The Chiefs’ season teetered after a loss to the Eagles. It left them ‘battle-tested’ for a Super Bowl run

LAS VEGAS — Headed into Super Bowl LVIII, Marquez Valdes-Scantling believes the Chiefs are battle-tested.

The Kansas City Chiefs receiver was at the center of a turbulent midseason stretch that started with a costly fourth-quarter drop in the Eagles’ 21-17 win at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 11. The Chiefs lost three of their next five games, with miscues from a much-maligned wide-receiving corps at the root of their problems.

Fittingly, Valdes-Scantling was central to the team’s deliverance a few months later, sealing the AFC championship late in the fourth quarter with a 32-yard catch against the Baltimore Ravens.

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Sitting at a riser and fielding questions Tuesday at a Las Vegas resort, Valdes-Scantling said the struggles the team faced while defending last year’s championship throughout the regular season turned out to be formative going into this Sunday’s Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium.

“We’re battle-tested, and we came out how we should be,” he said.

“This team is special. If we go out and seal this deal on Sunday, I think that’s what is going to be the most memorable thing. We’re not going to remember the drops ... or all the ups and downs and the bad. We’re going to remember hoisting the trophy up. That’s going to be the best memory about the whole thing.”

The memory Valdes-Scantling has worked to overshadow this year came with 1 minute, 50 seconds left in the Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles on Nov. 20. Patrick Mahomes heaved a pass nearly 60 yards through the rain and within centimeters of the wideout’s outstretched hands with Eagles cornerback Bradley Roby trailing behind in coverage, but Valdes-Scantling failed to secure the catch as he fell to the end-zone turf.

ESPN cameras caught Valdes-Scantling slamming his helmet on his way off the field after the game, and the 29-year-old later posted on social media to acknowledge the missed opportunity.

“I’m grateful, I’ll be better,” Valdes-Scantling wrote in a social media post. “And I appreciate the criticism and the support. God put this on me because he knew I could handle it. Gratitude for everything that comes with it.”

On Tuesday, Valdes-Scantling said the miscue, however costly, did not shake his confidence. The six-year veteran with a reputation as a field-stretcher saw his production dip this year — he had 21 catches for 315 yards and one touchdown in the regular season. Despite that, he has played well for Kansas City during the postseason, with 38 receiving yards in the AFC championship game and 62 in the team’s divisional-round win over the Buffalo Bills.

“It was one drop,” Valdes-Scantling said. “It’s not going to alter my career in any way, shape or form. ... Obviously that play wasn’t the reason why we lost, but it was the reason that could have helped us win, and I didn’t make it. So we move on and keep playing.”

Chiefs coach Andy Reid added: “MVS has done a real nice job with that. He had a couple big drops early in the season and he just kept working. He’s mentally tough, he’s smart, he understands the offense, so he just pounded through it and it worked out. The quarterback maintained confidence in him and has kept using him throughout.”

Valdes-Scantling’s nadir turned out to be emblematic of the adversity the Chiefs (11-6) faced during their 2-4 stretch. Drops and mental miscues from the receiving corps underscored losses to the Green Bay Packers, Bills, and Las Vegas Raiders following the Eagles loss.

Mahomes said the losing stretch was a necessary moment en route to Allegiant Stadium this Sunday.

“I learned that we have the right mental mindset,” Mahomes said. “No one hung their head. Even though there were some tough times, everybody just continued to work and continue with the process. That’s what you need in great football teams: Even when adverse times come, you just keep pushing and get through it. That’s what prepared us for this Super Bowl run.”

Two weeks after their win against the Chiefs, the Eagles began their own turbulent stretch that saw them lose six of their final seven games, including a wild-card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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There were myriad factors that contributed to the Eagles’ collapse — the offense became predictable and regressed as a result, Jalen Hurts wasn’t as dynamic as he was a year before, and defensive personnel woes came to the fore after an ill-advised change at defensive coordinator. Still, the long road back to the NFL’s final weekend and the pressure internally and externally to make it there proved too much for the Eagles to overcome.

Given the similar, yet divergent, paths these teams took from Phoenix after last year’s Super Bowl, how did the Chiefs manage to navigate the daunting terrain of playing into February in consecutive years?

“Just staying the course, to be honest,” Valdes-Scantling said. “There’s going to be so many ups and downs, especially when you’re coming off a Super Bowl-winning season like we did the year before. You’re going to get the best shot from everybody week in and week out. Just being able to weather the storm and keep playing through adversity, that’s kind of how we’ve had to approach the season all year.”