This image is a derivative of Kansas City Chiefs by .sanden. (CC BY-SA 2.0)

After 50 long years of failing to make it to the NFL’s showcase event, the Kansas City Chiefs have barged their way in through the second half of the 2019 season, securing a return to the NFL's 'Promised Land' thanks to one the highest octane offenses the game has ever seen.

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With nine divisional crowns, and playoff appearances in 16 of the last 30 seasons, the Chiefs have often been good enough to mix it with the very best, yet, time and time again have fallen agonisingly short at the final hurdle.

RELATED: How The San Francisco 49ers Rose From Irrelevance to Super Bowl LIV

Over the last three decades, the Chiefs have suffered no less than nine playoff losses by seven points or less, ensuring a veritable Groundhog Day of post-season misery.

However, the Chiefs now have the opportunity to alleviate so much of the pain that’s engulfed this proud franchise, with Super Bowl LIV acting as the perfect stage to shed their perennial bridesmaid tag, and to finally have the ballroom all to themselves in Miami.

Today we’ll examine the primary reasons as to how the Chiefs have ended their 50-year Super Bowl exodus, which, like all great occasions, is marked by a mix of something old, something new and something borrowed.

The QB: PATRICK MAHOMES

Much of a sports fan’s life is spent watching, waiting, hoping and imagining.

Like any great narrative, a primary function of sport is a hope that somewhere around the next corner is a new superstar who can swoop in and take the team to never-before-seen heights.

In Patrick Mahomes, the NFL has just that type of figure on its hands, with his extraordinary talent and drive the kind of combination the NFL could have only dreamed about to usher in its next era.

Ironically, however, it’s a career which began with little fanfare.

Coming out of high school, Mahomes was a lightly recruited, three star prospect who received just three offers to play division one college football. Thankfully one of those offers came in the form of Texas Tech, whose groundbreaking ‘air raid’ offense provided the perfect setting for Mahomes' creativity to be nurtured, and, ultimately thrive.

By the time he was done in Lubbock, Mahomes had amassed 11,252 yards and 93 touchdowns in just three seasons, producing a resume that had him fly up the draft boards, and, which would eventually lead him to Kansas City and the Chiefs, who were able to secure him with the tenth pick of the 2017 draft.

While Mahomes sat on the bench for the bulk of his rookie season as a Chief, he came out swinging in his second year, truly electrifying the NFL as he tossed 50 touchdowns and more than 5,000 yards en route to MVP honours.

While Mahomes' regular season story had a lot more hiccups this season, with injuries getting in the way of replicating 2018’s statistical freakshow, he’s once again left the NFL salivating during these playoffs, twice rallying the Chiefs from double-digit deficits to produce two of his most memorable performances to date.

At just 24 years of age, the NFL is incredibly fortunate to have Mahomes not just as the future of the sport, but one who gets to showcase his wares at this years' Super Bowl, and in hopefully many more to come.

The Head Coach: ANDY REID

There isn’t a single figure in today’s NFL more connected with the expansion of contemporary NFL offense than the Chief’s head coach, Andy Reid.

Form his work in Green Bay with Hall of Fame quarterback, Brett Favre, to his 14-season tenure as Philadelphia Eagles head coach, Reid has been at the forefront of offensive evolution, always striving to take the sport to new dimensions, thoroughly unwilling to bow to apparent norms.

It’s with the Chiefs, however, where Reid has been able to express himself most vividly, painting a collaborative masterpiece with Patrick Mahomes that contains strong echoes of the Bill Walsh-Joe Montana union in San Francisco that ultimately landed the 49ers a handful of Championship titles and forever changed the way the game is played.

Like Kyle Shanahan with the 49ers, Reid took over at the Chiefs at a time of great upheaval within the organisation.

In 2012, Kansas City had just come off a franchise worst 2-14 record, while sporting an offense which was quite easily the NFL’s very worst.

In a stroke of great fortunate, the Chiefs search for a new coach coincided with Philadelphia releasing Reid where he’d enjoyed almost dizzying success, while not achieving the ultimate success, still taking the Eagles to no less than five NFC Championships, while qualifying for the playoffs in nine of his 14 seasons.

Within one season of his Arrowhead appointment, Reid had the Chiefs back in the playoffs, not only taking the team from two wins to eleven, but giving life to a dormant offense, posting 474 points in 2013 in comparison to the 211 they limped to the season prior.

While the Chiefs made the playoffs in four of Reid’s first five season at Arrowhead, it wasn’t until he installed Mahomes as the full-time starter that momentum has really gathered in Kansas City, while Reid has been able to let his imagination run wild designing plays for his phenomenal QB.

It’s taken 21 seasons - 364 games at the helm of NFL franchises - but the very next matchup could double as Reid’s long overdue - and richly deserved - coronation.

STEVE SPANGUOLO

After yet another excellent Kansas City regular season ended in postseason agony last year, the Chiefs came to the realisation that unless they fixed their defense, all the combined brilliance of Mahomes and Reid would amount to nothing.

Last year's league-best offense, fuelled by the MVP season of Patrick Mahomes was ended in overtime in the AFC Conference Championship, where the New England Patriots posted 37 points, 529 yards and converted on 13 of its 19 third down opportunities, as the Chiefs defense once again imploded on the big stage. 

In the off-season, Kansas City had little choice but to end the six -season reign of Defensive Coordinator, Bob Sutton, replacing him with former New York Giants Super Bowl winning DC, Steve Spanguolo, who'd worked with Reid in Philadelphia for seven seasons. 

Despite the enormity of the task in front of him, the direction was quite clear for Spanguolo; improve the defense to at least league average and a Super Bowl could well be in the offing.

While the Chiefs have of course advanced to the ‘Big Dance' largely through Mahomes and Reid, the role Spanguolo has played can’t be downplayed, while it is arguable they would be here without him.

While it would be folly to suggest the Chief’s defense is one of the game’s best, it is, however, one that has improved significantly under Spanguolo, particularly when it comes to it’s ability to defend the pass, where it’s ranked #4 in DVOA according to Football Outsiders.

By tightening up in pass coverage, life for opposition quarterbacks has become a lot more difficult, with QB’s completing just 60.5% of their passes against the Chiefs which is the fourth best mark in the league, and a significant improvement on the 66% number form last season.

One area where Spanguolo has most made his mark is overall grittiness, particularly on opposition third down attempts.

Last season the Chiefs were ranked #31 in the NFL, conceding a conversion on 47.2% of opponent third down situations. That number has been slashed to 37.1% under Spanguolo, which is the 11^th best mark in the league, and one that has stepped up even further this post-season with that number down to just 32%.

Most crucially, Spanguolo’s defense is producing its best at the most important time of the season, keeping opponents to under 400 total yards in six of its last seven matches, while only allowing 30 or more points on three occasions this season, compared to the half dozen occurrences in 2018.

While the Chiefs rush defense is still considered its weak point, this too has improved considerably in recent times.

In their Conference Championship win against the Tennessee Titans, the Chief’s DEF produced its best performance yet, keeping the sport's preeminent running back, Derrick Henry, to just 69 yards on 19 carries. It was the kind of outing that should provide the Chiefs hope that they’ll be able to contain the 49er’s excellent, multi-dimensional run game in Miami.

Steve Spanguolo once orchestrated a defense in New York that famously sacked Tom Brady five times, and contributed to one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history. If he has just one more trick up his sleeve and helps land the Chiefs the famous Lombardi Trophy, he’ll go down as one of the most important acquisitions in Kansas City history.

CONCLUSION

After so many years on the outside looking in, and after some of the cruellest post-season exits imaginable, the Chiefs have finally broken through to contest the Super Bowl.

For the franchise itself, getting this far feels like an enormous weight has been lifted from its shoulders, while for NFL fans in general, there’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing Andy Reid get an opportunity to win a Lombardi Trophy.

While there understandably exists something of a celebratory vibe about the Chiefs' qualification, they’ll be fully aware that within their conference a juggernaut is brewing, with the Baltimore Ravens - and likely MVP, Lamar Jackson - presenting as a direct threat to the Chiefs for years to come. 

Just one more reason why the Chiefs should 'make hay' while the glorious Miami sun shines.

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