1 day Ago By Daniel Trainor
After the Kansas City Chiefs won the AFC Championship for the third year in a row, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins poured one out for critics of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes . “Everybody has to choose a team they go against or that they feel is getting help from someone,” Hopkins, 32, told The Athletic after the Chiefs’ 32-29 victory against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC title game on Sunday, January 26. “Everybody has to choose a villain, and it’s easy to choose someone who’s winning as much as our guy is.
” In particular, Hopkins — who was traded to the Chiefs in October 2024 after 11 seasons with the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans — was referring to the narrative that Mahomes, 29, and the Chiefs have been the beneficiaries of preferential treatment by the NFL’s officials. “How can Patrick Mahomes be the villain? The same way Tom Brady could be, and the same way Michael Jordan was,” Hopkins explained. To draw the line between Jordan, 61, and Mahomes, Hopkins harkened back to the 1998 NBA Finals, when Jordan allegedly pushed off Utah Jazz player Byron Russell to hit a series-clinching shot in Game 6.
The moment has become one of the most indelible in the history of professional basketball. “Why do people still talk about M.J.
pushing off almost 30 years later?” Hopkins continued. “Because he’s one of the greatest ever to do it, and when he won his sixth [NBA championship], people were tired of watching him win.” With Sunday’s win over the Bills, Mahomes and the Chiefs advanced to Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, February 9, where Kansas City will look to become the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
The Chiefs have now made the Super Bowl in five of the last six seasons, also winning in 2020. You have successfully subscribed. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly Check our latest news in Google News Check our latest news in Apple News After the game, Mahomes — who has previously downplayed any perceived help the Chiefs have received from officiating crews — took a moment to marvel at what his team had accomplished.
“It’s just so hard to get to the Super Bowl and I don’t take it for granted, and to do it again at Arrowhead Stadium was special,” Mahomes told reporters. “You get that trophy on that stage and you look around here and there’s not an empty seat. It’s special.
” He added, “I’ve always said it: It’s not about one guy. It’s not about a couple guys. It’s about the whole entire team.
When we needed the defense to get stops, they got stops. Offense, we made plays. That’s why we’re so special.
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