Did we count on something lower than a thriller on this AFC Championship between these bitter rivals?
The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs held off the Buffalo Payments to win the AFC Championship Sport, 32-29, in an absolute thriller at GEHA Subject at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night time.
The Chiefs will now have a shot at NFL historical past, as they’ll turn out to be the primary group to ever win three straight Tremendous Bowls if they’ll defeat the Philadelphia Eagles once more.
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The Chiefs gained Tremendous Bowl LVII over the Eagles in Arizona, 38-35, throughout the 2022 season.
In the meantime, Josh Allen and the Payments at the moment are 0-4 towards the Chiefs within the postseason regardless of giving them one in all their two losses throughout the 2024 common season.
However Buffalo’s offense discovered themselves the place they needed to on this sport: late within the fourth quarter with the ball of their fingers. The protection obtained a cease on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense, forcing a discipline aim that Harrison Butker cut up the uprights with to take a 32-29 lead.
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Kansas Metropolis Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) scrambles for a landing throughout the first half of the AFC Championship NFL soccer sport, Sunday towards the Buffalo Payments, Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas Metropolis, Mo. (AP Photograph/Charlie Riedel)
Allen, who has been clutch all season lengthy, had an opportunity to at the least tie the ball sport, or higher but, have a game-winning landing drive with 3:33 left within the fourth quarter.
Nonetheless, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dialed up the proper play name on back-to-back performs, beginning with a third-and-10 from the Buffalo 42-yard line the place he despatched an all-out blitz. It led to a five-yard acquire for Amari Cooper, leaving Allen and the Payments with a fourth-and-5.
Then, one other blitz was known as, however it was a cornerback being despatched to the pocket after the Chiefs disguised it with each linebackers on the line of scrimmage and dropping again into protection as a substitute.
Allen heaved a prayer to the center of the sphere, and tight finish Dalton Kincaid had an opportunity to make an opportunity, however it bounced off his chest and hit the turf.
That got here after the two-minute warning, and Mahomes and your complete Chiefs sideline knew they wanted a pair first downs to ice the sport. In typical Chiefs trend, they obtained what they wanted as Isiah Pacheco picked up a primary down on a 10-yard catch and Samaje Perine, on his solely contact of the sport, went for 17 yards with 1:35 left and no Payments timeouts to seal the victory.
The celebrating begun after a hard-fought Chiefs win that was a thriller proper from the beginning.
Kansas Metropolis Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) celebrates his landing with Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tight finish Travis Kelce (87) throughout the second half of the AFC Championship NFL soccer sport towards the Buffalo Payments, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas Metropolis, Mo. (AP Photograph/Ashley Landis)
Mahomes and the Chiefs have been dialed from the primary possession of the sport, going 90 yards on simply 9 performs to see Kareem Hunt rating on the bottom from 12 yards out to take the early lead.
However this sport went forwards and backwards all through, as Allen was in a position to take the lead early within the second quarter after orchestrating a 72-yard drive on 10 performs, capped by a James Cook dinner six-yard rush.
The Chiefs, nonetheless, took their largest lead of the sport after responding with 14 unanswered factors as they scored back-to-back landing drives to finish the primary half. It was rookie Xavier Worthy as soon as once more discovering the tip zone from 11 yards away, whereas Mahomes himself scrambled from one yard out to make it 21-10.
Buffalo, nonetheless, wasn’t going away with out a battle, reducing the result in 21-16 earlier than the tip of the half after Mack Hollins hauled in a fantastically thrown deep ball from Allen for a 34-yard landing.
The Payments would finally get their lead again within the second half after Cook dinner scored his second landing of the sport, and it got here on fourth-and-goal and required him to leap over Chiefs defenders and stick his arm throughout the aim line to make it a 22-21 contest.
Maybe the most important turning level on this sport, although, got here on the following Payments drive after they pressured a punt on the Chiefs. On fourth-and-1 from the Kansas Metropolis 41-yard line, the Payments elected to go for it with 13:01 left within the fourth quarter. Allen had a quarterback sneak, however after replay evaluation, he was dominated in need of the road to realize, giving the Chiefs the ball with nice discipline place to get the ball again.
Mahomes wasted no time with the chance, needing simply 5 performs to get downfield and end off his drive with one more speeding rating for himself to make it 29-22.
If the suspense wasn’t sufficient, the Payments discovered themselves on the Chiefs’ four-yard line after Allen shot a cross to Hollins once more deep downfield for 32 yards on third-and-8 on the following drive. On fourth-and-goal, Curtis Samuel slipped free from protection and stored two ft in the long run zone as he hauled within the landing to tie it as soon as once more.
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These two AFC juggernauts traded blows, however the victor remained the identical and a rematch shall be seen in New Orleans on Feb. 9 on Fox and streaming completely on Tubi without cost.
Will it’s the Chiefs making NFL historical past? Or will the Eagles get their Tremendous Bowl revenge with Saquon Barkley main the best way within the backfield alongside Jalen Hurts & Co.?
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