The Kansas City Chiefs are going to the Super Bowl for the second straight year. After taking down the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game by a final score of 38-24, Patrick Mahomes and company will be going to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where they will attempt to take home their second straight Super Bowl victory as well.
Kansas City Chiefs Emerge Victorious in AFC Championship Game
First Quarter
The Bills got the ball first and had a decent first drive; they set their own tone early by going for it on 4th and short near midfield, which they converted with a toss to Dawson Knox. They settled for a 51-yard field goal from Tyler Bass later, making the score 3-0. After forcing the Chiefs to punt on their first drive, the Bills struggled on their next drive, especially after a long sack. However, Mecole Hardman fumbled the punt for the Chiefs, and the Bills quickly fell on it. It only took one play for them get into the end zone afterwards, with a three-yard toss to Knox again. However, the extra point failed, keeping the score 9-0 instead.
The Chiefs moved the ball efficiently on their next drive, eventually going for it on a short fourth down as well as opposed to settling for a field goal. They made it to the Bills red zone before the first quarter came to an end.
Second Quarter
Only a few plays into the second quarter, the Chiefs scored a three-yard touchdown on a screen pass to Hardman, thus helping to make up for his earlier mistake and cutting the score to 9-7. The Bills next drive came up short, due in part to a drop in the flats by Devin Singletary. The first play of the new Chiefs drive saw Hardman take an end-around for 50 yards, putting them in Bills territory immediately. Darrell Williams eventually took it on the ground for six yards into the end zone, putting the Chiefs up 14-9. The Bills then went three-and-out on their next drive.
The Chiefs drove the ball down the field again, heavily relying on Travis Kelce. However, it was once again a running back that got the touchdown–this time Clyde Edwards-Helaire on a one-yard scamper, putting them up 21-9. The Bills finally got moving on the next drive, with Allen getting into a rhythm. As the half started winding down and they got closer, they started draining the clock to try and keep Mahomes from being able to do anything with the ball again. However, they ended up settling for a short field goal, making the score 21-12 at halftime in favor of the Chiefs. Notably, Kelce had nine catches for 92 yards in the first half alone.
Third Quarter
The Chiefs got the ball to start the third quarter, and despite having a big 31-yard Tyreek Hill gain pulled back to 16 on a challenge when it was shown he stepped out of bounds, they moved the ball well again until they were stopped and forced to settle for a field goal for the first time. Harrison Butker hit a 45-yarder, making the score 24-12. The Bills responded on the next drive, with Allen starting to settle down and get more comfortable. However, they settled for a field goal again, cutting the score to 24-15.
The next Chiefs drive saw Hill grab a short pass and take it to the four-yard line for 71 yards; however, he got banged up on the play. A few plays later, Mahomes sent a shuffle pass to to Kelce for a one-yard touchdown, putting the Chiefs up 31-15.
Fourth Quarter
The Bills next drive overlapped into the fourth quarter, which started with a fourth-down conversion. However, the drive ended with a pass that was deflected and then intercepted by Rashad Fenton. The Chiefs drove down the field again, and capped with another touchdown pass to a wide open Kelce for five yards, putting the score at 38-15 and with just about half a quarter left, that put the game essentially out of reach.
Despite that, the Bills drove down the field on the next drive and scored on a six-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah McKenzie. They attempted a two-point conversion, but the pass was intercepted and the score remained 38-21. Surprisingly, the Bills recovered the onside kick afterwards. That drive got stopped after a long sack which led to a brief scrum resulting in four personal fouls, and then Bass converted a 51-yard field goal to make the game 38-24.
The Chiefs got the ball back, and at that point ran down the clock to finish the game off with the final score of 38-24 to clinch their trip to the Super Bowl.
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