As Chiefs process loss, is their Super Bowl window closing? - ESPN

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Inside Arrowhead Stadium, one area where Kansas City Chiefs fans can get as close as possible to players is a small walkway between the tunnel to the field and the team's locker room. Over the past few years, that walkway has been a place for celebrations, for coronations.

In two of the past three Januarys, the walkway was the place where the Chiefs had impromptu parades. Players high-fiving fans. Players smiling when they heard a chorus of cheers. Coach Andy Reid waving to the adoring crowd. As the NFL's most recent dynasty, those parades included the Chiefs holding the Lamar Hunt Trophy, the trophy to honor the legacy of the man who founded the franchise, the same trophy given each year to the AFC champion.

Next month, no such moment will occur at Arrowhead.

The most successful era of the franchise ended Sunday with a 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers that eliminated the Chiefs from postseason, a loss that ended several historical streaks — 10 consecutive 10-win seasons (third-longest streak in NFL history), a 10-year streak of making the playoffs (second-longest streak in league history) and seven consecutive conference championship appearances (second-longest streak in league history).

In the final minute of Sunday's game, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the franchise's greatest player — a two-time MVP award winner and a three-time Super Bowl MVP — entered the walkway with a towel covering his bowed head. Mahomes needed two staffers to help him leave the field, walk through the walkway and enter the locker room after experiencing the most significant injury of his nine-year career: a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee late in the fourth quarter.

«Love you!» one fan, a young boy, shouted at