Getty Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce celebrates a victory in the AFC Championship.
All week, the Kansas City Chiefs appeared to be internally motivated by one word in particular: “Burrowhead.”
The Cincinnati Bengals came up with the nickname for Arrowhead Stadium after the Divisional Round victory over the Buffalo Bills. Rather than comment on the disrespect, however, KC players chose to “respectfully” smile and wave.
That ended after a Harrison Butker field goal sent the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl. “Burrowhead my a**!” Superstar tight end Travis Kelce screamed on live television, adding that “this is Mahomes’ house.”
Later, during the same CBS broadcast, Kelce decided to go one step further. “Hey, I got some wise words for that Cincinnati mayor, know your role and shut your mouth, you jabroni!” Kelce voiced very boldly to the raucous cheering from fans. He also concluded once again that “you gotta fight for your right, to parrrrrtayyyy.”
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Shuts up Bengals in Clutch
TELL EM @tkelce
The Chiefs may have technically won because of a foolish late hit, but it was quarterback Patrick Mahomes II that scrambled for the first down in the clutch on an injured ankle. It wasn’t just that play that secured the win.
Time after time, Mahomes made big throws during this title game, finding Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Kelce often — or running back Isiah Pacheco out of the backfield.
The end result was another three-point finish, but this time, Kansas City was on the right side of history. That sets the stage for the Andy Reid Bowl — or the Kelce Bowl — that many dreamed up between the two No. 1 seeds of each conference.
After a dominant performance over the San Francisco 49ers, the Philadelphia Eagles could be the Chiefs’ toughest challenge to this point. If they’re able to overcome it, they’d win their second Super Bowl under Coach Reid.
Chiefs’ DL Chris Jones Confirms ‘Burrowhead’ Motivation
If it wasn’t already plainly obvious that the Chiefs were motivated by the “Burrowhead” quote that represented Bengals QB Joe Burrow having success at Arrowhead, defensive lineman Chris Jones confirmed that after the game.
“We’re not a team that talks [smack], respectfully,” he stated (via USA Today’s Charles Goldman). “Don’t ever, ever, ever disrespect Arrowhead Stadium.”
Jones played a tremendous championship game, sacking Burrow to stymie a potential game-winning opportunity for Cincinnati. “My whole offseason was dedicated to this game,” the key defensive leader noted about the AFC rivalry — via the KC Star’s Sam McDowell.
The Chiefs official Twitter account posted a similar message after the win, announcing: “Don’t ever forget it… THIS IS OUR HOUSE.”
“We wanted to play this team,” Mahomes even admitted to reporters. “The guys were as pumped up as I’ve ever seen them.”
ESPN’s Adam Teicher relayed that Mahomes pointed out the comments by Cincinnati mayor Aftab Pureval, as well as the “Burrowhead” mistake.
“You’ve got to let your play do the talking,” the Chiefs signal-caller concluded. As usual, the young superstar is wise beyond his years — talk is cheap, and KC knows that words don’t win football games. They can lose them, however, and the Bengals learned that the hard way in this year’s AFC title game.
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval Responds to Travis Kelce
Pureval did respond publicly after the Bengals lost to the Chiefs and Kelce called him out.
“Yeah. Deserved that,” he wrote. “Congrats to KC on a well-fought win, and good luck in Arizona. Proud of our fans and our @bengals for the energy all year. Who Dey!”
The Chiefs will take the next 24 hours to celebrate their win, and then it’s on to the ultimate goal — a Super Bowl victory over the Eagles.