Chiefs prepare for Super Bowl 59 ahead of trip to New Orleans
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Kansas City Chiefs have kicked off preparation for their historic appearance in Super Bowl 59.
The Chiefs (15-2) will be the first two-time defending world champions to take the field at a third straight Super Bowl when they meet the Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) on Sunday, Feb. 9. With a victory in Super Bowl 59, Kansas City will become the first franchise in NFL history to three-peat in the Super Bowl era.
Ahead of the trip to New Orleans, head coach Andy Reid said there were no injuries to report at his latest press conference in Kansas City. In addition, all players participated in practice in limited or full capacity on Wednesday and Thursday. Jawaan Taylor and Skyy Moore were the team's two players who practiced in a limited fashion on Thursday.
The team overcame several challenges throughout the season to put themselves in position to potentially win three straight Super Bowl titles. Along with key injuries to Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown, Isiah Pacheco and Rashee Rice that forced them to miss the majority of the season, Kansas City posted a 12-0 record in one-score games, including the postseason, to reach its fifth Super Bowl in six years. It took a team effort to have that success.
"To me, this team's been special because it's been everybody. If you look at our entire season, it's like someone makes a big play at the the biggest moment to go out there and win a football game, if that's offense, defense, or special teams," Patrick Mahomes said at Thursday's press conference. "I think the fact that it's been everybody, not just offense, not just defense, it's everybody on the entire team, is something I'll remember this season by, and hopefully, we can do it the right way and get this final win."
Mahomes and several of his teammates are no stranger to the bright lights of the biggest stage in football. Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Harrison Butker and James Winchester played in each of franchise's last four Super Bowl appearances. However, some players are making their Super Bowl debuts at the Caesars Superdome, including one running back whose 2024-25 season featured a reunion with the team that drafted him.
"I was just taking it all in, making it feel real," Kareem Hunt explained the feeling of winning the AFC Championship. "It didn't really feel real at the time that you're heading to the Super Bowl, and I feel like that's every football player's dream."
"I'm so excited for those guys. It's the best to see players, like their first time winning the AFC Championship or winning a Super Bowl, that was just me two years ago," Justin Reid said. "Those first-time guys, it's so cool to see the look in their eye and their excitement."
Super Bowl 59 also marks rookie Xavier Worthy's first time on the world stage. The Chiefs wide receiver has been a difference-maker throughout the team's playoff run. Worthy has 11 catches for 130 yards and one touchdown in the postseason through two games. Like Rice last season, The former Texas Longhorn burst on to the scene in the second half of the 2024-25 campaign. He credits the team for his development.
"Just the growth and the knowledge that I got from the guys. I learned from every mistake I had. All the guys were helping me even with just the little things," Worthy said. "I'm just carrying over from what the guys like [Kelce], [Mahomes], [DeAndre Hopkins], [Brown], [JuJu Smith-Schuster] taught me."
However, Kansas City will have to conquer one of the NFL's most talented teams to make NFL history in New Orleans. Philadelphia earned the No. 2-seed in the playoffs, following a 14-win regular season, and the Eagles punched their ticket to Super Bowl 59 with a historic performance in the NFC Championship. Head Coach Nick Sirianni's squad scored 55 points against the Commanders, breaking the NFL record for the most points scored in a conference championship game.
The Eagles are led by the league's leading rusher Saquon Barkley, who finished the regular season with more than 2,000 rushing yards and seven runs for 40+ yards. Barkley also rushed for more than 100 yards in each of Philadelphia's three playoff games and scored three touchdowns in last week's NFC title game. Barkley's performance was perfectly complimented by his quarterback Jalen Hurts. The two-time NFC Champion also rushed for three touchdowns in the conference championship and completed 20 of his 28 throws for 246 passing yards and one touchdown. The Chiefs recognize they must slow down those two players and the rest of the team's playmakers to end the season with a win.
"He's a great player, a potential future hall-of-famer. He was tremendous in New York and had a great year this year with the Eagles," Reid said about Barkley. "They've got a quarterback that can throw the ball and two wide receivers out there that are tremendous and a couple tight ends, too. They are fully loaded on the offensive side."
"Over the whole season, yeah, you can say his stats weren't that great, but I think he was still a really good quarterback," Trent McDuffie said about Hurts. "The supporting cast he has, as far as offensive line, running back, receivers around him, allows him to play more freely, and I think over these last few games, he's been able to trust his guys out there."
Kickoff at Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 9 at 5:30 p.m. on FOX 22.
