In the lead-up to the AFC title game, one of the big storylines was about how the Cincinnati Bengals had made Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium their home, having defeated the Chiefs there in last year's AFC championship. The Bengals themselves went so far as to call it "Burrowhead Stadium" at the tail end of their victory over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round.
It's safe to say that the Chiefs heard all the talk, and took it to heart. The Chiefs didn't exactly respond in kind, simply making it known that they were indeed aware of what the Bengals (and the Mayor of Cincinnati) were saying,
Travis Kelce made a note of it on the podcast he co-hosts with his brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce. "They're throwing a lot of bulletin board material out there," he said. Defensive lineman Chris Jones caught onto it as well, telling reporters that he would see them at "Burrowhead" on Sunday during one of his pregame press conferences.
Once the Chiefs out-dueled the Bengals on Sunday night to win their third AFC championship in four seasons, it did not take long for them to express their displeasure with the Bengals' attempt to rename their home stadium. During Patrick Mahomes' postgame interview, Kelce grabbed the mic and simply declared, "Burrowhead, my ass."
Travis Kelce: "Burrowhead my a**."🤣 pic.twitter.com/2aRovK9T8A
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) January 30, 2023
Left tackle Orlando Brown demanded that everyone "give [Mahomes] his respect. Stamp him!"
Mahomes' father, Pat Mahomes Sr. -- an MLB pitcher for 13 seasons -- even got in on the trolling, saying he was "smoking that Joe Burrow" while holding a cigar in his hand postgame.
'I'm smoking that Joe Burrow.'
— theScore (@theScore) January 30, 2023
Patrick Mahomes' dad was feelin' good after the Chiefs W last night. 😂
(🎥: @aaronladd0)pic.twitter.com/FG5eiakEtt
Mahomes took perhaps a more subtle shot, and one directed at Joe Burrow himself. When noting that he wanted to celebrate the AFC title before getting ready for the Super Bowl, Mahomes noted, "I don't think we have any cigars," an obvious reference for Burrow's penchant for puffing on a stogie or two.
Mahomes already taking shots at Burrow lol.
— Coby Valentine (@CobyValentine) January 30, 2023
“I don’t think we have any cigars” pic.twitter.com/AO5cmbZXyw
Then, when presented with the Lamar Hunt Trophy given to the AFC champions, Mahomes checked with the crowd to make sure that the stadium was still called Arrowhead and not "Burrowhead." Of course, Kelce still had more to say as well. During his postgame interview on the podium, Kelce channeled The Rock as he called out the mayor of Cincinnati.
"Know your role and shut your mouth, you jabroni!"
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 30, 2023
- Travis Kelce to the Cincinnati Mayor 😂 @TheRock pic.twitter.com/9XGQ06Zpew
It seems like the trash talk could continue ahead of the Super Bowl, with the Kelce brothers getting ready to play against each other in what will undoubtedly be their biggest head-to-head matchup yet. Jason has already started by declaring he's no longer a Chiefs fan for the rest of the season. Travis will surely have a lot to say as well, if Sunday night is any indication.