Chiefs prevail in playoff classic vs. Bills, advance to Super Bowl LIX

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 that made the score 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 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 in the Super Bowl era in Super Bowl LIV 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 he was 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 catches and 95 yards. — Teicher

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

Yet again, the Buffalo Bills’ Super Bowl dreams were cut short by the Kansas City 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 it just wasn’t quite enough. The mistake-riddled game continued into the final drive when the Bills offense had an opportunity to put together a game-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 of a throw by Josh Allen.

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

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. An injured secondary, with starting cornerback Christian Benford leaving the game in the first quarter with a concussion, and safety Taylor Rapp not playing in the game (hip/back), did 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’ postseason woes against the Chiefs crept up again, and the team will now 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 AFC Championship, 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. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady only had 11 designed rushes in the first half (four by Cook), the same amount the Bills had in 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 unit had six plays that could have been turnovers with a fumble by running back Ray Davis recovered by himself, three fumbles by Allen, which he recovered, and two near-interceptions. The typically dependable Allen tush-push play (converting 27-of-30 plays for a first down coming into the game) was inconsistent. The Bills special teams also allowed a 41-yard punt return setting up an eventual Chiefs touchdown, while the defense struggled to get off the field, not forcing a punt until the second half. — Getzenberg