The Kansas City Chiefs just booked their ticket to a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, defeating the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in the AFC Championship Game.
This was just business for players like quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce. This is the fifth time the Chiefs will play in the Super Bowl in the last six years. However, for some of their teammates, the opportunity to play in Super Bowl 59 could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Travis Kelce Thrilled Kareem Hunt Can Win Super Bowl With Chiefs
Speaking to the media after the Chiefs’ win over Buffalo, Kelce was asked about what the victory meant to him and the team, which he answered with the usual platitudes of an all-time great and three-time champion.
However, when the topic of running back Kareem Hunt came up, Kelce offered an emotionally resounding response, telling Kansas City reporter Darren Smith, “That’s my family right there, man. I love that guy to death… I’ve been his biggest advocate ever since all that happened, to try and get him back here [to Kansas City].”
I spoke with #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce after the game on what getting his teammate, running back Kareem Hunt, a chance to play in the Super Bowl meant to him. #ChiefsKingdom #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/0yQh4oKR8M
— Darren Smith (@DarrenSmithNFL) January 27, 2025
Of course, Kelce is referring to Hunt’s original release from the team back in 2018, when the running back was caught on video physically assaulting a woman. Hunt spent the ensuing five years with the Cleveland Browns before returning to the Chiefs this season following an IR stint for starting running back Isiah Pacheco.
Hunt ran for 728 yards on 200 carries in the regular season, adding 176 receiving yards and seven touchdowns to his ledger. He’s played in 52% of the offense’s snaps this year in games in which he’s been active, and he’s also become the clear workhorse back in the playoffs, totaling 25 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns in two games compared to Pacheco’s 10/30/0 rushing line.
Originally drafted in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Hunt and Kelce were teammates for two seasons in 2017 and 2018. Hunt was only around for the Chiefs’ 2017 playoff run, when they lost in the AFC Wild Card to the Tennessee Titans.
After seven consecutive 1,000+ yard campaigns from 2016-22, Kelce has taken a step back in recent years, compiling 93 receptions for 984 yards and five touchdowns in 2023 before logging 97 catches for 823 yards and three touchdowns this season.
Nevertheless, Kelce has routinely showed up when it matters most, dominating the opposition in the postseason. He led the Chiefs in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns during their back-to-back championship runs in 2022 and 2023, and he’s tallied nine catches for 123 yards and one touchdown this postseason.
If the Chiefs claim the Lombardi Trophy this year, it’s possible that Kelce will hang up his cleats and retire.
Hunt, Kelce, and the Chiefs will square off with the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59 after they crushed the Washington Commanders 55-23 in the NFC Championship Game. The Super Bowl will take place on Feb. 9 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
