Who the Chiefs Are Rooting For on Championship Weekend

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Eight years ago, 103.4 million watched Nick Foles, former Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson and the Eagles beat the Patriots in Super Bowl 52.

On Sunday, the former Kansas City quarterback got 17.4 million views for one of the best tweets of all-time.

Note for the Broncos and their fans: I know it has been an emotional 24 hours. I feel for Bo and the team, and I'm sending prayers for a strong recovery.

A positive note going into the game versus the Patriots is that they struggle against backup QBs in championship-type games.
— Nick Foles (@NickFoles) January 18, 2026

Kelce rallies behind emergency starter

And thanks in part to Foles, former Kansas City teammate Travis Kelce is now a Jarrett Stidham fan.

The Broncos quarterback, who last threw an NFL pass with Kelce on the opposite sideline more than a year ago in Denver, will make his postseason debut in an emergency start when the Broncos host New England in Sunday’s AFC championship game (2 p.m. CT, CBS).

stidham, karlafti — Jan 7, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jarrett Stidham (3) is chased by Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis (56) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“Stidham has some live bullets, though,” Travis Kelce said on this week’s edition of New Heights. “He's played some ball in the National Football League, so I don't think he comes in there with just absolutely no confidence.”

Kelce should know. At the end of the 2022 season, the Chiefs finished the regular season in Las Vegas with Stidham making his second career start. On that day, a 31-13 Kansas City win, Juan Thornhill intercepted Stidham and the Chiefs sacked him six times (Chris Jones had 2½, Mike Danna two, Justin Reid one and George Karlaftis ½).

“Obviously, he's got a great team around him,” Kelce said of the Broncos, who finished 14-3 and beat Buffalo in overtime before losing Bo Nix after the win. “He's got Sean Payton dialing things up for him. And I think it'll actually be better than what people are assuming. Obviously, Bo Nix is an unbelievable talent. What he can do with his feet, his arm outside of the pocket; he's more of a gamer.

“And in the fourth quarter, he does have that ability to just make the f---ing crazy-ass play, the game-changing play. Stidham definitely is going to have to come in and show us that he's ready for that moment. But I think it's going to be closer and just a better game than kind of how it feels, knowing that one of the best players in the league isn't going to be playing.”

For the division

With a win on Sunday, the Broncos would combine with the Chiefs to make the AFC West the NFL’s first division to reach four straight Super Bowls since 1990-93.

troy aikma — Jan 31, 1993; Pasadena, CA, USA: FILE PHOTO; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman (8) in action against the Buffalo Bills during Super Bowl XXVII at the Rose Bowl. The Cowboys defeated the Bills 52-17. Mandatory Credit: Long Photography-USA TODAY NETWORK | Long Photography-Imagn Images

The last divisions to accomplish that feat were the NFC East and AFC East, who each did it over those four seasons. The Giants reached the Super Bowl in 1990, Washington in 1991 and the Cowboys in both 1992 and 1993.

Meanwhile, the AFC East had just one representative in each of those four Super Bowls, Buffalo. The Bills lost all four games, the only franchise in league history to lose four Super Bowls in consecutive fashion.

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