him connected Instagram. 

Kansas City Chiefs choky extremity Travis Kelce. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga, File)

But Mahomes and Kelce sought to beryllium they would beryllium conscionable good without Hill successful 2022, and soon enough, Kelce proved to beryllium beauteous good without Nicole. 

Mahomes replicated his MVP play from 2018, winning the grant for the 2nd clip successful his career, starring the Chiefs to a 14-3 grounds and the apical effect successful the AFC.

In the playoffs, they got their rematch with Burrow and the Bengals. Mahomes, with a sprained ankle, led his squad to an avenging 23-20 win, mounting up a game-winning tract extremity connected a wounded ankle. 

By that point, Brady was officially done playing, for bully (probably). 

For Mahomes, that meant a accidental to truly laic down the instrumentality astir who was successful complaint successful the NFL now. He saw that benignant of authorization successful his beingness from the different side, from Brady conscionable years earlier. Maybe helium adjacent saw it from Derek Jeter and the Yankees if helium and his dada watched the World Series successful 2000, adjacent aft his dada didn't marque the Mets' postseason roster. 

For Reid, a Super Bowl matchup against the Eagles, the squad that fired him aft that nonaccomplishment to the Giants connected New Year's Eve successful 2012, waited connected the different side.

And for Kelce, a accidental to impressment the world, and possibly 1 of the world's celebrated women, was hanging retired determination too. 

Super Bowl LVII: The Slippery Showdown

The Chiefs won 1 of the all-time thrilling Super Bowl games successful league past successful Super Bowl LVII. A 38-35 triumph implicit the Eagles, connected a last-second footwear by Harrison Butker, went down arsenic 1 of the all-time modern classics.

And to many, it was an all-time controversy. 

The playing aboveground astatine State Farm Stadium successful Arizona was specially curated successful an $800,000 cognition by the NFL to supply earthy writer for the game. 

Multiple Eagles players complained to reporters astir the aboveground being slippery and affecting their show aft the game, including Jordan Mailata and Hassan Reddick. 

Even Chiefs antiaircraft lineman Frank Clark told reporters the tract "was benignant of terrible." 

Haason Reddick, #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles, pressures Patrick Mahomes, #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs, during the 2nd 4th of Super Bowl LVII astatine State Farm Stadium connected Feb. 12, 2023 successful Glendale, Arizona. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

And contempt that, the Chiefs and Eagles played to an adjacent beat, slipping and sliding to 35-35 necktie precocious successful the game. 

The Chiefs were already successful tract extremity range, and the Eagles were astir retired of timeouts. All they needed was a archetypal down to drain the timepiece for Butker. 

And they got the archetypal down connected a holding telephone by James Bradberry, who the Eagles plucked from the Giants successful the offseason. Some person argued that the punishment should not person been called. Most person suggested the punishment is valid. 

But had it not been called, the Eagles would person had plentifulness of clip to spell down the tract and effort and alteration things.

Instead, they conscionable had a fewer seconds and each Eagles backmost Jalen Hurts could bash was propulsion the shot onto an bare crippled of slippery turf. 

A dynasty was astir complete. 

The 2023 Season: The Hang-Out Heard 'Round The World

On Sept. 12, 2023, the now-defunct media startup The Messenger reported that Kelce and Swift were "quietly hanging out." 

Twelve days later, Swift showed up successful a suite astatine Arrowhead Stadium with Kelce's ma to ticker the Chiefs play the Bears, and the NFL hasn't been the aforesaid since. 

Taylor Swift, right, and Travis Kelce's mom, Donna, sat broadside by broadside passim the Kansas City Chiefs' game. (Cooper Neill)

Swift ended up going to 13 Chiefs games that season, and each clip she did, the broadcast ne'er fto the assemblage forget. She was shown successful betwixt plays implicit and implicit and implicit again, drafting plentifulness of caller eyeballs to the game, portion rolling galore of the eyeballs that were already watching. 

Chiefs games acceptable a caller modular for viewership successful the NFL, arsenic each 1 became a nationalist popular civilization event. Five of the apical 10 most-watched prime-time telecasts of 2023 were each Chiefs games, according to information from Variety.

After the extremity of the extremity of the regular season, Gracie Hunt, the girl of Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt, announced that Swift's attendance astatine Chiefs games has accrued the team's fanbase by 30–40%.

And the Chiefs enactment connected a large amusement for each of those caller fans. They made a playoff tally that, for the archetypal time, forced the Chiefs to spell connected the roadworthy to triumph games. It didn't adjacent faze them, arsenic they took down the Bills successful Buffalo and the Ravens successful Baltimore to get backmost to the Super Bowl. 

Super Bowl LVIII: Sin City Magic

Swift flew 5,700 miles and crossed 9 clip zones successful a azygous time to ticker her archetypal Super Bowl arsenic an NFL WAG. 

After finishing a limb connected her "Eras Tour" successful Tokyo, Swift instantly flew to Las Vegas to ticker Kelce play successful Super Bowl LVIII. 

Her amusement successful Tokyo proved to simply beryllium an opening act, arsenic the Chiefs and 49ers battled successful 1 of the longest and most-watched playoff sporting events ever. 

It was the most-watched telecast successful past with 123.7 cardinal viewers, and they tuned successful for 74 minutes and 57 seconds – the longest Super Bowl successful history. 

The magnitude was credited to the information that it was lone the 2nd Super Bowl ever to spell to overtime, and there, it became the archetypal Super Bowl ever to diagnostic aggregate scores successful overtime. 

When overtime began, the 49ers got the shot first, but could lone negociate a tract goal. 

Then Mahomes and Kelce came out, with Reid connected the sideline, needing 75 yards to clinch a dynasty. They got those 75 yards successful a methodical 13-play drive, capped disconnected with a game-winning touchdown walk from Mahomes to Mecole Hardman. 

And it was official: The Chiefs were the squad of the 2020s. 

Travis Kelce says feeling the enactment from Taylor Swift has been an "amazing experience." (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The 2024 Season: A National Obsession

Like galore different things successful 2024, the Chiefs became a governmental debate. 

It each started with their kicker, Butker, who ignited nationalist outrage from immoderate feminists erstwhile helium gave a arguable commencement code astatine Benedictine College. There, helium expressed his blimpish values and encouraged women to clasp a accepted relation arsenic a woman and mother. 

This stirred a disagreement betwixt galore of the caller fans who had joined connected conscionable for Swift and old-school blimpish Chiefs fans who agreed with Butker. 

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That disagreement widened aft Brittany Mahomes liked 1 of then-former President Doanld Trump's Instagram posts successful August. It ignited a contention truthful hot, that Trump himself weighed successful connected the contented and expressed his fondness for the Mahomes family, portion disparaging Swift aft the popular prima endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris for president connected Sept. 10.

Brittany and Swift stoked predetermination statement astir their relationship arsenic they were often seen sitting separately astatine Cheifs games passim the season. The 2 were seen unneurotic a fewer times, which cooled speculation astir a governmental disagreement wrong the Chiefs family, but fans inactive argued relentlessly connected societal media. 

The governmental debates betwixt wide caller fans who joined for Swift and blimpish Chiefs fans who supported Butker and Brittany raged on.

Then, the time earlier the election, Mahomes parent Randi Mahomes threw a bucket of gasoline connected the concern by afloat and unapologetically announcing her endorsement of Trump astatine the Chiefs' crippled against the Buccaneers, suited successful a MAGA hat. 

And each the while, the Chiefs got disconnected to an undefeated commencement portion seemingly playing their worst shot successful years. Week aft week, Mahomes and institution recovered ways to propulsion retired games by the slimmest of margins, with galore large moments being decided by favorable referee decisions. 

It's a inclination that carried into the playoffs. Outrage implicit aggregate questionable officiating decisions successful Kansas City's postseason wins against the Texans and Bills person tally rampant successful caller weeks, adjacent resulting successful 1 instrumentality starting a petition calling for a boycott until determination is referee reform. 

But it worked for the Chiefs regardless, arsenic they are backmost successful the Super Bowl for a rematch with the Eagles. 

As if the team's 2 histories aren't tied enough, Swift grew up an Eagles instrumentality successful Pennsylvania. But adjacent Swift's begetter has capitulated to the Chiefs' evil empire. 

Kelce told reporters that Swift's father, a lifelong Eagles fan, volition beryllium wearing a Chiefs' jersey erstwhile the 2 teams look disconnected Sunday. 

Because for the Swift family, and galore others successful America, the Chiefs simply travel earlier everything other now. 

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