KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The run continues.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 245 yards and a touchdown, added 43 yards on the ground and two scores to lead the Chiefs to a 32-29 win against the Bills in the AFC championship game on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The win puts the Chiefs in the Super Bowl for the third year in a row — a feat never done before in NFL history.
Now the Chiefs will try to finish the three-peat against a familiar foe in the Eagles in Super Bowl 59 on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. The Chiefs beat the Eagles 38-35 in the Super Bowl two years ago.
“It’s so hard to get to a Super Bowl,” Mahomes said. “And I don’t take it for granted. To be able to do it again at Arrowhead is special. And then you get the trophy on that stage. It’s a special place.”
With the Chiefs trailing 22-21 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Bills faced a fourth-and-1 from the Chiefs’ 41. Josh Allen took the snap and powered behind left guard, but Nick Bolton and a slew of Chiefs held strong and turned the Bills back just short of the first down marker. The play was reviewed, but the call on the field was upheld, and the Chiefs took over on downs.
Mahomes took the Chiefs 59 yards in five plays, culminating a Mahomes’ 10-yard rushing touchdown. The Chiefs went for two, and Mahomes found Justin Watson in the back of the end zone for the conversion to go up 29-22.
Allen, though, marched the Bills right down the field and found Curtis Samuel for a touchdown to the tie game with 6:15 to go. But Mahomes again had an answer. He quickly guided the Chiefs to the Buffalo 10-yard line, and Harrison Butker kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the Chiefs a 32-29 lead with 3:33 to play.
The Chiefs defense again came through on the next drive. On fourth-and-five from the Buffalo 47, the Chiefs sent Trent McDuffie on a corner blitz, and Allen’s deep pass for Dalton Kincaid fell incomplete, giving Mahomes and the Chiefs the ball back with a chance to run out the clock.
The Chiefs picked up a couple first downs, the last on a Mahomes’ 17-yard pass to Samaje Perine to ice the game.
“This game came down to an inch literally,” Reid said, acknowledging his stout defense. “That’s what the stop was. It was back and forth and whoever had the ball last was probably going to come out ahead. I’m proud of our guys for battling. Patrick Mahomes was phenomenal.”
Kareem Hunt rushed 17 times for 64 yards and a touchdown, and Xavier Worthy had six catches for 85 yards and a score. The win puts the Chiefs in the Super Bowl for the fifth time in seven years, but a three-peat is what they set out to do. Now they’ll get that chance.
“It’s an amazing achievement,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said. “We talked a lot about this early in the year. And it’s hard to put into words what it means to have the opportunity that we will here in two weeks in New Orleans. It’s so special. And I thought our fans were incredible.”
