Kansas City's Super Bowl dream is still alive after the Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills 32-29 on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
The game came down to a 35-yard field goal from Harrison Butker with 3:33 to play, which sent the Chiefs to their third straight Super Bowl. The Chiefs will now face the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years.
It was another game against Buffalo that came down to the wire, but Bills quarterback Josh Allen has yet to beat Patrick Mahomes in the postseason.
Like most games in the last few years against Buffalo, this one was a nail-biter.
The Chiefs led 21-10 late in the first half only to fall behind entering the fourth quarter, where they scored 11 points to claim the victory. The Chiefs stopped the Bills on fourth down near midfield following Butker's kick.
If there was one play that summed up the game, it was early in the fourth quarter with the Bills facing fourth down and about half the length of a football.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen tried to sneak the ball to the left side — a "tush push," as the play is known — but the Chiefs defense stopped him short.
"This game came right down to an inch, literally," said coach Andy Reid after the game.
Mahomes played on an injured ankle, but still threw for a touchdown pass to wide receiver Xavier Worthy and scrambled for 43 yards on 11 carries.
"I'm excited to get down to New Orleans," Mahomes said after accepting the Lamar Hunt Trophy. "Let's go make history."
'They earned it'
Across the metro, fans flocked to sports bars and watch parties to take in the game.
Hundreds gathered to watch on big screens at The Quaff Bar & Grill in downtown Kansas City.
The mood at halftime was tense, with the Chiefs only a few points ahead. Reed Frizzell, watching with his girlfriend, was nervous but hoping for the best.
“It's good to be up at half time, but I hope we keep winning,” Frizzell said.
The anxiety wouldn’t lift until the end of the game, when the final Chiefs’ first down allowed the clock to run out.
Christopher Torres processed the win from his seat at the bar.
“It came down to last minute but the defense held up, thank God,” Torres said. “But other than that, I couldn't ask for a better turnout.”
Stepping outside the bar into the cold January air, Archit Pramanik was almost speechless in the afterglow of the win. The game was a close one, he said, but he never lost faith.
“It kept everyone on the edge and, you know, the Chiefs delivered like we expected them to,” Pramanik said. “So not surprised, but happy nonetheless.”
Corky Maxim joined throngs of people heading out into the streets downtown after the win.
“They earned it. They earned it,” Maxim said. “It’s a three-peat!”
After securing their third AFC Championship in a row, the Chiefs now head to New Orleans, where they play Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles for the second time in three years.
And while everyone is talking up the chances of a three-peat, Reid said the team just needs to focus on winning the next game.
“You get caught up in that other stuff and the hype that goes with it, and then you forget about third-and-one and detailing that," Reid said.
Mahomes told the media after the game the Chiefs will meet Monday to start preparing for the Eagles.
“We played them in a close Super Bowl a couple of years ago, but they’ve added players and got even better,” he said.
Super Bowl 59 will take place on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 5:30 p.m. CT. It's hosted this year at the Caesars Superdome. You can watch it on FOX or locally on FOX4KC, with streaming available on Tubi.
The Super Bowl 59 halftime show will be performed by Kendrick Lamar.
