Nobody in the Kansas City Chiefs locker room is more keenly aware

KANSAS CITY Khalen Saunders Jersey Mens , Mo. ? of the franchise’s heartbreaking playoff history than Xavier Williams, who grew up a short drive away from Arrowhead Stadium.The defensive lineman was just a toddler when his hometown team lost in the AFC title game in January 1994, when Joe Montana was the quarterback — and the last time the Chiefs were on the cusp of playing in a Super Bowl. He endured the childhood disappointments and the playoff losses while he was starring in high school and at Northern Iowa.So when the Chiefs finally punched their ticket back to the AFC championship game with a 31-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, there was nobody better to put it into perspective.“I think if you’re not from here, you don’t know Khalen Saunders Jersey nfl draft ,” Williams said. “People have been waiting for a long, long time. You could just feel how electrifying it is around the city, from the start of the season until now, tonight. A blizzard going on and the crowd sold out. It’s something.”The Chiefs certainly gave them a reason to brave the weather.Patrick Mahomes threw for 278 yards while running for a touchdown. Damien Williams ran for 129 yards and a score against a Colts defense that had not allowed a 100-yard rusher all season. Tyreek Hill also had a touchdown run, while Travis Kelce topped 100 yards receiving.The Kansas City defense Eric Murray Jersey , which was so maligned all season, shut down Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis offense in helping Kansas City to its first playoff win over the Colts in five tries.“Everybody grows up talking about playing for the hometown team,” Williams said. “I mean, it’s a great opportunity we’ve got. And now we’ve got an even bigger opportunity, a chance to bring a Super Bowl to your hometown. That’s what dreams are made of.”Standing in the way: The Los Angeles Chargers Kendall Fuller Jersey , who split with Kansas City during the regular season with each team winning on the road, or the New England Patriots, who rallied in the final seconds to beat the Chiefs in a 43-40 barnburner at Gillette Stadium in Week 6.The Chiefs don’t really care who earns the right to visit them Sunday.“We don’t care who we’re going against. We can be going against brick walls and will find a way to beat them,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “We’re peaking at the right moment.” Defensive changes have been the theme of the Chiefs offseason thus far.They hired a new defensive coordinator in Steve Spagnuolo and signed safety Tyrann Mathieu to make an early splash in free agency. They also said farewell to three players who had played prominent roles for them in the past.Safety Eric Berry and linebacker Justin Houston were released while linebacker Dee Ford was traded to the 49ers shortly after Kansas City used the franchise tag on him. Head coach Andy Reid told Steve Wyche of NFL Media that he is “forever grateful” to the three players for what they brought to the organization, but that the moves were necessary to build a team that has a long run of success.“That’s the name of this game right now Sammy Watkins Jersey ,” Reid said. “I mean, the NFL now … it’s hard to hold on to players for as long as you’d like to. I mean these are three of my favorite guys and good football players who can still do this thing. But, you have this influx of young guys, you have this whole salary cap thing that you’ve got to try to juggle. You have to be half-a-genius to put this thing together and make it sustained.”The Chiefs had the league’s best offense in 2018 and having a less impressive defense didn’t stop them from landing the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. They fell short of a title, though Anthony Hitchens Jersey , and their plan to remedy that in 2019 and beyond is to remake the defense.