Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs headlines for Thursday, January 23
Patrick Mahomes disagrees Chiefs are getting favorable calls | ESPN
The Houston Texans might think Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs receive favorable calls from the game officials, but Mahomes doesn’t agree.
“I don’t feel that way,’’ Mahomes said Wednesday as the Chiefs began preparations for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium. “At the end of the day, the referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and as proper as they possibly can. And all you can do is go out there and play the game that you love as hard as you can and live with the results. ... I think that’s what we preach here in Kansas City.
“You get new referees every year, you get new circumstances, and you never can really tell because every play’s different and that’s what makes the NFL so special. I feel like I’ve just continued to play the game, and I just try to win, and whatever happens kind of happens.’’
Bills vs. Chiefs: AFC Championship 2025 Odds and Box Score Predictions | Bleacher Report
Prediction: Travis Kelce Clears 80+ Receiving Yards, Scores
A quiet (by his standards) regular season appears to be giving away to another epic playoff showing from Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. His 117 receiving yards in the Divisional Round were his most this season, and his touchdown catch was only his fourth of the campaign.
“It’s big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games and that’s just how simple it is,” Mahomes told reporters afterward. “He’s one of those guys.”
The Chiefs might be as healthy and deep in the backfield and at wide receiver than they’ve been all season, but Kelce remains their best game-breaking playmaker. He’s a walking mismatch who has tremendous chemistry with Mahomes. Kansas City can, will and should do everything it can to maximize the impact of that partnership.
Buffalo has had three cracks at containing Kelce on this stage, and it’s yet to accomplish that. In those matchups, he amassed 26 catches on 30 targets for 289 yards and five touchdowns. There’s no logical reason to think his production slows down during the latest installment of this rivalry.
2025 NFL Championship Week Quarterback Power Rankings: Who’s The Best Passer Left? | The 33rd Team
2. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Skill Score: 9.78 | Production Score: 6.04 | Ranking Score: 7.91
Patrick Mahomes had his lowest career success rate in a playoff game against the Texans, but there were still enough plays to keep the offense moving. The Chiefs mostly avoided throws outside the numbers and worked to get Travis Kelce open in the middle of the field. Even the best thro outside the numbers went to Kelce on a corner route when lined up in the backfield in the first quarter....
