photo by: Henry Greenstein/Journal-World

The 800 block of Massachusetts Street sits nearly empty shortly after 9 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in downtown Lawrence.

As a native of Detroit, Edward Dumas got the chance to see great quarterback play up close when Tom Brady played his college ball for the Michigan Wolverines.

But waiting to watch the 2025 Super Bowl on Sunday afternoon outside of Louise’s Downtown in Lawrence, Dumas, 47, was prepared to see quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs try to do something even Brady never had: win three straight titles.

“That’s the reason I’m standing right here,” said Dumas. “I took off work today just to see this. I’ve seen Tom Brady, I’ve seen him win it twice … in a row. He got seven Super Bowls, but he never got three Super Bowls (in a row).”

Standing in the way of that objective were the Philadelphia Eagles and their star running back Saquon Barkley.

“That’s the only thing that’s scaring me, because he runs that ball,” Dumas said. “The Chiefs have to slow him down a little bit.”

Dumas couldn’t have anticipated what actually took place Sunday night in New Orleans: Kansas City limited Barkley, fresh off 2,005 rushing yards in the regular season, to 57 yards on 25 carries, plus 40 more on six catches. Yet it still gave up 345 yards of offense and lost 40-22 — a score that even flattered the Chiefs somewhat after they scored 16 of their points in the final three minutes — missing out on its chance at the so-called “three-peat.”

Maddie James, originally from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, said she had been a Chiefs fan long enough that her first jersey was Matt Cassel (2009-12). As such, she took a circumspect approach to what she was witnessing, even as she lived and died with every play as the final minutes ticked away on the Red Lyon Tavern patio.

“I was talking to a woman at the bar about this earlier: I do think that they got really high up on the three-peat kind of mentality,” James said, “and didn’t think as much about the game that they’re going to have to play, with this. So we’re not feeling great, but at the same time, I’m (in my) early 20s and I’ve gotten to see them win the Super Bowl a few times, so that’s nice.”

It was a dramatic shift in mentality from the pregame atmosphere on Massachusetts Street about five hours earlier, a mixture of anticipation and trepidation.

photo by: Henry Greenstein/Journal-World

Chiefs fans line up to enter Logie’s on Mass on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in downtown Lawrence.

Dumas, who was waiting for a chance to see greatness, was wearing a black shirt when he spoke to a reporter nearly two hours before kickoff, but clutched a bundled-up Chiefs tee in his hand. Just about everyone downtown was either attired in Chiefs regalia or layered in neutral outerwear amid the chilly afternoon temperatures.

There were, however, a few unlikely outliers.

“I hope they both lose,” said E.C. Powers, a University of Kansas student who was wearing a St. Louis Rams Kurt Warner jersey. “I truly do.”

While Powers said he believed Philadelphia had the better roster, he expected the Chiefs to win due to their “devil magic.”

“I think the Eagles have a very good roster, but Jalen Hurts is not better than Pat Mahomes,” he added. “But I do think Pat Mahomes is very, very good in the playoffs, so I think they could pull it out obviously. We’ll see this year, obviously. I think Saquon is very, very good, fantastic season for him … I think it’ll be a lot closer than three years ago.”

Keyshia McFarlane, a Chiefs fan for 20 years from Kansas City, was getting ready to go watch the game at a house party. She described the team’s recent rise as “freaking amazing” and “unbelievable.”

“I don’t know, I’m probably going to cry if we win,” she said. “We were pretty crappy for a long time.”

“Patrick Mahomes has brought this awesomeness, because even in the ’90s, there was some wonderful, wonderful football,” said Joe Whalen of Lawrence, “but really obviously, Patrick has brought us to a whole new level, and it’s pretty darn exciting.”

He did note that the Eagles had “arguably some of the best defense around,” which proved a prophetic comment as Philadelphia ultimately sacked Mahomes six times and forced three turnovers, including a pick-6 by Cooper DeJean.

“He’s risen so high so fast that he can’t keep up with that momentum,” James said of Mahomes. “I still think he’s a really good quarterback. I don’t think that this has been his best game at all … but it’s not like I’m going to stop being a Chiefs fan after this.”

Back before the game, Wichita native Rithika Chary, a fan of the team “just like the last couple years, since they’re good,” had been hoping she and her friends would be able to get a table at Jefferson’s. She said of the prospect watching the game downtown, “I think it’s fun. I think everyone’s going to be out here when they win, to see everyone storm the streets.”

Instead, though, the Chiefs supporters who popped out of downtown establishments throughout the fourth quarter were in various states of incredulity. One on the Red Lyon patio said he hadn’t expected the game to end up as a blowout. Another remarked that it was “sociologically” fascinating to see how deflated the city was by the result.

The intersection of Massachusetts and Ninth streets, a hotbed for raucous celebrations each of the last two seasons, was eerily quiet.

As the game drew to a close, the next matter at hand was whether the Chiefs could return to the Super Bowl in 2026.

“I think so,” James said. “Yeah, I think so.”

photo by: Henry Greenstein/Journal-World

The patio at the Red Lyon Tavern sits empty as the Philadelphia Eagles kick a field goal to go up 40-6 on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in downtown Lawrence.

photo by: Henry Greenstein/Journal-World

The intersection of Massachusetts and Ninth streets sits nearly empty shortly after 9 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in downtown Lawrence.

photo by: Henry Greenstein/Journal-World

The intersection of Massachusetts and Ninth streets sits nearly empty shortly after 9 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in downtown Lawrence.