The Agony of Defeat

February 11, 2025

Sunday’s Super Bowl was difficult to watch as a Chiefs fan. Nothing seemed to go right. They could not get it going on offense as the Eagles defense just dominated. The Chiefs’ defense was able to stop the run game but Jalen Hurt was able to get their offense down field and score. And then the defensive pressure forced two interceptions that led to more points for the Eagles. It was ugly. It was disappointing. It was agony.

Near the end of the first half, I texted my son:

My text: Didn’t think anything could be worse than the TB Super Bowl game (Super Bowl 55). I was wrong.

Son’s response: It’s a slaughter out there.

Super Bowl 55 had been painful to watch. The Chiefs were trying to win two Super Bowls in a row that year. We had beaten the Buccaneers during the regular season so I thought we had a pretty good shot at winning that game as well. And I was wrong. The Buccaneers defense dominated that game. And here I was four years later and this game had the same feel to it.

I had written this last year prior to the Super Bowl:

The game on Sunday was painful to watch. You always want to see your team perform at their best. You would much rather lose in a competitive game than to be dominated. But that does not always happen. I was glad to see the Chiefs hang in there and continue to play the game. The final score was deceptive and made it look like a closer game than it was in reality.

I knew it was going to be difficult to pull off the three-peat. But I was hoping they could do it. That just added to the disappointment.

I was talking to my dad yesterday and he said that many of the Kansas City sportswriters are blaming Mahomes. They have speculated that he lost his confidence and was playing to not lose instead of playing to win. I wonder if the pressure to be the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls got to him and he was more cautious. I don’t know. The guy had a bad day. The team had a bad day. We all have those.

I don’t think the blame rests all on his shoulders. There were a lot of things that did not go right for the Chiefs. And to be honest, I think the Eagles wanted it more. I think the loss from two years ago motivated them. The looked determined all night. I think the credit goes to the Eagles. They played a great game. Hats off to them. Jalen Hurt played a great game two years ago and came up short. This time he walked away with the Lombardi trophy. Congratulations to him and the whole Eagles organization.

I am disappointed but not devastated. The sun came up on Monday morning and life goes on. It was a fun run. Sunday’s loss does not take away one bit from what the team has accomplished over the past 6 years. They have thrilled us each year and made 5 Super Bowl appearances, winning three of those. Mahomes has made some magical moments. And I am sure he is not done yet.

I know why the Chiefs lost. It was the white uniforms. They wore those white uniforms when they lost to the Packers 35-10 in the first Super Bowl. They were wearing the white uniforms in Tampa when they lost 31-9. And they we were wearing those whites on Sunday when they lost 40-22. They did win two years ago wearing the whites but that is the anomaly.

The Chiefs are a perfect 3-0 in their red uniforms. They won their first Super Bowl trophy against the Vikings in the reds. And two times over the 49ers. I think if they were wearing the reds on Sunday, it would have been a different result. 🙂

The title of my post comes from the sports show, ABC’s Wide World of Sports. During the introduction, the announcer talks about the “thrill of victory” and “the agony of defeat.” I was able to experience the thrill of victory the past 2 years but this year was the agony of defeat. To be a sports fan, you will more often than not will experience the latter. But it just makes the thrill of victory that much better when it comes, just like other things in life.