Outside of being just being an exciting game between the AFC's two best teams, Sunday afternoon's AFC Championship game between the Chiefs and the Ravens delivered the perfect amount of trash talk.
It even started before the game, when Ravens kicker Justin Tucker had a conversation with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce that looked a little contentious. Then, when the Ravens scored their first – and only – touchdown of the night, the offense celebrated with a dance that was maybe, just maybe, a dig at Taylor Swift. And in one of the game's bigger moments, Ravens rookie wide receiver was penalized for taunting on a 54-yard completion. The trash talk certainly didn't stop after the game, when Chiefs' offensive tackle Donovan Smith got on Instagram Live to troll Roquan Smith during Smith's press conference, and 'troll' is probably putting it lightly:
[Warning: Video includes NSFW language]
Donovan Smith is a fool 😂😂 #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/2TPxvaU37I
— Dante' Jones (@Dantej21) January 28, 2024
Well then! Going on IG Live to trash talk after a big win is quickly becoming tradition, so fair is fair. And considering the Chiefs' offensive line only allowed one of the NFL's best defenses to sack Mahomes twice, you can sorta understand why Smith would be so amped. The Chiefs have adopted a real 'us-against-everyone' persona for this year's playoffs, after a lackluster regular season (for their standards) had them playing true road games for the first time in the Reid-Mahomes era. They'll now head to their 4th Super Bowl appearance in five years, where they'll play the winner of the NFC Championship game between the Lions and 49ers. Hopefully there's a little more Instagram Live trash talk between now and then.