The Chiefs Kingdom knows the drill. When Patrick Mahomes calls for the huddle, you huddle—no questions asked. Ahead of the AFC title bout against Buffalo, Mahomes turned to the fans: “Chiefs Kingdom, they’re always passionate, they’re always loud. I would just say, see them take it up a notch. Let’s see how loud this place can really get.” And Arrowhead did just that. Maybe not 142.2 decibels loud, but enough to rattle the Bills in yet another postseason showdown. The result? Another classic Mahomes playoff performance—245 yards, one passing touchdown, and two on the ground. Buffalo had no answer for playoff Mahomes, and honestly, who ever does?

Pat McAfee asked Andy Reid what doesn’t get talked about enough when it comes to Mahomes. Big Red kept it simple: “He’s a great kid… humble… a phenomenal teammate. He kind of knows when to pull on and when to back off on the compliments.” And maybe that’s Mahomes’ secret sauce. He’s got the talent, the work ethic, the football IQ—but he also just gets people. He knows when to gas up his guys and when to push them harder. That’s the leadership you can’t teach. And with the win, he improved to 4-0 against Josh Allen in the postseason. If this were a superhero movie, Allen would be the talented but doomed rival, always on the wrong side of the final battle.

Mahomes knows it too. “I always feel for him,” he admitted after the game. “He’s a great player, an amazing competitor, and an awesome dude who I respect so much. I’m sorry it had to be us.” That’s Mahomes in a nutshell—cold-blooded on the field, but never disrespectful off it. Allen, for his part, took it on the chin: “To be the champs, you have to beat the champs, and we didn’t beat them.” No excuses, no blaming the refs—just facts. He put up 237 yards, two touchdowns, and added 39 yards rushing, but the game slipped away in the final minutes.

It all came down to one final drive. Buffalo had the ball, down 32-29, with a chance to tie or take the lead. Allen led them past midfield, but then—fourth down, all-or-nothing. Under siege from a blitzing Chiefs defense, he heaved up a desperation throw to Dalton Kincaid… and it slipped right through the tight end’s fingers. Just like that, it was over. The ball, the season, the Super Bowl dream—gone. Mahomes took the field one last time, picked up a couple of first downs, and let the clock do the rest. Another brutal ending for the Bills, another playoff masterpiece for Kansas City.

And here’s the thing: people are tired of it. Mahomes has now made five Super Bowls before turning 30. If he wins in New Orleans, he’ll have four rings and a three-peat—something not even Brady could pull off. Some fans are fully in awe, and others are screaming about rigged games and officiating conspiracies. But like DeAndre Hopkins pointed out, that’s just what happens when someone wins too much. “How can Patrick Mahomes be the villain? The same way Tom Brady could be, and the same way Michael Jordan was… People get tired of watching them win.”

But here’s the reality check: Mahomes isn’t going anywhere. He’s got that thing—whatever it is—that makes him untouchable when the stakes are highest. Ask Matt Nagy, who saw the transformation firsthand the night before the AFC Championship. “Pat’s slowly turning into his superhero creature tonight… It’s fascinating. Has that look in his eye tonight.” And when that look appears? The Chiefs don’t lose. So, love it or hate it, get ready for another Super Bowl Sunday with Mahomes at center stage. But while there’s that, there’s also a thought: ‘Will it be Travis Kelce’s last?’

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce: The KC chefs who cook on the gridiron

Chiefs fans can’t stop wondering—will Travis Kelce trade in his cleats for a Hollywood script? The chatter’s loud, but Patrick Mahomes isn’t buying into it just yet. Speaking on Kansas City’s 96.5 FM, Mahomes was straight-up: “I have no idea.” No cryptic messages, no hidden clues. Just the reality that Kelce still looks like a guy who loves football. The two-time Super Bowl champ signed a two-year extension before the season, and Mahomes made it clear—whether this is Kelce’s last ride or not, they’re gunning for a win either way. That’s just how these two roll.

And speaking of rolling—Kelce and Mahomes have been cooking defenses for years. The numbers? Ridiculous. 686 catches. 8,126 yards. 56 touchdowns. That’s just in the regular season. In the playoffs? 151 catches, 1,745 yards, and 19 touchdowns in 20 games. That’s an entirely different tier of dominance. It’s why Andy Reid isn’t just thinking about Kelce as a future Hall of Famer—he’s already envisioning him on the sideline with a headset. “Travis would be a heck of a football coach,” Reid said. The way Kelce sees the game, teaches the young guys, and reads defenses? It’s a coach’s dream in a tight end’s body.

Could Kelce actually go that route? Sure, he’s got the football IQ, leadership, and résumé. Ten Pro Bowls. Multiple rings. A reputation for making the impossible look routine. But let’s be real—coaching is just one option. There’s the podcast, the acting gigs, the entire world beyond football waiting for him. And if we know anything about Kelce, it’s that he’s not boxing himself into just one path. The guy has options, and he knows it.

For now, though? Retirement talk is just noise. The only focus in the Chiefs’ locker room is that Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles. One more shot at history. One more game with Mahomes throwing darts and Kelce making defenses look helpless. The future can wait—right now, it’s all about the next play.