Patrick Mahomes struggled for a first down with his badly sprained right ankle, then was shoved out of field by Joseph Ossai late, giving Harrison Butker a chance to kick a 45-yard field goal with just seconds left, and to give the Kansas City Chiefs a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Sunday night’s AFC title game.
The Chiefs eventually defeated the Bengals after three straight losses, including a three-point loss in overtime in last year’s title game, and will face 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 entire team,” Mahomes said of the Eagles. “It will be a big challenge for us, but I will celebrate this one first. I don’t think we have cigars, but we’ll be ready to go to the Super Bowl.”
Mahomes, who injured his ankle in the divisional round against Jacksonville, threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns despite ending up missing three of his wide receivers through injuries. Marquez Valdes-Scantling led with 116 yards and a touchdown, while Travis Kelce – with a bad back – had seven catches for 78 yards and a score.
Yet it was Mahomes who saved the Chiefs with his injured right ankle rather than his strong right arm.
“At some points in games you just have to risk everything,” Mahomes said. “The defense gave us a few chances to get into field goal range, but we didn’t get there. The defense got another stop for us and I knew I was going to make it somehow. So I just gambled everything and we got within field goal range and we’re at Arrowhead now and we’re in.
The Chiefs got a crucial sack from Chris Jones to force a punt with 39 seconds left and returner Skyy Moore was able to break free for 29 yards on the return. In 3rd and 4th place at the Bengals 47, Mahomes avoided the pressure and scrambled to the Bengals’ touchline, barely reversing the first dismount before Ossai gave him a shove from behind.
Penalty flags flew, the ball went 15 yards closer and Butker’s kick was good.
Joe Burrow, who was sacked five times and shaky at the end, finished the game with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Bengals with 270 yards passing. Tee Higgins had six catches for 83 yards and the score.
The Chiefs were able to do early on what the Buffalo Bills couldn’t in last week’s divisional round: recklessly ran down a battered Bengals offensive line, missed two starters and injured another plagued by a sore knee .
Burrow was sacked three times in the first quarter alone, and the Bengals didn’t gain a single offensive yard.
Mahomes, whose ankle has been the subject of speculation all week, led Kansas City to a field goal on their first possession. And when the Chiefs got the ball back, Mahomes did it again, but only after Kadarius Toney failed to make a skillful throw for a potential touchdown — the incompleteness was confirmed on review.
Cincinnati eventually moved the ball in the second quarter, but they also had to settle for Evan McPherson’s chip-shot field goal.
The Chiefs finally got to the end zone late in the second quarter, moving quickly down behind some nice grabs from Valdes-Scantling. The Bengals held at their 14-yard line for 3rd and 1st, but the Chiefs made it and Mahomes hit Kelce, who was loosely covered by Jessie Bates III, for the touchdown.
The Bengals rushed for 90 yards in the closing minutes but added just one field goal to narrow the gap to 13-6 at the break.
But their offense was just gaining momentum – and another classic was brewing.
With the Chiefs threesome early in the second half, Burrow led the Bengals into downfield and blasted through a gaping hole in defense for a third down conversion before hitting Higgins from 27 yards to end the game with 13:13 to finish.
Mahomes, who had suddenly injured three wide receivers and started limping, bravely kept pushing. He answered Burrow with a touchdown drive of his own, topped by a third-down throw to Valdes scantling to regain the lead.
The Chiefs had a chance to gain 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 fumble. Six games later — including a bold fourth-down throw from Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase — Samaje Perine ran into the end zone to level at 20.
Burrow gave the Chiefs a chance when his deep throw at Higgins in third place was slammed in the air and picked by rookie cornerback Josh Williams. Mahomes managed to push the Chiefs past midfield, but two runs went nowhere and his third throw at Jerick McKinnon was pretty short, forcing them to punt in Bengal’s territory.
However, the Chiefs’ defense held, giving Mahomes and her offense another try. It was a chance they would take.