Advertisement

How Chiefs fans at Power & Light in KC celebrated the AFC Championship win vs. Bengals

Moments after the Chiefs crowd at KC Live! breathed a sigh of relief at the close win over the Bengals, Karina Davis, 30, took a photo as her husband, Dominique Davis, 32, both from Kansas City, posed in front of the red and gold confetti falling from the ceiling.

“I knew we was gonna win,” Karina Davis shouted above the roar of the crowd.

Dominique Davis said he was more than happy to break “that losing culture.”

Their plans now? Planning their Super Bowl celebration.

The Chiefs won the AFC Championship 23-20 over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night to punch their ticket to Phoenix. The win came after three losses in 2022 to the Bengals, including last year’s conference championship game.

Many Kansas City fans were at Arrowhead Stadium for the big moment, but plenty packed in KC Live! in the Power & Light District, too, despite the freezing weather.

The crowd, mostly a sea of red, cheered when the Chiefs came on the large TV screen at kickoff, and booed when Bengals players were shown. When Mahomes flashed across the screen ahead of kickoff, the crowd started shouting “MVP.”

Damarko Pannell, 29, of Kansas City, Deval Walker, 30, of Kansas City, and Keire Barnett, 35, of Kansas City, are hoping for a Chiefs win to make up for last year’s playoff loss.
Damarko Pannell, 29, of Kansas City, Deval Walker, 30, of Kansas City, and Keire Barnett, 35, of Kansas City, are hoping for a Chiefs win to make up for last year’s playoff loss.

Deval Walker, 30, of Kansas City, returned to watch his fourth Chiefs playoff game at KC Live!. He comes for the crowd and the fellow fans.

“It don’t get better than this,” he said.

Sunday was lifelong Chiefs fan Denise Rodriguez’s first time watching a Kansas City game surrounded by a sizeable crowd.

Rodriguez, 23, of Kansas City, hopes to buy her first ticket to a game at Arrowhead next year to see her favorite players, JuJu and Kelce, play live. But for now, feeding off the energy of the downtown crowd through all four quarters will do.

“I’ll be right here.”

Longtime Chiefs fans Ryan and Jen Fasbender made the trip down from Clear Lake, Iowa, to watch the AFC championship from Kansas City’s Power & Light District. After the game, they were eager to snag some new apparel from Rally House.
Longtime Chiefs fans Ryan and Jen Fasbender made the trip down from Clear Lake, Iowa, to watch the AFC championship from Kansas City’s Power & Light District. After the game, they were eager to snag some new apparel from Rally House.

‘It was worth coming back for’

Within half an hour of the game ending, Ryan Fasbender, 52, and Jen Fasbender, 51, already had their AFC championship apparel from Rally House in hand.

T-shirts and more gear celebrating the Chiefs’ win went on sale right after the game at local sports apparel stores.

The married couple from Clear Lake, Iowa, visited Kansas City for the 2021 AFC Championship Game, when they watched the Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills from their spots at KC Live! This year, the longtime Chiefs fans decided to make the drive down to do it again.

“It was worth coming back for,” said Jen Fasbender as cars honked triumphantly behind her.

‘Once in a lifetime experience’

AJ Cheeks, 25, of Richmond, Virginia, isn’t a Chiefs fan, per se. But since he was already in town to visit family this weekend, he decided to stop by KC Live! To watch the game.

“I knew it was going to be a once in a lifetime experience,” Cheeks said. “I feel like it was just as good as being at the game.”

Lauren Roberts, 23, of Kansas City, stood with a group of friends a few feet away.

Despite the 5 degree wind chill, she said she would do it all again in a heartbeat.

“I would stand out here and freeze my a** off again,” Roberts said before heading back to take more celebratory photos with her friends.