Travis Kelce sends crystal-clear message to injured Joe Burrow after winning AFC West vs Bengals

For two years, Travis Kelce and Joe Burrow have gone head-to-head in AFC Championship matchups. In 2022, the Bengals came to Arrowhead and vanquished the Chiefs to make it to the Super Bowl. Last year, Kansas City got its revenge en route to lifting the Lombardi Trophy.

This year has been different for both teams. The Chiefs have struggled on offense despite having Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and will not be the first seed in the AFC. However, they have won the AFC West divisional title and are headed to the playoffs.

The Bengals have had no such luck. They began the season under a cloud as Joe Burrow looked to play through a calf injury he had picked up in the offseason. Just when it looked like they came back into postseason contention, they lost their franchise quarterback for the season with a right wrist injury against the Baltimore Ravens.

Jake Browning came in to try and salvage the ship and he played well in bursts. But it was not enough as this week's loss to Kansas City consigned them to watching the playoffs from their couches.

Therefore, there were contrasting emotions at the end of the day at Arrowhead. Joe Burrow could only look on forlornly while Travis Kelce and his teammates celebrated. But the tight end sought out the Cincinnati quarterback at the end of the game and conveyed the respect he has for his counterpart.

The Chiefs star said:

“(The injury) ripped our soul out man.”

Chris Jones joins Travis Kelce in wishing Joe Burrow well

It was not just Travis Kelce who had a lot of love for Joe Burrow. Star defender Chris Jones also came through and said that the game missed the Bengals star. He also took time to congratulate Jake Browning for being a "warrior."

However, it was not all flowers and perfumes at the end of a hard-fought game. Ja'Marr Chase and L'Jarius Sneed had been at each other's throats before and during the game and there was no letdown after it either. The Cincinnati wide receiver said his Kansas City counterpart could not handle fighting him.

Sneed, for his part, simply replied that people should check the stats. The wide receiver had just three catches for 41 yards and no touchdowns.

Ultimately, the biggest stat of all is that the Chiefs will be playing postseason football and the Bengals players will be sitting at home. It might have been so different if Joe Burrow had remained healthy through the season.