The NFL dynasty built by the Kansas City Chiefs under Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce has seen so much success, including so many memorable comebacks and escapes, that one might think they made a deal with the devil.

In fact, it was a different spiritual ritual, with a mystery man dressed in all black, that came to light thanks to a video recorded by a Chiefs fan at Arrowhead Stadium before their preseason game against the Detroit Lions.

Kansas City Chiefs players Trey Smith, Justyn Ross, Cornell Powell, and Rashee Rice took turns participating in the secret ritual on the sidelines with the same man. They appeared to be saying some kind of prayer, as the author of the video on X, formerly Twitter, suggested the man was a team chaplain.

Chiefs fall to 0-2 against Lions

It’s unclear exactly who the man involved was or what he was saying to the Kansas City players, but it didn’t seem to work on Saturday.

The Chiefs took an early 13-0 lead with Mahomes starting under center and delivering the highlight of the game with a sensational behind-the-back pass to Kelce in the first quarter.

Once the Kansas City starters came out, the Lions got back in the game. The Chiefs fell to 0-2 in the preseason in front of the home crowd on a game-winning field goal as time expired from Jake Bates that made it 24-23, Detroit.

Preseason games may not hold much weight, but the discovery of this Chiefs pregame ritual was one of the most interesting things to emerge from the game. Whether he was brokering a deal with the devil or a prayer to a higher power, the mysterious messenger in black caught everyone’s attention.