KANSAS CITY, Mo. – More than 76,000 sports fans were gathered inside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium as the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Baltimore Ravens during a sold-out showcase Thursday night.

The back-to-back Super Bowl Champions weren’t just debuting their most recent championship banner to their beloved fanbase. They were kicking off the entire 2024-25 National Football League (NFL) slate, as the league’s defending victors traditionally do.

Not an hour before the national anthem concluded and fireworks went flying, their hometown neighbors in the Kansas City Outlaws were down on the turf for quite the unique experience.

Taking in player warm-ups, enjoying a personal tour of the Arrowhead facilities and truly getting to know what it meant to be part of the City of Champions, the orange and black contingent was treated to a pretty special evening, all things considered.

After all, their anchor and team leader in Cassio Dias, the 2024 PBR World Champion, does ride for Kansas City’s first professional bull riding team. So, it only made since to celebrate the standout cowboy’s achievements while inviting the hometown team over to watch on as the Chiefs looked back on their own successes.

Just seven some miles east of where his Outlaws would open up their own homecoming spectacle, Dias and company made the trek to visit the defending champions. But first, they had to get a workout in.

And when the invite comes across to train in the Chiefs’ training facilities, that’s one the squad isn’t ever passing up.

When 7:40 p.m. rolled around, A B-2 stealth bomber greeted the rowdy crowd with an intense flyover as the Star Spangled Banner came to a conclusion.

Then? The show started.

Pulling out an eventual 27-20 win over Baltimore, the game was filled with theatrics, if not stars and celebrities themselves. Both on the field and watching on from the crowd.

15 or so of those stars were Dias, his teammates and coaches as the orange and black unit stuck around for their city’s home-opener.

Spending time as a group all week has only brought one of the closest locker rooms on tour even closer as they embraced Kansas City’s biggest sports weekend of the fall. And giving back some time to the folks who cheer them on all summer was an easy “yes” despite the busy week.

“Going to the children’s hospital and things like that," Head Coach J.W. Hart said.

"Just to get out to get to meet people and pass our word and to get to see the kids at the hospital, give them a piece of our world too as well as them sharing a piece of theirs.”

Just 24 hours prior, youngster Koltin Hevalow represented the squad by throwing out the first pitch ahead of a Kansas City Royals x Cleveland Guardians contest.

Watching on as the Royals clinched a 4-1 decision, vibes were at an all-time high as Hevalow and gang explored the depths of Kauffman Stadium.

You can call Hart’s squad a lot of things most weeks. But this week, they seemed to be a good luck charm for their fellow hometown pros.

24 hours after the NFL’s electric showcase? The show started once more.

Except instead of being one of the many fans watching on, they became the men in the arena.

In their HOMETOWN arena, that is.

While the squad soaked up the hometown love and kicked back for a few days, adding in a few museum trips, hospital visits and making several other appearances around town, there was no hesitation Friday night to flip the switch when Game 4 rolled around.

“We’ve been at it steady since Tuesday here in Kansas City,” Hart shared.

“Today, after we worked out, we shut everything off and turned the bull riding on.”

Drawing an opening night showdown against the No. 7 New York Mavericks, they knew they had every opportunity to open up the three-day showcase with a big win.

And proceeded to do just that, besting the year one squad 350.25-85.25.

RELATED: Kansas City Outlaws nearly flawless in opening night victory against New York Mavericks

The riders themselves have been making it look easy here over the past month-plus.

Not just four or five of them, either. This is one of the deepest teams in the league, with seven or eight guys showing consistent flashes in 2024. Which makes it hard on Hart and Assistant Coach Guilherme Marchi

“That’s our hardest job right now,” Hart admitted.

“We’ve got an even set of guys – Four each way: four lefties, four righties that can do anything. So, trying to match them up and to give everybody reps is tough sometimes.”

Well, coach, they sure seemed lined up pretty straight Friday night.

If Koltin Hevalow’s Friday night opponent Gas Money threw the opening pitch for the Outlaws, Hevalow scooped up the grounder and fielded it like a Gold Glove recipient, quickly igniting the T-Mobile Center audience.

The crowd had been waiting to break out their custom headshot cutouts of their favorite riders all night long. And after rookie Heitor Santos Ferreira extended the team’s spicy start to a perfect 2-for-2, the Outlaws’ support system erupted once again!

We hadn’t heard from Brennon Eldred in a while, so he insisted on getting in on the fun moments later. Producing the highest-scored ride of the night, an 89.25-point strike aboard Margin of Error, he extended Kansas City’s flawless start to three.

If it was loud earlier, it was deafening at the conclusion of the veteran’s dance.

Entering the weekend ranked No. 3 in the MVP standings, Brazilian standout Sandro Batista extended his personal ride streak to a whopping six as the evening progressed. With 87 points added to his individual aggregate total, he exited Game 4 with some additional momentum.

And in red-hot fashion.

Never mind the fact Dias failed to close what would’ve been the team’s second perfect game of the season.

Batista wouldn’t settle for his lone score, however, as he accepted an opportunity to strut his stuff once more in the Shootout Round. Eventually winning the go and giving his team’s fans one last reason to go crazy, Batista and the Outlaws couldn’t have scripted a better home opener.

Ranked No. 2 in the MVP race when the opening night was over, he’s now just 13.25 points back from Jose Vitor Leme, who bucked off Friday.

“League-wise it’s the same every day. But the Royals won Wednesday, the Chiefs won Thursday. We’re going to win Friday,” Hart said before the game.

“Everybody does (want to put on a show at their homestand), but we’re particularly serious about our home dirt.”

That was rather evident, as the Outlaws ended night one with a flavorful 5-for-6 slate.

Kansas City advanced to 12-5 on the year while giving their fans something to celebrate. And most importantly for their postseason aspirations, are now one win closer to officially securing a spot at the 2024 PBR Teams Championship.

Quickly advancing to 13-5 Saturday night during a sincere 264.5-88 victory over the Austin Gamblers, they'll look to close out what would be a second-consecutive flawless homestand Sunday against their rival (7-11) Missouri Thunder.

Photo courtesy of Covy Moore/CovyMoore.com