{"id":101848,"date":"2023-02-12T10:27:51","date_gmt":"2023-02-12T16:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=101848"},"modified":"2023-02-12T10:27:51","modified_gmt":"2023-02-12T16:27:51","slug":"amid-noise-chiefs-rookies-staying-composed-heading-into-super-bowl-lvii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/amid-noise-chiefs-rookies-staying-composed-heading-into-super-bowl-lvii\/","title":{"rendered":"Amid noise, Chiefs\u2019 rookies staying composed heading into Super Bowl LVII"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Connor Smith<\/strong>
\nMedill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. \u2014\u00a0Isiah Pacheco remembers exactly where he was during Super Bowl XXXIX, one of his earliest Super Bowl memories: his friend\u2019s house, watching with his late uncle. As he fantasized about playing in the game himself, he said the competition he saw inspired him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nearly two decades later, the Kansas City Chiefs running back will fulfill a childhood dream, taking the field in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium as one of the team\u2019s 11 active rookie players.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I got here, the first thing was to make the team,\u201d Pacheco said. \u201cThe second thing was to make the 53-man roster. The next thing was to make it to a Super Bowl.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Last April, the Chiefs used the draft to their advantage. They had 10 selections, including Pacheco, a seventh-rounder. Including undrafted linebacker Jack Cochrane, the team\u2019s rookie class has become a major part of its identity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Offensively, Pacheco led the club with 830 rushing yards this regular season. Defensively, cornerbacks Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie finished top 10 in tackles with 49 and 44, respectively, while defensive end George Karlaftis also finished second in sacks with six.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Super Bowl isn\u2019t like any other game. Millions watch, halftime is longer than normal and media from around the world descend on the host city. Though some of the Chiefs\u2019 rookies said they\u2019re enjoying the glitz and glamour, they added they\u2019ve remained focused and have eliminated distractions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Pacheco, it all starts with building a competitive mindset. He said he\u2019s still finding ways to improve while also focusing on how he can best help his teammates.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs rookies, we love competing,\u201d Pacheco said. \u201cThat\u2019s helped shape us to who we are today, and that\u2019s brought competition into (our locker room), to eliminate distractions or people that weren\u2019t good for the program.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a similar process for wide receiver Skyy Moore. After making the team, which he said was his initial goal, the next step was to consistently work hard and not let go of opportunities, a mentality he\u2019s bringing into Sunday\u2019s game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having multiple veterans from the team\u2019s run to Super Bowl LIV has helped him understand the importance of hard work, he added.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like the people that are new to the moment are going to get comfortable with it very (early) in the game, and people that have been here before like Travis (Kelce) and Patrick (Mahomes) are going to help rally the team together to put us in a position to be successful,\u201d Moore said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Defensive tackle Chris Jones, a seven-year veteran and Super Bowl LIV champion, said he has absolute trust in his team\u2019s rookie class. He isn\u2019t coaching them up for the moment because he knows they have what it takes to succeed and wants them to start their own journey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Week 23 of the season,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI don\u2019t think they need any more coaching or any motivation of what we need to do to win this game.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although the Chiefs\u2019 rookies know what\u2019s at stake, they\u2019re also not forgetting how special it is to reach the Super Bowl. Like Pacheco and Moore, Watson said his team\u2019s third appearance in four seasons reflects their determination.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s what we\u2019ve always dreamed of, and it\u2019s here,\u201d Watson said. \u201cThese are the times you make names for yourself, and I\u2019m looking forward to it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From Andy Reid\u2019s coaching to Mahomes\u2019 excellence, the Chiefs found ways to maintain success this past season despite wide receiver Tyreek Hill, safety Tyrann Mathieu and other key contributors departing. However, their rookie class has also played a vital role, and these players have made sure not to take the opportunity for granted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s big,\u201d Pacheco said. \u201cA lot of people wish they could be in this position right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Connor Smith is a sports media graduate student at Medill. You can connect with him on <\/span><\/i>Instagram<\/span><\/i><\/a> and <\/span><\/i>LinkedIn<\/span><\/i><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Connor Smith Medill Reports SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. \u2014\u00a0Isiah Pacheco remembers exactly where he was during Super Bowl XXXIX, one of his earliest Super Bowl memories: his friend\u2019s house, watching with his late uncle. As he fantasized about playing in the game himself, he said the competition he saw inspired him.\u00a0 Nearly two decades later, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":899,"featured_media":101845,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5348,31,5349,5339],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medill-explores-2023","category-sports","category-super-bowl-lvii","category-winter-2023"],"yoast_head":"\nAmid noise, Chiefs\u2019 rookies staying composed heading into Super Bowl LVII - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/amid-noise-chiefs-rookies-staying-composed-heading-into-super-bowl-lvii\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Amid noise, Chiefs\u2019 rookies staying composed heading into Super Bowl LVII - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Connor Smith Medill Reports SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. \u2014\u00a0Isiah Pacheco remembers exactly where he was during Super Bowl XXXIX, one of his earliest Super Bowl memories: his friend\u2019s house, watching with his late uncle. As he fantasized about playing in the game himself, he said the competition he saw inspired him.\u00a0 Nearly two decades later, the […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/amid-noise-chiefs-rookies-staying-composed-heading-into-super-bowl-lvii\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-12T16:27:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/02\/IMG_2653-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1906\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"connorsmith2023\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"connorsmith2023\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/amid-noise-chiefs-rookies-staying-composed-heading-into-super-bowl-lvii\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/amid-noise-chiefs-rookies-staying-composed-heading-into-super-bowl-lvii\/\",\"name\":\"Amid noise, Chiefs\u2019 rookies staying composed heading into Super Bowl LVII - Medill Reports Chicago\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/amid-noise-chiefs-rookies-staying-composed-heading-into-super-bowl-lvii\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/amid-noise-chiefs-rookies-staying-composed-heading-into-super-bowl-lvii\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/02\/IMG_2653-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-12T16:27:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/9c2bb0832245bcde172313900310f4d2\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/amid-noise-chiefs-rookies-staying-composed-heading-into-super-bowl-lvii\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/amid-noise-chiefs-rookies-staying-composed-heading-into-super-bowl-lvii\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/amid-noise-chiefs-rookies-staying-composed-heading-into-super-bowl-lvii\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/02\/IMG_2653-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/wp-media-folder-medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/02\/IMG_2653-2.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1906,\"caption\":\"Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Skyy Moore speaks to the media Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch. 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