The Kansas City Chiefs, along with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, will be looking for the first ever three-peat in NFL history after they came out of a close game against the Bills, prevailing by just three points in the Sunday night blockbuster.
Patrick Mahomes had a strong performance, as he usually does in playoff games, throwing for 245 yards passing, using his legs for another 43 yards on the ground, and scoring three total touchdowns. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy, the fastest player in NFL Combine history, had 101 total yards, and one receiving touchdown, including a 26-yard catch that he wrestled away from Bills safety Cole Bishop to set up a Kansas City touchdown.
The main controversy this time around was a fourth down conversion attempt with 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter. At this time, the Bills were up 22-21. The Bills quarterback, Josh Allen, ran a quarterback sneak up the middle that was very close to the first down marker, however, the refs did call him short. The Bills challenged the call, and while the ball seemed to be across the mark that was needed for the first down, the referees ruled that there was insignificant evidence. This gave Mahomes the ball back, and Kansas City scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive.
The Bills responded to the Chiefs with their own touchdown, tying the game at 29 with just over 6 minutes left in the AFC Championship. The Chiefs mounted their own drive, marching 51 yards down the field to score a field goal to give them a 32-29 point lead. The Bills had one chance to tie the game, or the Chiefs would once again beat them in the playoffs. Early in the drive, Buffalo ran into trouble, and they faced a 4th and 5 with 2 minutes left in the game.
They snapped the ball that would start the most important five seconds of the game. The Chiefs brought a heavy blitz onto Josh Allen. Allen miraculously got the ball out, throwing up a twenty yard prayer in the direction of tight end Dalton Kincaid, who dove for the ball and watched it slide harmlessly through his hands. The Chiefs got the ball back and iced the game with a 17 yard pass to Samaje Perine, their fullback.
The celebration ensued, as the Chiefs knew the fight for the three-peat has hit a new record. No team has ever made it back to the Super Bowl after winning the prior two. Mahomes was interviewed on the field and had a simple statement about his upcoming game. “I’m excited to get to New Orleans and try to make history.” Team chairman Clark Hunt was also asked about the three-peat history, and why the other eight teams who had a chance failed at doing it, he said “Those teams didn’t have the combination of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.”
The Kansas City Chiefs will be in familiar territory in this year’s Super Bowl, as they will host a rematch of Super Bowl 57, as they take on the Eagles. The game will be hosted on February 9th, at 5:30 PM CST. Rap artist Kendrick Lamar will be performing, along with R&B Guest SZA at the halftime show. Super Bowl LIX will be a fun time, no matter what happens.