The Kansas City Chiefs were given a heroes welcome at Arrowhead on Saturday, and Patrick Mahomes made sure everyone was up for their play-off clash against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After their first-round bye, a fresh Chiefs side took on the Jaguars fresh from their incredible comeback against Los Angeles Chargers. The Chiefs remain favourites to lift the Super Bowl this season, but as we know, anything can happen in the play-offs.
And because of that, Mahomes made sure everyone was prepared with a passionate speech in their huddle before kick-off. The quarterback is desperate for another Super Bowl ring, and the Chiefs look focused on the ultimate prize.
The Chiefs fans have had a whole week to prepare for Saturday's play-off game, and Mahomes channelled their eruption of noise with a roar of his own. "Hey, enjoy this moment," Mahomes barked as he addressed a charged up Chiefs huddle.
"Cut it loose, play together, play fast, believe in each other, and let's go and win a football game." The Chiefs finished as the no.1 seed in the AFC, allowing them home advantage and the first-round bye.
And home advantage at Arrowhead is quite something, as the Chiefs are known for having some of the loudest fans in the NFL. But even Mahomes could be heard over the fans, as he gave everything before the game even began.
Mahomes knows that the Jaguars will be a threat, even though they beat them 27-17 earlier in the season. The quarterback was very respectful to their opposition this week, saying how the Jaguars are a talented team.
"I think the only difference (from their win earlier in the season) is they might just have a little bit more confidence because they’re winning football games right now," Mahomes said. "But they’re a talented team.
"I knew that the first time we played them, you can see the talent that they had. They were flying around to the football. They made a few mistakes here and there and that’s why we kind of got the win the first time.
"But we understand how good this football team is and how much of a challenge it is going to be for us to go out there and try to find a way to get a win. And so, we’re trying to prepare ourselves the best way possible that we can find a way to win it there on Saturday."
