Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval probably didn't think he would get called out by Travis Kelce on national TV following the AFC Championship Game. That's what happened, however, after Kelce decided to react to Pureval's social media video that, among other things, referred to the Chiefs' home stadium as "Burrowhead."
In response to Kelce, Pureval elected to take the high road, congratulating Kelce and the Chiefs on winning the AFC.
Following their 23-20 win, the Chiefs made it clear that Pureval, along with other comments made during the week, fueled their collective fire. Several Chiefs, from Kelce to Chris Jones to Patrick Mahomes, talked about the perceived disrespect they felt from a team that had previously defeated them three straight times.
Mahomes' postgame comments included a dig at Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who has made a tradition of having a postgame cigar after a big win.
Trash talk aside, the Chiefs did enough to defeat a Bengals team that was trying to defend its AFC title. The Chiefs raced out to a 13-3 lead before needing a last second field goal to outlast Burrow and Co. Mahomes further added to his legacy by throwing for 326 yards and two touchdowns while playing with a high ankle sprain. His run on the Chiefs' final offensive play -- along with a late hit penalty -- helped set up Harrison Butker's game-winning kick.
"We wanted to play this team, and we got 'em at Arrowhead Stadium and we were able to finish the job this time," Mahomes said, via the Los Angeles Times. "And the job's not finished for us."
