30 January 2023
KANSAS CITY, MO (KSNT) – The Kansas City Chiefs are going to the Super Bowl.
With a shot at the Super Bowl on the line, Kansas City stood tall when it mattered, beating Cincinnati 23-20, winning the AFC Championship game.
The Chiefs set records on the first two drives. Frank Clark sacked Joe Burrow for his 13th postseason sack, giving him 13 career postseason sacks. On the Bengals’ next drive, he sacked Burrow again with Willie Gay’s help. The 13.5 sacks gave him the third-most in NFL postseason history. It’s also Gay’s first postseason sack.
The next play, Chris Jones recorded his first postseason sack.
In between those drives, the Chiefs managed to score a field goal to get the game’s first points. After Jones’ sack forced Cincinnati to punt, Kansas City scored one more field goal to take a 6-0 lead.
The Bengals followed up with their own field goal. However, the Chiefs had a better answer. On 4th & 1 with just under four minutes left in the half, Kansas City brought out three tight ends. Patrick Mahomes threw to Travis Kelce up the seems for a 14-yard touchdown, making it 13-3.
Rookie Jaylen Watson kept the ten-point lead alive. He intercepted Joe Burrow on the third play of the drive to set up the Chiefs’ offense at Cincinnati’s 39-yard line. However, the Chiefs had to punt with that posession to end the half.
The Bengals flipped the script in the second half. They opened the third quarter with a field goal, forced the Chiefs to punt, then scored their first touchdown to tie the game at 13.
To add hurt to the harm, Mecole Hardman was injured on the Chiefs’ next drive. A Bengals’ player waived medical staff over as Hardman lay on his back. Hardman took his helmet off, but walked off the field a minute later.
A challenge, a review, and 5:39 later, the Chiefs’ drive finally ended. Mahomes threw 19 yards to Marques Valdez-Scantling in the end zone, giving the Chiefs the lead again, 20-13.
The Bengals opened the fourth quarter scoring, too. On 4th & 6, Burrow threw to Ja’Marr Chase in double coverage to move down the field quickly. Then, Samaje Perine punched in the two-yard touchdown. Cincinnati tied the game, again, at 20 with 13:39 left.
Kansas City was forced to punt on its next possession. Cincinnati was driving on offense, then, on third down, the Bengals threw deep to Tee Higgins. Chiefs safety Bryan Cook tipped the pass, and cornerback Joshua Williams came up with the interception.
On Kansas City’s possession, the offense drove into Bengals territory. The drive stalled at the Cincinnati 41-yard-line, forcing the Chiefs to punt the ball back to the Bengals with 2:30 to play.
On what became Cincinnati’s final drive, the Bengals converted on 3rd-and-16 deep in their own territory. Preying on field goal territory, Chris Jones picked up another sack, forcing Cincinnati to punt back to the Chiefs.
On the punt, Skyy Moore picked up a huge return to the Chiefs 47-yard-line. On third down, Patrick Mahomes ran for a first down, then was shoved after the play, giving Kansas City 15 extra yards.
With the ball on the 27-yard-line, Harrison Butker nailed a 45-yard kick with three seconds to play. The Bengals couldn’t get anything on the kickoff, as the Chiefs beat the Bengals 23-20, sending Kansas City to the Super Bowl.
Mahomes finished with 326 passing yards with two touchdowns. Marquez Valdez-Scantling caught six passes for 116 yards and a score. Kelce caught seven passes for 78 yards and a score.
The Chiefs will play the Eagles in the Super Bowl on February 12 in Phoenix.