AFC West

Much to the chagrin of other fanbases, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs just keep winning.

And he's basking in it all.

Mahomes took to social media Sunday after leading his team to a dramatic 32-29 victory over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game and posted a meme of Kermit the Frog sipping tea without a worry in the world:

Many fans have joked that Mahomes sounds like Kermit at times, and he embraced the jokes at last year's Super Bowl media day:

Of course, there was also the time before the season when the rival Las Vegas Raiders poked fun at Mahomes with a Kermit doll:

The trolling didn't exactly work out, as the Raiders finished with a 4-13 record and in last place in the AFC West while the Chiefs made their fifth Super Bowl in the last six years. And they are one win over the Philadelphia Eagles away from becoming the first team in NFL history to win three straight Lombardi Trophies.

Mahomes will surely have some type of social-media reaction ready if he makes history.

Kansas City Chiefs rookie receiver Xavier Worthy had some extra motivation in Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills.

While relishing in the Chiefs' 32-29 win, Worthy took a shot at the Bills for their trade out of the No. 28 pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft that opened the door for Kansas City to select him.

"I said it once, they skipped on me, that's their loss," Worthy told Marleah Campbell of KCTV5.

The Bills traded the No. 28 pick to the Chiefs for the No. 32 pick and then sent that pick to the Carolina Panthers to move out of the first round entirely to the No. 33 pick, which they used to select wide receiver Keon Coleman. While Coleman is a bigger receiver who was more of a fit for Buffalo than the speedy Worthy, the sting of being passed over still remained heading into Sunday's game.

"I take it as a blessing. I feel like it's a sign that they didn't want me. I'm going to play with a chip on my shoulder," Worthy told reporters on Friday. "This game means a little bit more. Obviously it's the AFC championship game, but this is a team that traded their pick away to get somebody else."

Worthy used the extra fuel to propel him to a strong performance on Sunday, as he led Kansas City with six catches for 85 yards and caught the lone touchdown pass from star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Coleman was limited to one catch for 12 yards.

The Chiefs will now be playing for the chance to win their third straight championship when they meet the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9. Worthy will need to remain motivated if he hopes to earn his first career championship ring, but for now, he got the last laugh against the Bills.

Not even Patrick Mahomes could fully believe he is just one win away from helping the Kansas City Chiefs become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls.

"I'm just so proud of my teammates and how they responded," he said during his postgame interview on CBS following Sunday's win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game. "That was a great football team. I'm lost for words. I'm just excited for New Orleans.

"It's not about one guy, it's not about a couple guys. It's about the whole team. And when we needed the defense to get stops, they got stops. Offense we made plays. That's why we're so special because it's a team effort and a team football game"

It seemed like this was the year the Bills were finally going to prevail against the Chiefs in the playoffs.

After all, they had the ball and were driving in Kansas City territory with a one-point lead in the fourth quarter. All the momentum was on the visitors' side, especially after marching down for touchdowns in each of their previous two possessions.

However, the Chiefs made the play as they always do.

Their defense stopped Josh Allen on a quarterback sneak, although it also benefited from a questionable spot on the play. From there, Mahomes finished a go-ahead touchdown drive with his legs and then responded to Allen's ensuing touchdown pass that tied the game with a field-goal drive to take the lead.

It was the defense's turn from there, and it forced yet another turnover on downs when Allen's desperation pass went through the hands of Dalton Kincaid.

Kansas City's offense used the rest of the clock and clinched a fifth trip to the Super Bowl in the last six years.

At this point, Mahomes and the Chiefs are one of the greatest dynasties in the sport's history. And they can do something no other dynasty did by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl to win a third straight Lombardi Trophy.

As long as Mahomes is leading the way, it's hard to bet against them.

It wasn't easy, but the Kansas City Chiefs completed their third straight climb to the mountaintop of the AFC.

Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs to a 32-29 win over the Buffalo Bills in Sunday's AFC Championship Game to clinch Kansas City's third consecutive trip to the Super Bowl. The team will face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, marking a rematch of Super Bowl LVII.

Mahomes threw for 245 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions on 18-of-26 passing and also added 11 carries for 43 yards and two more scores on the ground. He showed no fear putting his body on the line as he ran through defenders to reach the end zone. He also helped set up a go-ahead 35-yard field goal by Harrison Butker with under four minutes left in the fourth quarter that helped put the game away.

The Chiefs are now one win away from achieving the first three-peat in modern NFL history, and fans couldn't help but hail their run to this year's Super Bowl as "inevitable":

Mahomes has proven to be one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history under the bright lights of the playoffs. This is the fourth time he faced off against fellow perennial MVP candidate Josh Allen in the postseason, and he's emerged victorious every time.

The rematch between the Chiefs and Eagles has been two years in the making, and fans will certainly be excited to see them face off in the Big Game once again.

Taylor Swift is officially in the stadium.

The 35-year-old pop star arrived to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs at the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.

Swift arrived at the stadium for the chilly game, expected to be 30 degrees at kickoff, wearing red tights under a black skirt, an oversized zip-up hoodie, a black beanie and black boots to complete the look.

Kelce, the 35-year-old Chiefs tight end, arrived at the game in a striking tan suit combo, accented by gray stripes on the arms, legs and tie, paired with a gray beanie to complete the look.

Swift attended her first Chiefs game on Sept. 24, 2023, when Kansas City dominated the Chicago Bears in a 41-10 blowout. The appearance officially sparked dating rumors that quickly turned out to be true—and the rest is history.

In addition to Swift, Bills quarterback Josh Allen's fiancée, Hailee Steinfeld, is expected to be in attendance.

Allen and Steinfeld announced their engagement on Instagram back in November.

The two celebrities share a history of friendship, with Steinfeld appearing in Swift's iconic Bad Blood music video in 2015.

Fans are crossing their fingers for a reunion of the star-studded duo on Sunday night.

Russell Wilson could be headed for a reunion with Pete Carroll.

After Carroll reportedly agreed to become the next head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported that former Seahawks and current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson is a "name to watch" for Vegas in free agency.

Howe reported that Wilson and Carroll have "mended fences" and that a reunion between the coach and quarterback could provide a "stopgap" for the team as it searches for a "long-term answer" at quarterback.

Wilson was Seattle's quarterback for 10 seasons, all of which came under Carroll. That was the best stretch of his career and Carroll's 14-season tenure with the Seahawks, as the team compiled an overall record of 105-55-1 and reached two Super Bowls, winning one.

Wilson threw for 37,059 yards with 292 touchdowns and 87 interceptions during his time with Seattle, earning eight Pro Bowl nods. He was dealt to the Denver Broncos ahead of the 2022 season, while Carroll and the Seahawks moved forward with Geno Smith at quarterback in 2022 and 2023 before Carroll's departure last January.

Wilson's time in Denver was less successful, as he went 11-19 as a starter and was cut following the 2023 season. He spent 2024 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and threw for 2,482 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions in 11 games while helping to lead the team to a playoff appearance.

He is not under contract for 2025 but could opt to return to the Steelers. Pittsburgh also could shift toward Justin Fields or another option at quarterback for the future, which could make Las Vegas and a reunion with Carroll a more plausible option.

After hiring John Spytek as their new general manager earlier this week, the Las Vegas Raiders now have their new head coach in Pete Carroll.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the longtime Seattle Seahawks coach agreed to terms with the Raiders on a three-year deal that includes a fourth-year team option.

The agreement between Spytek and the Raiders appeared to be the direct result of Tom Brady's influence on the organization as part of their ownership group.

Spytek was a special teams player at the University of Michigan during Brady's senior season in 1999. The 44-year-old worked in the front office for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Brady played for the team from 2020 to 2022.

There had been speculation that the Raiders were hoping to land Ben Johnson as their head coach, but Johnson wound up accepting that position with the Chicago Bears.

Carroll is returning to the NFL one year after he parted ways with the Seahawks. His comments after that happened seemed to indicate it was not exactly a mutual decision.

"I competed pretty hard to be the coach, just so you know. ... My intention to return ... that was true to the bone. I want to make sure that that's clear as things have shifted so quickly," Carroll told reporters.

The Raiders offer Carroll an opportunity to rebound after a difficult end to his 14-year tenure in Seattle. He will lead what's likely to be a rebuilding effort with a team coming off a 4-13 season and $94 million in cap space this offseason, plus the No. 6 pick in the draft.

The biggest question the Raiders have to answer is what to do at quarterback. Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O'Connell are both under contract in 2025, but neither one has shown enough to be guaranteed a starting job.

Carroll has had success leading rebuilding teams in his career. He was hired by the Seahawks in 2009 when they were coming off a 5-11 record the previous year. They made the playoffs in his first season, albeit with a 7-9 record, and won a Super Bowl in his fourth season.

The Raiders have made the playoffs twice since 2003 and haven't won a playoff game since Jan. 19, 2003.

The Las Vegas Raiders are reportedly eyeing a pair of NFL veterans in their search for a new head coach.

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported on Thursday that former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo have been drawing interest from the Raiders recently. Two sources told Anderson that they believe Carroll is "in the lead" at the moment, but nothing is official yet.

The Raiders checked the first key item off their agenda on Wednesday by hiring Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant general manager John Spytek as their next GM.

Per ESPN's Paul Gutierrez, Spytek will have the assignment to hire the head coach, and Carroll has already been interviewed by the team along with Ron Rivera, Robert Saleh and Vance Joseph. All of those candidates have previous head coaching experience, and Gutierrez pointed out that team owner Mark Davis said in the past that he wasn't comfortable pairing a first-time GM with a first-year head coach.

Las Vegas went 4-13 in its first full year under former head coach Antonio Pierce, who had been promoted from interim head coach to the permanent position just over a year ago. The team will have the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, and it has a promising piece to build around in tight end Brock Bowers, who was named first-team All-Pro and earned a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie.

The Raiders are one of four teams remaining with head coach openings along with the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars. It wouldn't be a surprise if Spytek and company tried to move quickly to secure their top candidate to fill their vacancy and start preparing for the 2025 campaign.