It felt like 6 degrees outside, and yet, the fans didn’t leave.
With the score illuminating the thin ribbon of videoboard ringing the interior of their stadium, they stood in stunned silence. The season’s time of death glowed in the dark night: 10:08, QTR 5. The score flanked the frozen time.
Patriots 37, Chiefs 31.
Their team wasn’t going to the Super Bowl, but Chiefs fans weren’t ready to let go of this season, the one that saw the birth of a star and the emergence of an offense that began laying the foundation for what could blossom into a dynasty.