Patrick Mahomes struggled for a first down on his severely sprained right ankle, then was pushed late out of bounds by Joseph Osai, giving Harrison Butker a chance to kick a 45-yard field goal with just seconds left to give the Kansas City Chiefs the win 23-20 over the Cincinnati Bengals in Sunday night’s AFC title game.
The Chiefs finally beat the Bengals after three straight losses, including a three-point overtime loss in last year’s title game, and will play the Philadelphia Eagles — coach Andy Reid’s old team — in their third Super Bowl in four years.
“I’ve watched them all year, great quarterback, great whole team,” Mahomes said of the Eagles. “It will be a big challenge for us, but I will celebrate this first. I don’t think we have cigars, but we’ll be ready for the Super Bowl.
Mahomes, who injured his ankle against Jacksonville in the divisional round, threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns despite missing three of his wide receivers to injuries until late. Marquez Valdez-Scantling led the way with 116 yards and a touchdown, while Travis Kelce — bad back and all — had seven catches for 78 yards and a score.
Yet it was Mahomes on his injured right ankle, not his strong right arm, that saved the Chiefs.
“At some points in games, you just have to put it all on the line,” Mahomes said. “The defense gave us a few chances to get into field goal range, but we didn’t make it. The defense got us another stop and I knew I was going to get there somehow. So I just put it all on the map and we got to the shooting range, now we’re at Arrowhead and we’re in.”
The Chiefs got a crucial sack from Chris Jones to force a punt with 39 seconds left, and running back Sky Moore broke free for a 29-yard punt return. On 3rd and 4 at the Bengals 47, Mahomes broke free from pressure and scampered toward the Bengals sideline, barely picking up a first down before Ossai shoved him from behind.
The penalty flags flew, the ball went 15 yards and Butker’s kick was good.
Joe Burrow, who was sacked five times and shaky to the end, finished with 270 yards passing to go with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Bengals. Tee Higgins had six catches for 83 yards and a score.
The Chiefs were able to do early what the Buffalo Bills couldn’t in last week’s divisional round: They ran roughshod over an ailing Bengals offensive line, missing two starters to injury and another bothered by a sore knee.
Burrow was sacked three times in the first quarter alone, and the Bengals offense didn’t gain a single yard.
Mahomes, whose ankle has been the subject of speculation all week, led Kansas City to a field goal on their opening possession. And when the Chiefs got the ball back, Mahomes did it again, but only after Kadarius Toney failed to make a nifty throw for a potential touchdown — the incompletion upheld on review.
Cincinnati finally moved the ball in the second quarter, but they also had to settle for a field goal by Evan McPherson.
The Chiefs finally reached the end zone late in the second quarter, moving quickly on downs after some nice grabs by Valdez-Scantling. The Bengals held 3rd-and-1 at their 14-yard line, but the Chiefs punted and Mahomes hit Kelsey, loosely covered by Jesse Bates III for a touchdown.
The Bengals drove 90 yards in the final minutes but only added a field goal to make it 13-6 at the break.
But their attack was just starting to take off – and another classic was in the offing.
After the Chiefs went three-and-out to start the second half, Burrow led the Bengals downfield, bursting through a gaping hole in the defense for a third-down conversion before hitting Higgins 27 yards out to tie the game at 13-13.
Mahomes, suddenly losing three wide receivers to injuries and starting to limp, playfully pressed on. He answered Burrow with a touchdown of his own, capped by a third-down throw to Valdez-Scantling to regain the lead.
The Chiefs had a chance to get some breathing room later in the third quarter, but Mahomes somehow lost control of the ball before he could throw a pass and the Bengals pounced on the punt. Six plays later — including a daring fourth down throw from Burrow to Ja’Mar Chase — Samaje Perine ran into the end zone to tie the game at 20.
Burrow gave the Chiefs a chance when his deep throw to Higgins on third down was deflected into the air and picked off by rookie cornerback Josh Williams. Mahomes was able to move the Chiefs past midfield, but two runs came up short and his third-down throw to Jerick McKinnon fell well short, forcing them to punt into Bengals territory.
However, the Chiefs defense held on, giving Mahomes and their offense another try. It was a chance they would take.
Add Comment