Chiefs hold off Bills in AFC Championship Game thriller fasterkora.xyz

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs’ drive for an NFL three-peat is alive.

They survived a classic AFC Championship Game on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, scoring the winning points on Harrison Butker’s 35-yard field goal with 3:33 remaining for a final tally of 32-29.

The Chiefs led 21-10 late in the first half only to fall behind 22-21 by the end of the third quarter. They scored 11 points in the fourth to claim the victory. Kansas City stopped the Bills on fourth down near midfield following Butker’s kick. The win was the Chiefs’ 17th straight in games decided by one score, an NFL record.

The Chiefs will continue their bid to become the first team to win three consecutive championships during the Super Bowl era in Super Bowl LIX in two weeks against the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans.

Here are the keys to know from the AFC Championship Game:

Describe the game in two words: Late rally. The Chiefs trailed heading into the fourth quarter but stopped the Bills on fourth down at midfield and went on to score a touchdown that gave them a 29-22 lead. The Bills subsequently tied the game before Butker’s field goal lifted Kansas City to the victory.

QB breakdown: Patrick Mahomes had one of his better games of the campaign. He mostly threw quick passes and was much sharper with them than in the divisional round victory over the Houston Texans. Mahomes also was productive as a runner, registering 43 yards and two touchdowns. The Bills had been effective in eliminating Mahomes as a runner when the teams met in in Week 11, holding him without a carry. But Mahomes’ rushing was a big factor in this contest. He not only scored twice, but he converted on fourth-down carry in the second quarter that kept alive a drive that culminated in the Kansas City’s second touchdown of the game.

Most surprising performance: A week after his big divisional game against the Texans, tight end Travis Kelce had just two catches for 19 yards. But the Chiefs got significant contributions from their wide receivers, also unlike last week. Xavier Worthy scored a touchdown, Justin Watson had a catch on a 2-point conversion and Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster combined for five receptions and 95 yards. — Teicher

Next game: Super Bowl LIX, Feb. 9 vs. Eagles, New Orleans, 6:30 p.m. ET (Fox)

Yet again, the Bills’ Super Bowl dreams were cut short by the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes.

A season of surpassed expectations and new heights ultimately had the same familiar ending as a sloppy first half set up a tight final two quarters, and Buffalo’s efforts just weren’t quite enough. Its mistake-riddled play continued into the final drive, when the Bills’ offense had an opportunity to put together a winning drive.

The Bills seemed unprepared for a blitz on fourth-and-5 with two minutes remaining in the game. Tight end Dalton Kincaid did not come down with a late heave from quarterback Josh Allen.

The Bills have now lost all four postseason meetings against the Mahomes-led Chiefs team since 2020 and have dropped eight straight road playoff games. Allen-led Bills teams are 0-2 in the AFC Championship Game.

The Bills worked for a fourth-quarter lead and tied the game at 29-29. But ultimately, the defense was unable to get off the field or limit Mahomes when it needed to. A short-handed secondary — with starting cornerback Christian Benford leaving in the first quarter due to a concussion and safety Taylor Rapp not playing (hip/back) — didn’t not help.

Allen finished the best season of his career with a mixed performance, completing 22 of 34 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 11 rushes for 39 yards. The quest to get past Mahomes and Chiefs coach Andy Reid continues for another year for the Bills.

Describe the game in two words: Postseason kryptonite. The Bills’ playoff woes against the Chiefs crept up yet again, and Buffalo will go into the offseason with new questions about what this team needs to do to get past Kansas City in the postseason.

Biggest hole in game plan: Not establishing the run with James Cook early. The Bills’ rushing attack was key to getting them to the conference title game, but it was not an integral part of the offense in the first half. That didn’t help keep the ball away from Mahomes and limited the offense. Buffalo O-coordinator Joe Brady had only 11 designed rushes in the first half (four by Cook), the same amount the Bills had during the first drive of the second half. Cook had success once he got going, rushing for 85 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.

Troubling trend: Sloppy performance. The offensive unit had six plays that could have been turnovers, with a fumble by running back Ray Davis that he recovered, three fumbles by Allen that he recovered and two near interceptions. The typically dependable Allen tush push play (with a 27-of-30 first-down conversion rate coming into the game) was inconsistent. The Bills’ special teams allowed a 41-yard punt return that set up an eventual Chiefs touchdown, while Buffalo’s defense struggled to get off the field, not forcing a punt until the second half. — Getzenberg