To the victors go the spoils, which is something the Kansas City Chiefs know very well these days. It didn't take long for the AFC to adopt another dynasty following the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era in New England. In fact, Kansas City's rise to the top began just after Brady's Patriots won it all for the sixth and final time.
The rest of the AFC may not like it, but the fact is that the Chiefs are the NFL's new dynasty. That was made crystal clear this postseason, when Kansas City flexed its muscles on the road for the first time during a Patrick Mahomes-led playoff run. The Chiefs showed that, even when they're not at their best, they're still the team by which all other NFL teams are measured.
The Chiefs won their fourth AFC title in five years lately because of the performances of several individuals. Those players are recognized here as part of our All-AFC playoff team. And don't worry, non-Chiefs fans, more than a few players who don't play for the defending AFC champs made the cut, too.
Offense
No surprise here. Mahomes is currently second to Jared Goff in passing yards this postseason, and he's a shoo in to pass Goff during the Super Bowl. Mahomes is now 3-0 all-time in the postseason against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. If he can win the Super Bowl, Mahomes will join Brady, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman as the only starting quarterbacks with at least three Super Bowl rings.
The Chiefs' second-year running back leads all playoff ballcarriers with 254 rushing yards so far. He's got a 66-yard edge on 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.
Consistency has been a big part of Pacheco's game this postseason. He had 24 carries in the Chiefs' wins over Miami and Baltimore and has rushed for a score in each of Kansas City's playoff wins so far.
Rice is currently second among all AFC receivers in receiving yards, trailing only teammate Travis Kelce. His rookie debut was an eight-catch, 130-yard, one touchdown performance against Miami. Rice followed that up by catching 12 of his 13 targets in Kansas City's wins over Buffalo and Baltimore.
See, there is a non-Chiefs player on this team! Collins is currently the eighth-leading playoff receiver and is third among AFC pass-catchers. He caught six passes for 96 yards and a score in Houston's Super Wild Card Weekend win over Cleveland. He was C.J. Stroud's top target again a week later in Baltimore.
While his fumble against the Chiefs was big, Flowers nonetheless was a main reason why the Ravens were still in the Sunday's game until the end. Baltimore's rookie first-round pick caught five passes for 115 yards that included his 54-yard touchdown catch that tied the score in the first quarter.
Believe it or not, Kelce is not the current playoff receiving yardage leader. He'll go into the Super Bowl needing 13 yards to pass Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown. It's safe to say Kelce will do that early in the proceedings.
Kelce's performance against Baltimore evoked memories of Duke hoops legend Christian Laettner's perfect shooting night against Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA tournament. Against the Ravens, Kelce caught all 11 of his targets for 116 yards and a score. In the process, he passed Jerry Rice for the most career receptions in playoff history.
Tunsil more than deserves this spot after the job he did on Myles Garrett on Super Wild Card Weekend. Tunsil allowed just one pressure and no sacks on 12 matchups with the Browns' Defensive Player of the Year Candidate.
Algegretti more than held his own while replacing injured started Joe Thuney against Baltimore. He was an integral part of an offensive line that allowed just two sacks of Mahomes.
The leader of the Chiefs' offensive line has played up to his usual high standard this postseason. With Humphrey leading the way, Kansas City churned out 147 and 146 yards in the Chiefs' first two playoff wins, respectively. The Chiefs also didn't allow a sack of Mahomes over that span.
Smith has provided welcomed nastiness to Kansas City's offensive line. The second-year pro had several notable blocks on Sunday against Ravens standouts Patrick Queen and Justin Madubuike.
Moses deserves some recognition for what was a challenging season. The 10-year veteran dealt with injuries throughout the season, but managed to fight through it while playing a key role in Baltimore's success.
Defense
Karlaftis heads to the Super Bowl just a half-sack behind Aidan Hutchinson for the postseason lead. He had a big sack of Lamar Jackson during Sunday's win.
Madubuike had a solid game against the Chiefs, posting six sacks and a half-sack of Patrick Mahomes. A week earlier, he was part of a Ravens defense that shut out the Texans during the second half.
It's safe to say that Hinish has fond memories of his first NFL postseason. The second-year pro recorded a sack against Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson.
While he hasn't made a major impact from a statistical standpoint, Jones' mere presence has created more opportunities for his teammates. And while he didn't sack Jackson, Jones got close several times while forcing the likely league MVP to leave the pocket.
Bolton's 27 tackles this postseason is four more than the next closest player. He had a whopping 13 stops during Kansas City's victory in Buffalo.
Smith put forth a winning effort against the Chiefs. An All-Pro this season, Smith had 16 tackles against Kansas City that included seven solo stops. He had seven tackles during the previous week's win over Houston.
Against the Browns, Harris became the first player since Texans legend JJ Watt to have a sack and a pick-six in a playoff game. Harris had eight tackles in that game and seven more stops a week later in Baltimore.
Nelson's 82-yard pick-six against the Browns helped Houston pull away from Cleveland in the third quarter. The veteran corner also had 12 tackles and three pass breakups during Houston's two playoff games.
Bush replaced injured starter Mike Edwards against Baltimore and came up with a big pick of Jackson in the Chiefs' end zone. A week earlier, Bush's anticipation of Buffalo's fake punt attempt loomed large in Kansas City's three-point win.
Many NFL fans are just realizing how good Reid is this postseason. The six-year veteran had 11 stops in Buffalo before recording a sack of Lamar Jackson during Sunday's AFC title game win.
Sneed's forced fumble of Zay Flowers was reason alone to include him on this team. Teammate and All-Pro Trent McDuffie, who scooped up Flowers' fumble, ends up being this team's biggest snub.
Special teams
Butker has yet to miss a kick this postseason. He's a perfect 7 of 7 on field goal tries. The veteran kicker has also made all seven of his point-after attempts.
Stout leads the AFC this postseason with a 46.7 yards-per-punt average. He had four punts that landed inside the 20.
Against the Ravens, Sims scored the Texans' only touchdown on a 67-yard punt return. He's also currently third in the playoff standings with a 26-yard kickoff return average.
