15 incredible sports photos from Getty Images this week

The sports world makes for a beautiful palette but individual images can get lost in the constant shuffle. Here are the best Getty Images sports photos from this week.

Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates in the fourth quarter during the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium on Jan. 24, 2021, in Kansas City, Missouri.

In any given year, Getty Images would typically have at least three or four photographers covering the AFC championship game. Due to the pandemic, this year’s game between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs was a little bit different. We had only one credential to cover the game, so the pressure was definitely on! With the help of one of our remote editors pushing out images to our site, I was able to concentrate on shooting the action. As you can see in this photo of Patrick Mahomes celebrating, the Chiefs ended up winning the game and are now heading to the Super Bowl for a second straight year.

— Jamie Squire

Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warms up prior to their NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Jan. 24, 2021, in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

This past weekend’s NFC Championship game did not disappoint. Tom Brady’s “let’s go” photo says it all. It was incredible to witness this conference championship game against arguably the best quarterback in the league this season in one of the most iconic football towns in the NFL, and now on top of that add in a 10th Super Bowl appearance by Tom Brady. Not only will Brady be making history with potentially a seventh Super Bowl ring, but in the 55 years the game has been held, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be the first team to play the Super Bowl in its home stadium. 

— Stacy Revere

Fans stand in front of a mural painted in tribute to Kobe Bryant after his death one year ago on Jan. 26, 2021, in Los Angeles, California.

I was assigned to cover the one-year anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s death, so I researched and found a handful of murals around the city that I liked, where fans might gather to honor his life. This specific mural is located in downtown LA not far from Staples Center which I visited prior. I was at this location observing for about 15 minutes before noticing this fan and his Bryant jersey. He lingered around the mural and as he moved to the center, I quietly walked behind him and took this picture without him noticing. Nothing more needed to be said.

— Harry How

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket to score a layup during a 115-113 Warriors win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Staples Center on Jan. 18, 2021, in Los Angeles, California.

Steph Curry was dribbling at the top of the key when he quickly and suddenly drove to the basket between the Los Angeles Lakers defense. I used a slow shutter on my camera to pan his movement as he cut through and up in the air to the basket. The slow shutter emphasizes his speed and makes him stand out as the other players are blurred and out of focus. The frames before and after this were not sharp at all. A bit of luck comes into play whenever shooting with a slow shutter.

— Harry How

Mecole Hardman of the Kansas City Chiefs scores a touchdown in the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills during the AFC Championship game at Arrowhead Stadium on Jan. 24, 2021, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers completes a reception for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers during the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field on Jan. 24, 2021, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Kelly Oubre Jr. of the Golden State Warriors goes up for a dunk on Naz Reid of the Minnesota Timberwolves at Chase Center on January 27, 2021, in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Radek Faksa of the Dallas Stars in the third period at American Airlines Center on Jan. 26, 2021, in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Tony Cocchi, wearing Hank Aarons’s actual jersey and Cason Zanardo look at the memorial while paying respect to the baseball player and community member, at his home run location at the former Turner Field parking area on Jan. 23, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia. Hank Aaron played for the Atlanta Braves and was known as the Home-Run King. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)

Cameron Champ plays his shot from the 17th tee during the second round of The American Express tournament on the Stadium course at PGA West on Jan. 22, 2021, in La Quinta, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland is seen silhouetted on the driving range prior to the pro-am ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on Jan. 20, 2021, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Aaron Calver of Western United and Bruno Fornaroli of Perth Glory compete for the ball during the A-League match between Western United and the Perth Glory at GMHBA Stadium, on Jan. 23, 2021, in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Elizabeth Anton of the Glory celebrates after scoring her teams first goal during the round five W-League match between Canberra United and the Perth Glory at Viking Park, on Jan. 24, 2021, in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Thomas Muller of Bayern Munich scores their sides first goal past Ralf Fahrmann of FC Schalke 04 during the Bundesliga match between FC Schalke 04 and FC Bayern Muenchen at Veltins-Arena on Jan. 24, 2021 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Sporting stadiums around Germany remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Ben Davies of Preston North End passes the ball during the Sky Bet Championship match between Birmingham City and Preston North End at St Andrew’s Trillion Trophy Stadium on Jan. 20, 2021 in Birmingham, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)