The Kansas City Chiefs are headed to Super Bowl LVII following a narrow 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship game at Arrowhead Stadium. Despite sustaining a high ankle sprain in the previous game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Patrick Mahomes led his team to victory in a tightly contested matchup.
Kansas City opened with a 6-0 lead from two field goals, and Mahomes extended the lead to 13-3 before halftime with a touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce, who played despite a back injury.
The Bengals responded with a field goal to make it 13-6 at the half. Cincinnati tied the game at 13 in the second half with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Joe Burrow to Tee Higgins. However, Mahomes quickly answered with a touchdown throw to Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
The Chiefs’ defense held off the Bengals until the start of the fourth quarter when Burrow connected with Ja’Marr Chase for a 35-yard pass, leading to a 2-yard touchdown run by Samaje Perine to tie the game.
With less than a minute remaining, the Chiefs capitalized on a crucial mistake by Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai, who was penalized for unnecessary roughness after pushing Mahomes out of bounds. This set up Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker for a 45-yard game-winning field goal.
This victory sends the Chiefs to their third Super Bowl in four seasons. The upcoming Super Bowl will be historic as it features both teams starting Black quarterbacks for the first time.
Mahomes, aiming to become the first Black quarterback to win multiple Super Bowls, will face the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, who could become the fourth Black quarterback to win the Lombardi Trophy.
Earlier, the Philadelphia Eagles secured their Super Bowl spot by defeating the San Francisco 49ers 31-7 at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles dominated from the start, scoring on their opening drive.
The 49ers faced setbacks with quarterback injuries; rookie Brock Purdy injured his elbow in the first quarter, and backup Josh Johnson, who later suffered a concussion, was forced to step in until Purdy returned but was unable to lead a scoring drive.
Eagles quarterback Hurts and the team’s running game overwhelmed the 49ers’ defense, amassing 148 rushing yards and scoring all four touchdowns on the ground.
Hurts set a new record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season by a quarterback, including playoffs, surpassing Cameron Newton’s record. The Eagles will now compete in their first Super Bowl since the 2017-18 season.