The Kansas City Chiefs advanced to their fifth Super Bowl in six years Sunday, defeating the Buffalo Bills 32-39 in the AFC championship game.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs on an eight-play, 51-yard drive late in the fourth quarter to set up the go-ahead field goal. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen threw incomplete on fourth-and-5 on the Bills’ next drive, and Buffalo never got the ball back.
“I’m excited to get to New Orleans and try to make history,” Mahomes said on the podium after the game.
The fourth postseason matchup between Mahomes and Allen, Sunday’s matchup lived up to the hype. The game was within one point headed into the fourth quarter and featured six lead changes.
Mahomes finished with 245 yards passing and 43 yards rushing, combining for three touchdowns. He helped give Kansas City a 21-16 lead at halftime, then spearheaded two scoring drives in the fourth quarter to complete a comeback.
Allen fell to 0-4 against Mahomes despite throwing for 237 yards and two scores. He also ran for 39 yards.
The Bills started the game 3-of-3 on fourth-down attempts but converted only one of their last three. On one of the failed conversions, there was controversy over whether or not Allen actually picked up the first down on a quarterback sneak. On the other failed attempt, tight end Dalton Kincaid dropped a diving catch on a broken play.
The Chiefs now have a chance to win their third Super Bowl in a row, and they’ll have to do so against a familiar opponent: the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles advanced to the Super Bowl with a 55-23 drubbing of the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game. Philadelphia and Kansas City played each other in the Super Bowl two years ago.
The Eagles thoroughly dominated on the ground, running 36 times for 229 yards and a conference championship-record seven touchdowns. Saquon Barkley rushed for 118 yards on only 15 carries, including a 60-yard touchdown run on the Eagles’ first play from scrimmage.
The Commanders turned the ball over four times and committed nine costly penalties. Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels was 29-of-48 passing for 255 yards with one score and one interception.
Super Bowl 59 will be played Feb. 9.
Mahomes lifts AFC championship trophy
Mahomes joins Elway, Brady in NFL history
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has entered rare territory by making a fifth Super Bowl in six years. No team in NFL history has done that before, and by reaching a fifth Super Bowl, Mahomes joins John Elway and Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks to amass that many.
Final: Chiefs 32, Bills 29
The Bills can’t get a third-down stop, and this game is over.
The Chiefs are making their fifth Super Bowl appearance in six years and third in a row.
Josh Allen and the Bills are now 0-4 against Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City in the playoffs.
Bills stopped on fourth down!
Wow!
With a fierce pass rush in his face, Josh Allen heaved the ball up on fourth down and almost converted for a first. Almost!
The ball nearly landed in the hands of tight end Dalton Kincaid, but he couldn’t hold on.
The Bills can still get the ball back with a stop.
Decision of the game coming up
Bills have a 4th-and-5 from their own 47 coming out of the two-minute warning. Will they go for it?
Buffalo still has all three timeouts, but punting and giving the ball back to Patrick Mahomes willingly feels like a dicey proposition right now.
Can Bills become first team to beat Kansas City in close game?
The Chiefs have won 16 consecutive one-score games, a streak that includes an 11-0 record in such situations this season. Kansas City never looked more mortal than at times this season, yet always prevailed in nail-biter games. With Kansas City only getting a field goal on its most recent drive to lead 32-29 with 3:33 left, Buffalo has its chance to do what no other team has this season.
Bills make massive stop, force field goal
Huge, huge series of events in this game.
The Chiefs had a 1st-and-goal from the 10-yard line, but a first-down sack by Jordan Philips set them back seven yards. Kansas City couldn’t recover from the negative play, and was forced to kick a field goal.
The Chiefs have a 32-29 lead. Josh Allen now has 3:33 to tie the game — or give the Bills the lead.
Two-point conversions? Advantage, Chiefs
Buffalo has chased extra points but hasn't been rewarded; the Bills are 0-for-2 on two-point conversions. One was a failed pass, the other a failed run.
Kansas City converted on its only two-point attempt. That is a six-point difference in a tie game.
Touchdown, Bills!
This game is only getting wilder.
On 4th-and-goal from the 4-yard line, Josh Allen found a wide-open Curtis Samuel in the back of the end zone for a game-tying touchdown.
That’s Buffalo’s second touchdown on fourth down today. This one came at the end of a nine-play, 70-yard drive.
Now it’s the Chiefs’ turn. It’s 29-29 with 6:15 left.
Touchdown, Chiefs!
Only five plays after a big fourth-down stop, the Chiefs are in the end zone.
Kansas City drove 59 yards in five plays, with Patrick Mahomes scoring on a designed run from seven yards out for a touchdown.
Mahomes now has 45 yards and two scores on the ground today.
After a successful two-point conversion, the Chiefs lead 29-22.
