On Jan. 21 the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills at Highmark stadium in the AFC divisional playoff game. This was the first playoff game, bar Super bowls, that Chief’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes has played away from Arrowhead Stadium.
The talk of fans and critics alike leading up to the divisional game were all questioning whether or not the Chiefs, Mahomes in particular, could perform their usual magic at an away playoff game. However the Chiefs once again disproved their critics.
“I think guys took it as a challenge. I’ll say this, we played in the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay, we lost that one and don’t like bringing it up but we’ve basically played in road playoff games before,” Mahomes said. “We come in with the same mindset to go in with our foot forward and see if we can come out with a win and that takes the mentality throughout the week which means executing every play and we were able to score enough to win.”
The game was a nail-biter with no team leading by more than seven points and five lead changes. The Chiefs scored on five of their first six possessions, not including a kneeldown at halftime, with two field goals, two touchdown passes to Chief’s tight end Travis Kelce, and running back Isiah Pacheco’s four-yard touchdown run 40 seconds into the fourth quarter.
The Bills also played a great game, however in the fourth quarter the score was 27 Chiefs to 24 Bills. The Bills came out for a field goal to tie the game however it went wide right, giving Chief’s possession with one minute and 30 seconds left on the clock. After completing a first down the Chief’s kneeled for the rest of their plays and won the game, meaning they will go on to play in the AFC championship for the sixth year in a row.
KICK IS NO GOOD.
📺: #KCvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/FR6a2VkD33 pic.twitter.com/MbKo21IDlg— NFL (@NFL) January 22, 2024
“First off, this is a great environment, man. It really is,” Mahomes told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson on the field after the game. “But we did hear it all week about playing a road game, and we’re here to prove a point and show that we can play anywhere.”
This game between the two AFC teams not only kept fans riveted but broke records. The game averaged 56.3 million viewers which is more than any other football game, excluding Super bowls. Another record broken was on the field. Mahomes and Kelce are the leading duo for the most touchdowns in NFL playoff history with 16, passing Tom Brady and Rob Gronlowski who held the record with 15.
“At the end of the day,” Mahomes said, “we want to compete. We want to go out there and win. We don’t care how it’s done. We don’t care if we have a lot of yards [or] a lot of touchdowns. We just want to win. You can see that when you hear him [Kelce] talk: it’s about everyone’s success — not just his.
The game drew in viewers but some notable attendees were a highlight unto themselves. Taylor Swift, girlfriend to Kelce and Kelce’s brother, Jason Kelce. Jason plays center for the Philadelphia Eagles which faced off against the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII last season, resulting in a win for Kansas City. Their brotherly love has been a fan favorite since the Kelce brothers competed in the big game. They started a podcast together called “New Heights” named for their childhood city, Cleveland Heights that has over 250 million views across platforms. After the Philadelphia Eagles lost the wildcard game to the Buccaneers their season ended and Jason is rumored to retire this year although he has not made an official statement yet.
“When it’s time to officially announce what’s happening in the future, it’ll be done in a way that’s definitive and pays respect to a lot of people and individuals that have meant a lot to me and has led to the career I’ve had,” Jason said.
While at the game both Jason and Swift received screen time. Swift has made fast friends with Brittany Mahomes, wife to Chief’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Travis and Swift romance has captured the hearts of many and united the Swifties with NFL lovers. Travis was seen holding his hands in a heart facing Swift and blowing her kisses after completing a touchdown.
On the other hand Jason grabbed the camera’s attention after his brother got a touchdown by taking off his shirt and jumping out of the suite into the windchill of 14 degrees.
“The energy, the shenanigans, and I’m, like, I gotta have my shirt off at some point,” Jason said. “And I didn’t get to do it beforehand… ‘So I’m like you know what? I’m taking my shirt off, and I’m jumping out of this box.”
While outside the suite, eight year old Ella Piazza showed Jason her homemade sign that read “Buffalo Bills + Taylor Swift Best First Game Ever!!” Jason then agreed to pick her up so she could show Swift her sign.
We don’t know if Swift or Jason will be in attendance but this weekend on Jan. 28, the Chiefs will play the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship and the winner of that will go on to play in the Super Bowl.
