Chiefs coach’s shocking admission explains a lot about Super Bowl LIX disaster

As a cascade of midnight green confetti fluttered onto the field at Caesars Superdome, the Kansas City Chiefs were left stunned. 

Super Bowl confetti may seem harmless, but the pursuit of glory can come at a heavy cost. On the losing sideline, the confetti cuts deeply and leaves irreparable scars. That was especially true for Kansas City, who entered Super Bowl LIX on the cusp of immortality.

The Chiefs were one victory away from becoming the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowl championships. The Eagles were the better team by every reasonable measure, but Kansas City seemed inevitable. Then, on the doorstep of history, the Chiefs collapsed. Patrick Mahomes crumbled under the literal and figurative pressure. Andy Reid looked shell-shocked. Travis Kelce was visibly heartbroken. Charles Omenihu broke down in tears during the third quarter.

After 728 days, the Chiefs were no longer the reigning Super Bowl champions.

Chiefs' coach admits to Kansas City having Super Bowl fatigue

After five Super Bowl appearances in the past seven years, the phrase “Chiefs fatigue” was used to depict the envy of NFL fans who had grown weary of Kansas City’s dominance. Instead, the true Super Bowl fatigue is happening within the facilities of Arrowhead Stadium.

Before Super Bowl LIX, an anonymous Chiefs coach told FOX Sports’ Henry McKenna that he had been asked if going to Super Bowls ever gets old. “It does,” the coach bluntly confessed.

Since the advent of the salary cap, only two teams have managed to build dynasties. The New England Patriots, who reigned over the league for nearly two decades, understood the difficulties Kansas City would face this season. Many former Patriots players “were dubious that the Chiefs were capable” of winning a third consecutive Super Bowl, per McKenna. Those players said people didn’t understand just how daunting that task truly is.

Over the past six seasons, the Chiefs have played 19 postseason games — over an entire season’s worth of games. Those additional contests can wear down players and expose aging stars to greater risk of injury. The shorter offseason causes attrition. Success breeds complacency. Roster turnover and age also play a factor. Sometimes, the difference between winning and losing can simply come down to an unlucky bounce.

When the Patriots won their first championship, Tom Brady stood on the trophy presentation stage with his hands on his head in disbelief. At that time, he was oblivious to the agony of defeat. By the end of his career, winning the Super Bowl became nothing more than a relief.

“Winning became more routine than losing,” Brady said, via Boston.com. “The pain of losing far surpassed the joy of winning. When you expect to win, and you win, it’s more of a relief as opposed to [an incredible accomplishment].”

The weight of expectation and pressure seems to be mounting in Kansas City as well. Before the Super Bowl, Chiefs passing game coordinator Joe Bleymaier told ESPN that coaching a historic quarterback was a stressful burden rather than a joy.

“You feel the burden … to not screw it up as the coaching staff,” Bleymaier said. “So rather than feeling like this just unbridled excitement that we could do anything, it's actually more like a terror, like we cannot be the reason that we screwed this … team up.”

Perhaps the most meaningful way to measure greatness is time. Being great means performing in the most crucial moments, and then sustaining that fleeting success over so many years. Although consistency requires greatness, defying parity entirely takes much more. The league is rigged to bring every team to the median. The salary cap, free agency, draft and schedule all contribute in the continuous trek to mediocrity. The journey from loser to winner is not as complicated as it once was, as teams go from last-to-first and first-to-last every season.