Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The aftermath of an NFL Divisional Round playoff game can be a trying time. But usually that’s reserved for the losing team, which has to contend with their season being over and their conference championship and Super Bowl hopes being dead.

Typically the winning team gets to enjoy some hearty celebration.

But an issue in the locker rooms following a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills appears to have poured cold water on the Chiefs’ celebration following a 27-24 win. Quite literally.

According to a tweet by Kansas City offensive tackle Donovan Smith, the hot water in the showers was not working after the game. Smith went as far as to suggest that Buffalo shut the hot water off, tweeting the following:

“Damn caught a L and they shut our hot water off… smh its all good we got that Dub today #ChiefsKingdom”

Whether the hot water malfunctioned or there was some nefarious action at play targeting the Kansas City Chiefs, it’s actually not the first time this NFL season that hot water in the locker rooms has become a very public issue.

Earlier this season, reports surfaced that an equipment failure in the main water heater at FedEx Field prevented the New York Giants and Washington Commanders from having hot water in the showers after the game.

The story quickly went viral on social media, much like Smith’s revelation is bound to do for Sunday night’s snafu.

The likeliest explanation for the post-playoff ice cold showers is likely a similar type of failure, though anything is possible. Officials explained after the FedEx Field fiasco that an equipment failure was responsible.

“We had an equipment failure in the main water heater that provides hot water to the field level locker rooms,” a Commanders official said after the game in mid-November. “We can’t resolve the matter without completely shutting off the water to the stadium, which is why it couldn’t be repaired in game.”

Whatever the case, the Kansas City Chiefs can be warmed by the fact that they’re headed to the AFC Championship Game for the sixth straight season after bopping the Buffalo Bills.

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