After clinching the No. 1 seed in the AFC, securing a first-round bye and home field advantage, the Kansas City Chiefs earned an extra week of rest before their playoff run. During the NFL’s wild card weekend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Co. learned their next opponent will be the Houston Texans after they upset the Los Angeles 32-12 at NRG Stadium on Saturday. Next up, the Texans travel to face the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC divisional round on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Kelce kept an ear on NFL analysts discussing the Chiefs’ chances to return to the Super Bowl this year, and heard former NFL coach Rex Ryan’s comment about Kansas City.
“We’re finding different ways to win and we’ve got a lot of confidence..
We’ve heard all the chatter and Rex Ryan saying that we can’t win in the playoffs” ~ @tkelce #PMSLive #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/XmOvMJ4E6u
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 13, 2025
Kelce said during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Jan. 13, “We’ve definitely heard all of the chatter. Guys like Rex Ryan saying that this team can’t win in the playoffs and he’s seen it before. We hear everything, but at the same time we know what’s real and what’s in this building.
“And that’s guys that want to be accountable for the one next to him, and are going to keep finding ways to be accountable week in and week out.” So, what did Ryan say? When asked if the Chiefs were the best team in the NFL with a 12-1 record last month, “No,” Ryan said without hesitation. “They’re not. They’re three or four teams better right now.”
Ryan said on the Chiefs on “First Take” on Dec. 9, “They are the least explosive offense in the national football league. That’s a crazy stat. You have the one of the greatest quarterbacks we’ve ever seen, and you don’t have any explosives on offense. “Now, part of that is because they don’t protect the quarterback. And so, to me, you’re still not protecting the quarterback. I’ve had to stop a lot of teams as a coordinator, head coach, whatever. I’d sign up any day of the week to play against Kansas City right now.”
Kelce, however, told McAfee the Chiefs learned from all their one-score wins this season. “We’re finding different ways to win and more ways to win early on and throughout the season,” Kelce said. “I think last year we dealt with finding ways to lose. And you know, you can learn from both, but learning from the games you win is a whole lot more fun. And I think we got a lot of confidence in this team and a lot of guys are willing to go that extra mile, man.”
