U.S. Senator Roger Marshall Says He's a No Vote on Bipartisan Border Bill
UNDATED (KCUR) – Republican U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas says he’s a no vote on a bipartisan bill aimed at securing the southern border. KCUR reports that Marshall says the legislation allows too many people to cross the border and he criticized President Joe Biden for not shutting down the border entirely. Marshall joins Missouri senators Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt in denouncing the plan.
(–Related–)
Kansas GOP Senator Jerry Moran Supports "a" Bill Securing Southern Border, Not Necessarily the Latest Bill
UNDATED (KPR) - Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran has voiced support for a bi-partisan agreement in Congress on securing the southern border and providing money to Ukraine and Israel. Republican senators in Washington are split on a compromise bill with Democrats that would tighten border security and provide billions of dollars to war-torn allies Ukraine and Israel. If passed, the agreement could be seen as a win for President Joe Biden. Former President Donald Trump is against the compromise bill. Moran says he’s for an agreement, as long as it actually stems the torrent of illegal immigration. "I'm very much interested in supporting a package that protects our country at the same time as securing our border," he explained. The bill faces stiff opposition from GOP members of Congress, including Kansas Republican Senator Roger Marshall.
Correction / Clarification: An earlier version of this story indicated Senator Moran supported the bipartisan border bill unveiled by Senate Democrats. In fact, Moran supports "a" bipartisan bill to secure the border, but not necessarily the one currently under consideration.
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Kansas Lawmakers Consider Whether to Criminalize Speeding of 100 MPH or More
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - In Kansas, speeding is considered an infraction in most cases. But a bill in the Kansas Legislature would criminalize speeding in cases where the motorist is caught driving 100 miles-per-hour or more. The Kansas Highway Patrol wants the Legislature to make it a crime to reach speeds of 100 mph or more in a vehicle. KCTV reports that within the last few months, state troopers have noticed an increase in the speeds of Kansas drivers. On Monday, troopers stopped a driver in heavy fog on I-135 in Saline County after the driver was clocked at 116 mph. The driver was issued a fine of nearly $500.
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Proposal Would Move Mail-In Ballot Receipt Deadline to End of Election Day
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansans who vote by mail would have to return their ballots by the end of Election Day under a bill being considered by state lawmakers. The Kansas News Service reports that under current law, mail-in ballots have three days to arrive and be counted as long as they’re postmarked by Election Day. Some lawmakers say they want to eliminate that grace period so results aren’t changing after Election Day. But critics say results still would not be finalized on Election Day due to the canvassing process. They say the bill is voter suppression. About 15 percent of votes in Kansas are cast by mail, but it’s unclear how many come in after Election Day.
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Advocacy Group Says Kansas Lawmakers Could Do More to Improve Mental Health Care Insurance Coverage
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) A new report by an advocacy group called Inseparable says Kansas lawmakers could do more to improve insurance coverage of mental health care. Kansas already requires insurers to cover telehealth mental health services, and the state is trying to attract more mental health professionals. But one of Inseparable's Vice Presidents, Kathleen Daughety, says state lawmakers should consider other policies. “One example is waiving co-pays for annual mental health wellness exams, prevention is really important here. Another is requiring insurance plans to cover all medically necessary treatment when it's recommended by a patient's doctor.” She says over 70% of Kansans with both a mental health diagnosis and commercial insurance don’t get their treatment covered. Daughety is the daughter of Democratic Governor Laura Kelly.
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More than 100,000 Kansans Could Lose Medicaid Coverage
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) - After months of glitches, the state of Kansas is getting closer to determining who will remain eligible for Medicaid coverage. The Kansas Reflector reports that thousands of Kansans who were covered by Medicaid during the pandemic will soon be removed from the system. Some estimates suggest more than 100,000 Kansans will lose coverage. Advocates warn that qualified applicants will be kicked off Medicaid because of processing problems with the state system that determines eligibility.
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Marion County Officials Facing Another Federal Lawsuit Following 2023 Police Raid on Newspaper
UNDATED (KNS) – Local officials in Marion County, Kansas, are facing a second federal lawsuit after the newspaper there was raided by police last August. The Kansas News Service reports that Phyllis Zorn, a reporter for the Marion County Record, is suing city and county officials, including former police chief Gideon Cody, who ordered the August 11, 2023 raid. The search of the newspaper’s offices and the homes of its reporters and publishers happened after police said Zorn had illegally obtained information on a source. State officials later said that information was available publicly. In court documents, Zorn alleges the defendants violated her First and Fourth Amendment rights during the raid. Zorn is requesting a jury trial and nearly $1 million in damages.
(–Additional reporting–)
A Reporter Is Suing a Kansas Town and Various Officials over a Police Raid on Her Newspaper
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A reporter for a weekly Kansas newspaper that police raided last year filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against its hometown and local officials, saying the raid caused her physical and mental health problems.
Marion County Record reporter Phyllis Zorn is seeking $950,000 in damages from the city of Marion, its former mayor, its former police chief, its current interim police chief, the Marion County Commission, the county sheriff and a former sheriff's deputy. The lawsuit calls them “co-conspirators” who deprived her of press and speech freedoms and the protection from unreasonable police searches guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
Officers raided the newspaper's offices on Aug. 11, 2023, as well as the home of Publisher Eric Meyer, seizing equipment and personal cellphones. Then-Marion Chief Gideon Cody said he was investigating whether the newspaper committed identity theft or other crimes in accessing a local restaurant owner's state driving record.
But the lawsuit alleges Cody was “infuriated” that the newspaper was investigating his background before he became Marion's chief in May 2023. It also said Zorn was on Cody's “enemies list” for laughing off a suggestion that they start a rival paper together.
The raid put Marion, a town of about 1,900 residents about 150 miles (241 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, at the center of a national debate over press freedom. Legal experts said it likely violated state or federal law, and Cody resigned in early October. Meyer's 98-year-old-mother, who lived with him, died the day after the raid, and he attributes her death to stress caused by it.
Zorn’s federal lawsuit is the second over the raid. Former Record reporter Deb Gruver sued Cody less than three weeks after the raid, seeking $75,000, and the parties are scheduled to meet with a mediator in April, according to court records. Zorn’s attorney is Randy Rathbun, a former top federal prosecutor for Kansas.
“I’m certainly not anti-law enforcement because that's what I did, but this kind of stuff just drives me crazy,” Rathbun said in an interview. “I know law enforcement, how they should react, and ... this is not it.”
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation took over the investigation of newspaper, but it later had the Colorado Bureau of Investigation look into the civil rights issues. Their findings have not been made public.
The former Marion mayor, the sheriff and the county commission chairman did not immediately return telephone messages Tuesday seeking comment. Neither did Cody nor an attorney representing him in Gruver's lawsuit.
Marion City Attorney Brian Bina said he had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment, adding that typically the city's insurance company would later hire a lawyer. The amount sought by Zorn is more than the city raises annually from property taxes to help fund its budget, which was $8.7 million for 2023.
The lawsuit said before the raid, Zorn had seizures that were controlled by medication so that she had gone as long as five years without having one. Within days of the raid, the seizures returned.
“The seizures have been debilitating and have led to extreme depression and anxiety,” the lawsuit said.
Cody maintained that he had questions about how the newspaper verified the authenticity of a state document confirming that the local restaurant owner's driving record had been suspended for years over a past drunken driving offense, according to documents released by the city in response to open records requests.
Zorn's lawsuit said a tipster sent her a copy of that document and she and Meyer used an online, public state database to verify its authenticity. Meyer emailed Cody a week before the raid about the document and their verification.
The lawsuit said Zorn's and Meyer's actions were “clearly legal.” Cody and the city's current interim chief were involved in the raid, as was the sheriff. The lawsuit says the former mayor authorized Cody's investigation, and documents show that the former sheriff's deputy helped Cody draft search warrants.
The lawsuit alleges the county commission failed in its duty to properly train the sheriff's department to avoid civil rights violations.
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Rural Kansas Full of Pharmacy Deserts
PAOLA, Kan. (KNS) - Pharmacy deserts, or places without a nearby pharmacy, are growing nationwide. Independently-owned pharmacies in rural areas are hit the hardest. And the challenges come on making money on the most basic services they provide. Nate Rockers is owner of Rockers Pharmacy in Paola. He said in 2023, 20% of the prescriptions they filled were dispensed at a loss, and 50% were filled for only a $4 profit. "When I say we dispensed at a loss that is just for the cost of the product,” he said. “That doesn't include the time and the resources that we had into fulfilling that prescription, including the bottle, the label, the labor." (Read more.)
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Eureka Becomes the Latest Rural Kansas Community to Lose a Health Clinic
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Rural Kansas communities continue to lose access to health care. The latest is Eureka, where residents are now losing a health clinic. KWCH TV reports that the Care Arc Health Clinic will close its doors at the end of the month. Administrators at the clinic say staffing and recruitment issues have forced them to close.
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Kansas Health Foundation Launches Major Investment in Racial Equity Programs
UNDATED (KNS) – A non-profit focused on tackling health disparities in Kansas is kicking off its biggest investment in racial equity – to the tune of up to $30 million. The Kansas News Service reports that the Kansas Health Foundation has partnered with 30 grassroots organizations across the state to address health disparities in minority communities. Valerie Black, with the foundation, says each of the organizations were selected through a competitive process, and will receive up to $100,000 a year over the next decade. Black says they will partner with organizations that have already established trust in the communities where they work, adding that “...they just need, you know, greater capacity in order to increase their power, influence and impact.” Black says the initiative, called the Building Power and Equity Partnership, will also provide participating organizations with training and other resources. Black went on to say that this is the biggest investment in racial equity in the foundation’s history.
editorial note: The Kansas Health Foundation is a financial supporter of Kansas Public Radio and the Kansas News Service.
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Kansas Bill Aims to Increase Penalties for Those Who Harm K9s
TOPEKA, Kan. (KWCH) - Kansas lawmakers are considering a bill to increase penalties for harming police K9s and other law enforcement animals, like arson dogs. KWCH TV reports that the proposal was inspired by the death of a Sedgwick County Public Service Dog in November. The dog was killed while trying to apprehend a suspect. Law enforcement officials want harsher penalties for those accused of harming or killing K9s. A committee in the Kansas House has been considering a measure to increase penalties to a minimum 90-day sentence and a $10,000 fine.
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KCK Reports Decline in Violent Crime Under Chief Karl Oakman
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCUR) – Kansas City, Kansas, saw a significant reduction in violent crime during Police Chief Karl Oakman’s first two years, according to police department statistics. KCUR reports that KCK Police logged 24 homicides last year – that’s the lowest since 2012. Oakman says he’s used four strategies, including more officers in neighborhoods, a host of anti-crime initiatives, community engagement and responding to every single fentanyl overdose. “You have to constantly look at what’s causing violence, what’s driving violence, and what you can do as a police department,” he explained. LaDora Lattimore, who leads the Law Enforcement Advisory Board and has been critical of KCK police, says the chief understands that he needs the community’s support.
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Spirit AeroSystems Announces Loss of Over $600 Million for 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – Spirit AeroSystems recorded a net loss of more than $600 million dollars in 2023. KMUW reports that the aerospace manufacturer and Wichita’s largest employer released year-end earnings Tuesday morning, saying revenue increased from a year ago to more than $6 billion dollars. The report comes as Spirit deals with a string of manufacturing problems in 2024. That includes a panel flying off a commercial airliner last month, which resulted in a temporary grounding of the Boeing 737 Max. This week, Boeing said it would delay the delivery of 50 airliners because of problems with the fuselages delivered by Spirit.
(–Related–)
Spirit AeroSystems Head Says Company Will Increase Training and Inspections
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – The head of Spirit AeroSystems says the company will do more training and inspections following a series of manufacturing problems. KMUW reports that Pat Shanahan made his comments following the release of Spirit’s fourth-quarter earnings Tuesday. The company is Boeing’s largest supplier. That includes the fuselage for the 737 Max 9, which was grounded last month after a panel flew off an Alaska Airlines flight. Since then, Shanahan says Boeing and Spirit are working more closely together. ”If you sat in one of our meetings, and if people took off their badges, you would not be able to tell which company they worked for,” he added. In its earnings report, Spirit says revenue increased by about 20 percent in 2023 to more than $6 billion dollars. But it still reported a net loss of more than $600 million dollars. Like Boeing, Spirit did not release a financial forecast for 20-24. Both are awaiting federal guidance on future production rates for the 737 Max.
NTSB Says Bolts on Boeing Jetliner Were Missing Before a Panel Blew Out in Midflight Last Month
UNDATED (AP) – Bolts that helped secure a panel to the frame of a Boeing 737 Max 9 were missing before the panel blew off the Alaska Airlines plane last month, according to accident investigators. The National Transportation Safety Board issued a preliminary report on the January 5 incident Tuesday.
The report included a photo from Boeing, which worked on the panel, which is called a door plug. In the photo, three of the four bolts that prevent the panel from moving upward are missing. The location of the fourth bolt is obscured.
The investigators said that the lack of certain damage around the panel indicates that all four bolts were missing before the plane took off from Portland, Oregon.
Pilots were forced to make a harrowing emergency landing with a hole in the side of the plane.
Without the bolts, nothing prevented the panel from sliding upward and detaching from “stop pads” that secured it to the airframe.
The preliminary report said the door plug, installed by supplier Spirit AeroSystems, arrived at Boeing’s factory near Seattle with five damaged rivets around the plug. A Spirit crew replaced the damaged rivets, which required removing the four bolts to open the plug.
A text between Boeing employees who finished working on the plane after the rivets were replaced included the photo showing the plug with missing bolts, according to the report.
The NTSB did not declare a probable cause for the accident — that will come at the end of an investigation that could last a year or longer.
“Whatever final conclusions are reached, Boeing is accountable for what happened,” CEO David Calhoun said in a statement. “An event like this must not happen on an airplane that leaves our factory. We simply must do better for our customers and their passengers.”
Investigators said they were still trying to determine who authorized the Boeing crew to open and reinstall the door plug.
Safety experts have said the accident could have been catastrophic if the Alaska jet had reached cruising altitude. The decompression in the cabin after the blowout would have been far stronger, and passengers and flight attendants might have been walking around instead of being belted into their seats.
When Alaska and United Airlines began inspecting their other Max 9s, they reported finding loose hardware including loose bolts in some of the door plugs.
The incident has added to questions about manufacturing quality at Boeing that started with the deadly crashes of two Max 8 jets in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether Boeing and its suppliers followed proper safety procedures in manufacturing parts for the Max. The FAA has barred Boeing from speeding up production of 737s until the agency is satisfied about quality issues.
FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker said Tuesday that his agency is about halfway through a six-week audit of manufacturing processes at Boeing and Spirit, its key supplier on the Max. He said the agency is confronted with two questions — what’s wrong with the Max 9, and “what’s going on with the production at Boeing?”
Spirit, which Boeing spun off as a separate company nearly 20 years ago, said in a statement that it is reviewing the NTSB preliminary report and was working with Boeing and regulators “on continuous improvement in our processes and meeting the highest standards of safety, quality and reliability.”
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Wichita State University Warns of Graduate School Enrollment Decline
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Wichita State University is warning employees of a possible $2 million dollar shortfall in its current fiscal year budget due to declining graduate school enrollment. The Kansas News Service reports that in an email to WSU staff, the university says both domestic and international graduate school enrollment is falling behind budgeted projections. Wichita State waived its GRE test requirements to get into graduate school at the university and has taken other measures in an effort to boost enrollment. The school is also warning of “further interventions,” including budget cuts, if academic programs don’t meet or exceed their enrollment goals by this fall. The email signs off by encouraging WSU staff to be ambassadors for the university in order to help recruit prospective students.
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Kansas Legislature to Consider Issuing Kansas City Chiefs License Plate
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas City Chiefs fans in Kansas may be able to show support for the team with a special license plate starting next year. The Kansas News Service reports that Kansas lawmakers are considering adding a Kansas City Chiefs-themed license plate to the state’s list of more than 50 special plates. Drivers would pay a $40 application fee, and the plate itself would cost between $25 and $100. The final amount has yet to be determined by the Chiefs. Proceeds from the plate would support the Hunt Family Foundation, a nonprofit run by the owner of the Chiefs. It supports programs involving education, football and children’s health and wellness. If the bill passes, the Chiefs would create the plate’s design.
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Kansas State Knocks Off No. 4 Kansas 75-70 in Overtime to Snap 4-Game Slide
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Tylor Perry scored eight of his 26 points in overtime and Kansas State beat No. 4 Kansas 75-70 in the 300th matchup of their heated rivalry. Perry’s 3-pointer with 1:54 left gave the Wildcats a 70-66 lead. Hunter Dickinson’s basket trimmed it to 70-68, but Perry’s two free throws extended the margin back to four. Dajuan Harris Jr. cut it to 72-70 with two free throws before Kevin McCullar Jr. missed the front end of a 1-and-1 for Kansas with 22 seconds remaining. Arthur Kaluma sank a pair of foul shots and Perry added another one to seal it, ending Kansas State’s four-game losing streak. Cam Carter had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Kansas State. Dickinson had 21 points and 12 rebounds to pace Kansas.
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Sportscaster Kevin Harlan and Daughter Olivia Will Make Super Bowl History by Calling, Covering Game
LAS VEGAS (AP/KPR) — The Super Bowl will be a broadcasting family affair. Veteran radio play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan and his daughter, sideline reporter Olivia Harlan Dekker, will become the first father-and-daughter duo to cover and call a Super Bowl. The 63-year-old Harlan has done NFL play-by-play for 39 consecutive seasons. His 30-year-old daughter works for Sky Sports and Westwood One. Kevin Harlan is a graduate of the University of Kansas and a former sportscaster on KANU Radio, the predecessor to Kansas Public Radio.
The Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl on Sunday will be Harlan's 14th consecutive Super Bowl for Westwood One Radio.
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Kansas City to Host Six Games for 2026 FIFA World Cup
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – Kansas City will host six games during the FIFA World Cup in 2026. KCUR reports that despite the good news, the city has to make some significant changes first. Kansas City is the smallest of the 16 host cities. And Katherine Holland, executive director of K-C 2026, admitted that it also has less robust public transportation. Holland said organizers hope to build out a temporary transit system, but did not provide details. Holland says the city will do its best to mitigate disruptions during the 35-day event. “We’re acutely aware that again, we cannot shutdown our city for that amount of time. People need to be able to get to their jobs and this should just sort of be an enhancement supporting the event on top of that. “ Organizers plan to spread activities out across the region -- including potential “base camps” in Lawrence and Manhattan.
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Royals Make It Official, Announcing Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.'s Mammoth 11-Year Contract
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Royals owner John Sherman remembers hanging along the fence at spring training in Arizona back in 2020, shortly after he had purchased the club from David Glass, and watching top prospect Bobby Witt Jr. rip line drives to every part of the field.
Sherman had a suspicion even then that he was watching something special.
Over the next few years, Witt shot through the minors like one of those hard-hit line drives. He made his big league debut in 2022 and hit 20 homers and stole 30 bases. And he followed with a sophomore season to remember, finishing seventh in MVP voting while doing things last year that put him on rarified lists alongside Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle.
Now, Witt will be doing those things in Kansas City for the foreseeable future.
The Royals officially signed the 23-year-old shortstop to a mammoth 11-year deal worth more than $288.7 million guaranteed on Tuesday, easily the longest and richest contract in club history. It includes a three-year, $89 million team option that would drive the value to more than $377 million and keep Witt with the Royals through the 2037 season.
“We wanted to get this done before the season, and ideally before spring training, and this was the time to do it,” Sherman said during a news conference at Kauffman Stadium. “It's really, really hard to draft and develop generational talent in this business, and it's even harder to keep them in the same uniform, and that's what this is really all about.”
The Royals approached Witt about a long-term deal last September, when he had just wrapped up a season that proved he could be the cornerstone of a rebuilding effort for a 106-loss team. The negotiations began in earnest during the winter meetings, and some creativity from both sides allowed them to find a middle ground this past weekend.
Witt's deal riffs on his lucky No. 7 jersey by including a signing bonus of $7,777,777, payable in seven installments, with the first within 60 days of the contract’s approval by the commissioner’s office. Witt will receive $2 million this year, then in the three years he would have been eligible for arbitration: $7 million in 2025, $13 million in 2026 and $19 million in 2027. Witt will then earn $30 million in 2028 and $35 million each of the next two years.
Then there is some flexibility built into the contract: Witt has four player options at $35 million annually from 2031-34, giving him the chance to redo his deal with Kansas City or test free agency. The Royals' three-year team option follows and would pay $33 million in 2035 and $28 million each in 2036 and the concluding year.
If all the options are included, Witt would be 37 by the time the contract expires.
“It's been amazing, all the text messages I was getting — seeing, ‘Breaking News!’ and it was me,'” Witt said. "It was pretty special to see the text messages from the guys; the one from Patrick Mahomes is pretty cool. And just the support from around the city.
“We were out at fanfest this past weekend,” Witt recalled, “and they were like, ‘When are you going to get that contract done? We want you in Kansas City forever.’ So it was special to see all that support and all of that love."
The contract, and the offseason in general, represents a seismic shift for a notoriously frugal, small-market ballclub.
The Royals’ previous record contract was a four-year, $82 million deal given to All-Star catcher Salvador Perez. Yet over the past few months, they have committed more than $100 million to free agents, almost completely revamping their starting rotation and destitute bullpen while adding Hunter Renfroe and Brandon Frazier to fill out the depth chart.
Those deals will not only help Kansas City compete in a wide open AL Central but were important to Witt's negotiation.
“We needed to make some moves,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo admitted. "Going back to the September meeting, the most important thing to Bobby was being in a place he thought he could win. That was the No. 1 message we took out of that.
“When you're as talented as he is,” Picollo said, “the finances will take care of themselves. But he was talking about the culture of winning. That really resonated with John and me, and was probably the driving factor when we got to the finish line that we had done some things that showed we wanted to win.”
The Royals also are trying to show voters in Jackson County, Missouri, that they want to win. The voters will cast ballots in April on a referendum to extend a sales tax that would help to pay for a new billion-dollar-plus downtown ballpark.
The Royals' aim has been to move into the new stadium in time for opening day of the 2028 season.
Witt should be there. And for many years afterward.
“This is where I wanted to be, and if I wanted to do something, I wanted it to be here. That was the main goal,” he said, adding: “I like where we're at right now, and today, and I'm looking forward to this team and going about this year.”
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The Chiefs Are Super Bowl Underdogs Against the 49ers. Turns Out They Kind of Like It
LAS VEGAS (AP) — For most of the past six years, Patrick Mahomes has had to manufacture the chip that he carries on his shoulder, because the Kansas City Chiefs have been so good for so long that they were almost always expected to win.
That is no longer the case.
During a season in which the Chiefs scuffled along on offense, and at one point lost five of eight games, they went from being the favorite on a weekly basis to something entirely different: an underdog. They became the team that received the points when betting lines came out, rather than giving them up, and that chip on Mahomes' shoulder suddenly appeared on its own.
“It kind of lit a fire under some guys,” Mahomes admitted, “including myself.”
Perish the thought of giving the two-time league and Super Bowl MVP another reason to feel he needs to prove himself.
Yet that is exactly what Mahomes has done in the playoffs, where he's played the best he has all season. He threw for 262 yards and a touchdown in a frigid wild-card win over Miami, doubled down with 215 yards passing and two scores in a divisional win in Buffalo, and had 241 yards passing and a TD in Baltimore — all without throwing an interception.
In the past two of those games, the Chiefs were underdogs at kickoff, just as they likely will be when they play the 49ers in the Super Bowl on Sunday in the gambling mecca of Las Vegas. San Francisco has been a consistent 1.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, though that number could change by game time.
Only five teams since 2000 have won the Super Bowl while being underdogs in each of their final three games.
“Listen, we understand the reasoning behind it. I mean, we get it, and understandably so,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “We may not be the prettiest bunch, but we're going to battle, and that's kind of been the personality of this team.
“I don't think it bothers us,” Reid added. "We understand, so it is what it is.”
In fact, the Chiefs seem to relish the underdog role.
Mahomes certainly does. He is 9-3 as an underdog, giving him the best winning percentage of any quarterback with a minimum of 10 starts — playoffs included — over the past 15 seasons. The Ravens' Lamar Jackson, whom Mahomes vanquished in the AFC title game a little more than a week ago, is next on the list at 9-5 as an underdog.
In fact, the bigger the underdog, the more successful the Chiefs have been in recent years. In five games that they have been at least a 3.5-piont underdog since Mahomes took over as the starting QB, they won four times outright. In the lone loss, in a game against the Patriots in October 2018, they were 4-point underdogs and lost by a field goal, covering the spread.
One player who doesn't subscribe to the notion that the Chiefs are underdogs is 49ers tight end George Kittle.
He was on the losing sideline in the Super Bowl four years ago, when the Chiefs rallied with three fourth-quarter touchdowns to win their first Lombardi Trophy in 50 years. The rest of the time, Kittle has watched from afar as Kansas City went to six straight AFC title games, won four of them, and hoisted another Lombardi Trophy when they beat the Eagles last year.
“They should have all the attention,” Kittle said. “I think they're very used to it. I don't think it's a distraction for them. But while we might be under the radar, I guess, to people on the outside, I think the Chiefs are very aware that we're not.”
No, one thing the Chiefs rarely do is overlook an opponent. And it seems downright absurd that they would start at the Super Bowl, particularly against the 49ers, who have been favored in each of the 20 games they have played this season.
The only other NFL team favored that many times? The Chiefs in 2021, when they lost in the AFC title game.
“At the end of the day, it's playoff games. You want to win. This is what you play for,” Mahomes said, “and I think that fire — regardless of if we were an underdog or not — would have been lit, because this is the time of year that you work for, and you put in those hard practices for. I think we have that mindset that if we're going to practice the way we do, and we work the way we work, we're not going to let it slide. We're going to maximize our opportunity every time we’re out there.”
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