Tyreek Hill, who now plays for the Miami Dolphins, praised his former team, the Kansas City Chiefs, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes after they reached their second straight Super Bowl without him.

Hill was a star performer for the Chiefs since being drafted in 2016. But he left for the Miami Dolphins in a huge trade in 2022. Many wondered how Mahomes and the Chiefs would fare without the speedy wide receiver, but they won last year’s Super Bowl without him and are now heading back to the season finale.

The Chiefs had a rocky regular season, ending with an 11-6 record. It meant the reigning Super Bowl champs had to play a Wild Card round, followed by the Divisional Round and then the AFC Championship Game.

They first beat Hill’s Miami at a chilly Arrowhead earlier this month, then won an away game against the Buffalo Bills, even though they were the underdogs. Andy Reid’s team played another away playoff game, this time against the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC Championship. Despite the odds favouring Lamar Jackson and his team, the Chiefs came out on top in Sunday’s match.

The Chiefs won the game 17-10, securing their place in next month’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas. They’ll be facing off against the San Francisco 49ers for the second time in four years.

Even though Hill left the Chiefs two years ago, he still holds his former quarterback and head coach in high regard. “15 and Andy know how to win games,” Hill said on X after the game.

Mahomes is set to play in his fourth Super Bowl in Las Vegas next month. He said: “You never know how many you’re going to get to, or if you’re going to get to any,” and “It truly is special just to do it with these guys after what we’ve been through all season long, guys coming together, it really is special. But I told them the job’s not done. Our job now is to prepare ourselves to play a good football team in the Super Bowl and try to get that ring.”

The Chiefs have made a second consecutive Super Bowl ( Image: Getty)

Despite being an experienced player, Mahomes hadn’t played a road playoff game in the NFL until 2023. He said: “If I had my choice, I’d rather do it at Arrowhead,” and “So after we go to the Super Bowl and hopefully win it, we’ll try to get it back at Arrowhead next year.”

The upcoming Super Bowl LVIII also holds significance for Taylor Swift. The pop star, who has been dating Travis Kelce since last year, has attended 12 games and has very few losses on her record since wearing Kansas City colours.

However, she’ll have to dash back from Japan, where she’s performing several shows. This leaves her with less than a day to travel from Asia to Vegas for the game on Feb. 11. After the Chiefs’ victory, Kelce and Swift were seen sharing a celebratory kiss on the field.