Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs are heading to the Tremendous Bowl for the third time in 4 years after beating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 with a subject purpose three seconds from the top of the AFC Championship sport on Sunday.
Harrison Butker transformed the 45-yard sport winner, after a expensive penalty towards the Bengals, to seize the victory after Cincinnati — who had gained their final ten video games — had threatened one other comeback win.
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It was a brutal loss for the Bengal and quarterback Joe Burrow, who have been one sport from going again to second successive Tremendous Bowl.
The Chiefs, who had misplaced their final three conferences with Cincinnati together with final yr’s AFC title sport, will now meet the Philadelphia Eagles within the Tremendous Bowl in Arizona on February 12.
However Bengals slot nook Mike Hilton’s phrases got here again to harm him.
Understanding they have been enjoying on the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium within the AFC Championship sport after beating the Payments 27-10 final week, Hilton pointed on the TV cameras, yelling “We’ll see y’all in Burrowhead”.
Earlier than as we speak Burrow had two matches, two wins at Arrowhead, together with final years’ AFC Championship sport, the place the primary tweets with “Burrowhead” started to emerge, however it didn’t get traction till Hilton’s feedback.
It’s clear the Chiefs heard Hilton loud and clear, as Travis Kelce crashed an interview of Mahomes and mentioned: “Burrowhead my a**!”
Mahomes got here into the sport nonetheless nursing an ankle harm picked up in final week’s divisional spherical win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, whereas his favoured goal, tight-end Kelce, had been coping with a again harm picked up at follow on Friday.
Whereas the quarterback was much less cellular than common and ended the sport limping at occasions, he was in a position to ship the important thing performs down the stretch and guarantee Chiefs coach Andy Reid will get a gathering along with his former workforce Philadelphia within the NFL’s championship showpiece.
It was a trademark Mahomes scramble, albeit on a broken ankle, that led to the decisive subject purpose because the quarterback, who threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns, put ache apart for victory.
“At some factors in video games, you’ve obtained to simply put all of it on the road,” Mahomes mentioned.
“The defence gave us a pair possibilities to get in subject purpose vary, we didn’t get there. The defence obtained one other cease for us and I knew I used to be going to get there someway.”
After a Kansas Metropolis subject purpose opened the scoring, it was the Chiefs defence that made the primary huge impression on the sport with three successive sacks of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
The Chiefs thought they’d a landing early within the second quarter, however Isiah Pacheco’s 9 yard rush was dominated out for holding and the ensuing ten yard penalty led to the Chiefs’ having to accept one other subject purpose.
After a Bengals subject purpose, the Chiefs produced a landing from the acquainted connection between Mahomes and Kelce, with the quarterback rolling proper and discovering his tight finish with a 14 yard move.
The Bengals pushed into the purple zone with a formidable drive on the finish of the half, however the Chiefs defence held agency and compelled one other subject purpose, sending Kansas Metropolis in on the break with a 13-6 lead.
The Cincinnati offence sprung into life after the interval and tied up the rating when Burrow went deep with a 27-yard landing move to Tee Higgins.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling then saved a Chiefs drive alive with a sensible reach-out for a primary down and the receiver completed off the 11-play, 77-yard drive, gathering a 19 yard move down the center from Mahomes.
However once more the Bengals struck again.
Mahomes let the ball slip out of his hand whereas in his throwing movement and Sam Hubbard recovered the ball for the turnover. On the ensuing possession, Burrow led the Bengals down the sector on a drive that featured a brilliant 35-yard move to Ja’marr Chase and Samaje Perine rushed up the center for a two-yard landing to make it 20-20.
The Chiefs obtained the ball for the ultimate time with 30 seconds left and with the stress on, at third and 4, Mahomes used his legs to make first down however after he ran out of bounds he was barged to the bottom by Joseph Ossai.
The ensuing 15-yard penalty for pointless roughness took the Chiefs inside subject purpose distance and Butker did the remainder.
