“The game is over. And the Chiefs Kingdom has finally planted its flag on top of football’s highest summit!”
“LIVing the Dream” by Ken Wilson. Oil painting on birch wood panel. 24” high x 48” wide, 2” deep. Limited edition prints available.
That emotional exclamation from Chiefs radio announcer Mitch Holthus at the end of Super Bowl LIV was music to the ears of long-suffering Chiefs fans. Kansas City, for the third time in three games of the 2020 postseason, had come from double-digits down to win a game, culminating as NFL Champions. Fireworks erupted across the Kansas City metro and beyond. The blasts were so prolific they showed up on local weather radar. Grown men and women wept tears of joy. There was dancing in the streets. Patrick Mahomes was going to Disney World.
In just two years, Mahomes had become a legend. The 24-year-old wunderkind had won the NFL MVP award in his first full season and was the Super Bowl MVP in his second. Tight end Travis Kelce shouted to the world, “You got to fight… for your right… to Lombardi!”
It was the end of a 50-year drought for the Chiefs, who had last won the NFL’s biggest game in 1970. I’m one of the fans who lived through every win and suffered through every devastating loss of that half century. This was a moment to savor.
It wasn’t an easy ride, this 100th year of NFL football and 60th year of the Chiefs (and former Dallas Texans) organization. The defense struggled the first half of the season to adapt to new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme. Patrick Mahomes suffered a grewsome-looking dislocated kneecap in Week 7, on a Thursday night in Denver. The season appeared to be lost with their young star appearing to be gone for the season. Injuries to several key players added up. The Mahomes injury, fortunately, was not season-ending. He returned a few weeks later for the Tennessee game and although he played well, a loss left the Chiefs with a 6-4 record.
Three of the many sketches I drew planning this painting. Pictured, top to bottom: Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, and Tyrann Mathieu.
Head Coach Andy Reid had brought in Spags to turn around a group that had been at the bottom of the league the year before, when the offense carried the team within a play of going to Super Bowl LIII. An apparent game-winning interception was nullified when defensive end Dee Ford was called for lining up offside and the Chiefs fell to the Patriots in overtime. I was one of the 78,000 fans in Arrowhead Stadium that night. The Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl and the Chiefs chalked up another heartbreak.
Mahomes was back at nearly full strength soon after his return and the defense suddenly began to gel. The Chiefs rolled off six straight wins to finish the regular season. But those early losses looked costly. As the final week began, the Chiefs appeared to be the fourth seed in the playoff picture. That meant if they won in the Wild Card round at home, they’d likely have to win road games at New England and Baltimore to get to the Super Bowl. A tall order, to be sure.
Fate had other plans. On the season’s final Sunday, as the Chiefs were defeating the Los Angeles Chargers, the Patriots inexplicably fell at home to the lowly but determined Miami Dolphins. That combination vaulted Kansas City into the second seed, meaning they got to rest the first weekend of the playoffs and then host someone in the Divisional Round, probably New England. Win that game and they’d still have to travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens, the top seed in the AFC.
Again, destiny had a different story to tell. The Houston Texans knocked out Buffalo and headed to Kansas City. And the Tennessee Titans shocked the defending champ Patriots and earned a date against the Ravens in Baltimore.
On Saturday night, January 11, the Titans pulled a second straight shocking upset. This time, they eliminated the powerhouse Ravens, 28-12. The following Sunday, Chiefs fans packed the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot, reveling in tailgate festivities, knowing that if the team could beat Houston they would again host the AFC Championship Game.
The Texans came out of the gates like a house afire, scoring 24 unanswered points in the first quarter. The rout seemed to be on and most of the football world thought the outcome had already been decided. The smattering of Houston fans in our section were celebrating like they had won. Some Chiefs fans in the seats next to us had looks on their faces like Santa Claus had died. I told them, “Hey, get ready, because you’re about to witness the greatest comeback win of all time!” They said they wanted to have some of whatever I was drinking. I told them they could buy me some of what I was drinking when we won.
Photo of the piece in progress. The background became very challenging at this point and required a comeback effort on the part of the artist.
But the Chiefs were to prove that this is a new era of Kansas City football that will not be defined by history. In a dazzling array of offensive firepower and defensive grit, they answered the Houston call with four second-quarter touchdowns and took a 28-24 lead to the locker room. Arrowhead Stadium was channeling Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “The House is Rockin.” The seat neighbors were so thrilled with my comeback call they bought Sara and me halftime drinks! We fans sensed this game was far from over. But the hometown heroes came out and continued the assault, stretching their run to 51 straight points. A meaningless late touchdown by the Texans made the final tally Chiefs 51, Houston 31.
Bring on the Titans!
The next Sunday, Kansas City was a hub of excitement as Arrowhead Stadium was the site of the AFC Championship Game. But the Chiefs again found themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard early. The Titans jumped out to a 10-0 lead and their defense seemed to be confusing Mahomes. The Kansas City crew would not be daunted. They fought and clawed back. After trading scores with Tennessee, the Chiefs notched two second-quarter touchdowns to claim a 21-17 lead at the intermission. And just as they had in the Houston game, they continued their mastery in the second half, stretching the lead to 35-17 before recording a final 35-24 victory. The Lamar Hunt trophy, named after the Chiefs founder and awarded to the AFC Champions, was finally coming home to Kansas City.
The two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl were a blur for this fan. I had decided I was going to do a painting to honor this team, win or lose in the Big One. I was already getting calls, texts, and emails from people hoping to buy a print. I had lots of Chiefs sketches in my book already. But none of them were of these guys playing in the Super Bowl. I knew I’d be doing a new round of drawings after the game.
And what a game it was! The first half was a back-and-forth heavyweight fight dominated by two powerful defenses. But unlike the previous two games, the Chiefs did not take the game over in the third quarter. It was the opposite, with the San Francisco 49ers delivering hooks, jabs, and body blows. By the end of the quarter they held a 20-10 advantage.
The Chiefs drove deep into San Francisco territory to open the final stanza of play, but a 49ers interception with just over 12 minutes left in the game appeared to put the Chiefs on the ropes. Mahomes seemed to be struggling, at least by his lofty standards. However, the resolve of this tenacious team in the face of adversity will forever be its legacy.
The “23 Jet Chip Wasp” play that saved the Chiefs.
The Kansas City defense forced the 49ers to punt the ball back to the Chiefs with nine minutes to go. A determined offense, led by Mahomes, marched 62 yards in 10 plays for a score that cut the lead to a field goal. The key play of the drive came on a third and 15, when Mahomes called the now-famous “23 Jet Chip Wasp” play, a 44-yard rocket hauled in by Tyreek Hill. On the next sequence, the Chiefs held San Francisco to a three-and-out fizzle. The Chiefs took the punt and again the offense shifted into overdrive. A 38-yard pass from Mahomes to Sammy Watkins sparked a seven-play, 65-yard drive. It was capped by a third-and-five pass to running back Damien Williams, who stretched over 49ers defenders and held out the ball, hitting the end-zone pylon with it for the go-ahead score. The Chiefs led, 24-20, with less than three minutes remaining in the game.
San Francisco responded quickly, driving the ball across midfield. But after throwing three incomplete passes, 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was sacked by Chiefs linebacker Frank Clark, turning the ball over to Kansas City. The Chiefs, trying to run out the clock, went to the ground game. After two short-yardage gains, Williams broke free of San Francisco defenders and romped 38 yards for the Chiefs third and final score of the remarkable fourth-quarter comeback. A late interception by Kendall Fuller sealed the 31-20 victory to crown the Chiefs as NFL Champions.
Super Bowl parade party at our place!
As for me, I feel that I was the beneficiary of a little part of the Chiefs destiny. I got married in 2019 and my wife, Sara and I moved to the Western Auto Lofts in September. Our real estate agent, knowing I’m a huge Chiefs fan, half-joked that our balconies overlooking Grand Boulevard would give us a great vantage point for the Super Bowl parade. As fate would have it, we braved the cold and reveled with family and friends that day as the victory parade rolled past. Two months later, we still enjoy a flash of memory when we find a piece of celebratory confetti that reveals itself from some nook or cranny where it’s been hiding.
The day after the game, I started looking through photographs and my DVR recording for moments to capture in my painting. The Damien Williams end-zone dive. Tyreek Hill’s reception of “23 Jet Chip Wasp.” Chris Jones chasing down Garoppolo. Which moment to pick for Mahomes, the team’s and game’s MVP, was a tough choice. In the end, I decided on a scrambling play, because it just exudes his confidence, toughness, and leadership. I wish I could have put every player in the picture, but hopefully the ones I selected will be seen to represent the entire team. One of my favorite additions was Andy Reid getting doused in Gatorade. Big Red is the mad scientist who pushed all the right buttons and brought all of the elements together at the right time. He is so widely loved and respected, and he finally has the Super Bowl ring he so deserves. I could not be happier for him.
The family tailgate crew.
Executing the painting itself was a bit like the Chiefs playoff run. There were some early setbacks that I had to overcome. The background was a particular struggle, because I wanted it to reflect the feeling of celebration in Kansas City but with a tip of the cap to Miami. Not only for hosting the game, but also for the Dolphins part in helping the Chiefs gain a more advantageous spot in the playoffs. The palm trees proved the right addition, with five on the left and four on the right representing the 54th (LIVth?) Super Bowl.
So, this painting is dedicated to everyone in the Chiefs Kingdom who made it happen and all of the fans who get to revel in the glory. With a special shout-out to my “brother” cousin Mark and the entire Wilson tailgate gang (including my daughter, Bailey, who, despite growing up in California is a huge Chiefs fan). We have laughed and cried and lived and loved together with our team over these past 50 years. I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything. We are truly LIVing the Dream.