Along with the NFL’s long dominance, history has also seen its share of evil images. The New England Patriots have been through this, and now the Kansas City Chiefs face a similar situation with the most hunted sovereign in football.

Andy Reid’s Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans 23-14 on Saturday to claim their seventh consecutive AFC championship and are one step away from becoming the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls. Two wins and Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills await.

Patrick Mahomes, who established the dynasty last February when he led the Chiefs to a victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas, is seeking a fourth career Super Bowl title.

Once the league’s most explosive and offensive team, the Chiefs have reinvented themselves into a tenacious winning machine, relying on Steve Spagnuolo’s tenacious shape-shifting defense to win 11 more games this season. game advantage.

“We watch the Chiefs game and I think there’s a general public fatigue with the Chiefs,” Sky Sports NFL’s Neil Reynolds told Inside the Huddle.

“They’ve become the Patriots. Only Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have played in more AFC games in a row and they repeat and reset like the Patriots.

“Right now, everyone thinks they’re going to get calls every week. I think Patrick Mahomes has gotten a couple of calls in his favor that he probably shouldn’t have gotten.”

Hop on your social media platform of choice this season and you’re likely to encounter accusations of favorable decisions by officials, referee protection of Mahomes, and even accusations of Chiefs witchcraft. Of course, all of these are just opinions.

Just ask Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, who kicked a field goal and scored an extra point on Saturday while seeing another field goal blocked.

However, the Chiefs also benefited from controversial passing penalties on Will Anderson Jr. and Henry Toto’o in their divisional round win over the Texans, both of which were key. The moment is over.

Reynolds added: “I can see the frustration from the occasional calls that I get from the outside, but I do think people should enjoy and recognize what Brady and I did, which is great, historically great. “

“I love other teams getting to the Super Bowl, but the Chiefs had a really good run, a historic run, the best seven-year period in history, but they get some calls here and there.

“They were the good guys when they ended the Patriots dynasty!”

The Chiefs, who entered the playoffs with the 11th spot in point differential during the regular season, blocked a last-second field goal attempt by the Denver Broncos but failed in the final seconds against the Las Vegas Raiders. The fumble was saved and ended with Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Lakeley’s overstretched toe.

Likewise, they’ve survived significant injuries, persistent pass protection issues and fitful efficiency from Mahomes and his offense, reinforcing a sense of inevitability. They looked unconvincing at times, but finished 15-2 to lock up the top seed and a first-round bye.

Jeff Reinebold added: “I was listening to the radio after the game and the other guys on the phone were saying it was resolved and Mahomes got this and that.”

“People are starting to hate the Chiefs! They’ve been a team in the middle of America for decades and no one really cared about them.

“They were a small market that no one thought much about. Now they are an evil empire and you have to expel them.”

Over the weekend, Travis Kelce came alive during his favorite time of the year, leading the Chiefs with 117 receiving yards and a touchdown, surpassing Jerry Rice (Jerry Rice), became the player with the most 100-yard receiving game in a playoff game in NFL history.

He averaged 16.7 yards per catch that day, compared to just 8.5 during the regular season, giving him a career-low but still team-high 823 receiving yards.

“If you put me in a freezer for 10 years and you push me out and you put me back in and I watch Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce Show, I’ll know it’s January.”

“This is ridiculous. Patrick Mahomes vs. Travis Kelce, how did this happen?

“This is the Chiefs. 212 yards of offense, the fewest in a playoff win since 1991. There should be some concern, but they’re in the championship game again because Mahomes, Kyle The usual suspects.

“He caught the pass in the middle of the field and I’ve seen cruise ships turn faster.”

All four losing teams in the divisional round over the weekend finished with more offensive yards than their opponents in their respective games, with the Chiefs holding just 50 yards on the ground compared to Mahomes’ passing yards. The number is only 177 yards.

“Kansas City was beaten by Houston on first downs, third downs, total offense, total offense, yards per carry, passing — and this is Mahomes we’re talking about — rushing. … They won this football game,” Reinebold said.

It marked the 300th career win for Chiefs head coach Reid, who is now just four playoff wins away from tying Belichick’s all-time record of 31.

Will winning a third straight Super Bowl rival the Patriots icon for the right to be the greatest coach of all time?

“I don’t know how he couldn’t be the greatest player because he was in that special class with a handful of the best,” Reinebold said.

“If he can somehow lead this team to another Super Bowl victory and a three-peat, which no one has done, including Belichick, then how can you not He is placed in the same position.

“I think about Belichick’s volatile personality, Andy wanting to spread good things and wanting everyone to feel like they’re the reason they win, the culture of the Patriots has never been like that.

“He’s not like that. Their defense is the key to winning football games, not their offense, and that doesn’t bother him.”

What to do next?

Sunday, January 26th is the NFL Conference Championship – Live Broadcast Sky Sports NFL – The Philadelphia Eagles first face the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game at 8 p.m., then the Chiefs take on the Bills at 11:30 p.m.

Super Bowl LIX will be held on Sunday, February 9th at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Sky Sports NFL live broadcast.