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Kansas City Chiefs among early favorites to win Super Bowl LIV next season | ABC 30 Action News
The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook opened odds to win Super Bowl LIV in early January. The Chiefs had the second-best odds at 7-1, with the Rams as the favorite at 6-1. However, in the weeks since, Kansas City has shifted to the 6-1 favorite there and at multiple other Las Vegas sportsbooks.
Greg the Leg’s journey to the Super Bowl went through Missouri Western | Kansas City Star
But after the Buffalo Wild Wings talk and a visit to the campus, combined with the NCAA’s decision to keep Zuerlein from going to a Division I school, the kicker picked the Griffons because of their indoor facility, constructed thanks to the Chiefs hosting preseason camp there, and the field. “He came to Missouri Western, a lot of people say because of our indoor facility there,” former Missouri Western coach Jerry Partridge said. “But he came because he liked our old field. It didn’t have a crown. It was flat.”
2019 NFL Power Rankings: Way-too-early offseason poll | ESPN
2018 record: 12-4
Reason for optimism: Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs have a quarterback who can help keep them near the top of the division standings and the conference for the foreseeable future. -- Adam Teicher
Watch Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ full MVP speech at NFL Honors | Yahoo! Sports
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes accepts the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award after a stellar 2018 season.
Patrick Mahomes’ MVP highlights the NFL Honors awards | SB Nation
There was little drama with the 2018 NFL awards. Patrick Mahomes, who had long been the favorite to take home MVP honors, did just that on the Saturday night before the Super Bowl. That’s not the only award he won, either. Mahomes was also named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year. About the only real suspense was which first-year player would win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Saquon Barkley edged out Baker Mayfield — and will get a new chain as a result. There were a lot of awards announced on Super Bowl Eve. Here’s who won each:
Report: Kansas City Chiefs wanted ASU’s Pierce as linebackers coach | Arizona Sports 98.7 FM
The Kansas City Chiefs made a run at hiring Arizona State’s Antonio Pierce as its linebackers coach, according to NFL Network’s Alex Marvez. Pierce, however, is staying put in Tempe. ASU’s linebackers coach and recruiting director tweeted his affirmation to the university on Sunday, stating he was “10 toes deep” at his current position.
Super Bowl Had Twitter Wishing for Patrick Mahomes & Chiefs vs. Saints | heavy.com
NFL fans were essentially looking for a redo of the NFC and AFC Championship Games, as the common theme was the thought of how good a Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints game could have been. Then again, the Patriots vs. Rams matchup was also expected to be high-scoring, so we should be careful what we wish for. Here’s a look at some of the best Twitter reactions of fans asking for the Chiefs, the Saints, Mahomes or all three wrapped into one tweet.
2019 NFL Draft order: Will Patriots pick Tom Brady’s successor? | NFL
29. Chiefs
Record: 12-4 (.480)
Biggest needs: CB, S, edge rusher
There’s a new defensive coordinator -- Steve Spagnuolo -- and potentially a new look in the back seven. The secondary needs the most work, but edge rusher moves up the list if Dee Ford is allowed to walk.
Around the league
The Rams and Patriots just set a record, playing the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in NFL history. There were just three points scored in the first half and three more in the third quarter as Super Bowl LIII entered the fourth quarter tied 3-3. Then the Patriots offense exploded, putting up 10 points and completely shutting down the Rams offense to finish the game with a 13-3 win and their sixth Super Bowl title.
Patriots WR Julian Edelman named Super Bowl LIII MVP | NFL
“I wasn’t focused on [winning the MVP],” Edelman told CBS’s Jim Nantz on the victors’ podium following New England’s 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. “I was just trying to go out and have a good week of practice and do my job. Sometimes the cookie crumbles that way.”
The 29-year-old — who has played in four Super Bowls for the Patriots — had nine receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns in their 41-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl last season, which helped him move up the list significantly. Gronkowski had six receptions in the Super Bowl in 2016, and two in 2012.
Report: Raiders to Play 2019 Season at San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park | Bleacher Report
According to Raj Mathai of NBC Bay Area, the team will play its home games in Oracle Park, the current home of the San Francisco Giants.
However, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic reported the Giants are “under the impression that the Raiders still were checking on two other potential sites.” The NFL and the San Francisco 49ers must approve the move.
NFL players are already calling out the referees in the Super Bowl | SB Nation
Now how was Burkhead, a running back, the beneficiary of this call? Well, according to the referees, this was because Burkhead had just caught the ball and had not yet established himself as a runner, something we mainly hear about when it comes to quarterbacks. NFL players are having NONE OF IT.
Bears HC Matt Nagy wins AP NFL Coach of the Year | Windy City Gridiron
The first-year head coach of the Bears was named the 2018 AP NFL Coach of the Year at the NFL Honors award show on Saturday. He received 24 of 50 votes to win the award, with other notable vote-getters including Anthony Lynn of the Chargers (10), Frank Reich of the Colts (8) and Nagy’s mentor, Andy Reid of the Chiefs (5). Nagy now joins the likes of George Halas, Mike Ditka, Dick Jauron and Lovie Smith as Bears coaches who have won the award.
Saints re-signing defensive coordinator Dennis Allen | NFL
Allen was slated to be a free agent after this season and had interviewed for the vacant Miami Dolphins head coaching job earlier this year. Allen’s name had also been thrown around as a potential candidate for defensive coordinator on Zac Taylor’s Cincinnati Bengals staff.
In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride
Fan who shined laser during AFC title game banned from Arrowhead Stadium, per report
Now that fan who flashed the laser has been “identified, apprehended, banned from Arrowhead Stadium for life and soon will face charges from the Kansas City district attorney,” per ESPN insider Adam Schefter.
Patrick Mahomes named AP NFL Most Valuable Player
Mahomes, 23, received 41 of a possible 50 votes from the Associated Press to win the league’s Most Valuable Player Award. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees received the other nine. Mahomes is the youngest player to ever win the MVP award in the Super Bowl era.
Johnny Robinson’s long wait for the Hall of Fame is over — and he’s earned his spot
“It was very simple for me,” Robinson told me. “I didn’t like the idea of playing way up in Detroit in the cold. I signed when the Chiefs’ franchise was the Dallas Texans, and it was warmer to play in Dallas — and much closer to my hometown of Baton Rouge.”
Tony Gonzalez — the reluctant football player who will now be enshrined in the Hall of Fame
Over a 17-year career, former Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez missed just two games. After his rookie season in 1997, he started all but two games. He had a streak of 211 consecutive games with a reception — the longest such streak for any tight end, and second only to wide receivers Jerry Rice and Larry Fitzgerald.
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