Chiefs oust Bills again and aim for first Super | College News

KANSAS CITY, Mo.  —  Before they broke out the celebratory drinks within the locker room, the Kansas City Chiefs sipped cups of chicken broth on the sideline Sunday night time to fight the frigid climate.

Comfort food. Makes sense.

Whereas the Chiefs had been utterly at home, securing one more journey to the Super Bowl, the Buffalo Bills appeared solely out of their component.

The sport was close, as per common, with Kansas City profitable 32-29, however isn’t that the way in which it at all times goes for this franchise of future? The Chiefs, who will face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, had been an astounding 11-0 this season in one-score video games.

“It means we’re a team that deserves to be in the Super Bowl,” mentioned receiver DeAndre Hopkins, traded to the Chiefs by Tennessee in October. “We play to the last second. We don’t give up. Lot of competitors, man. That says a lot about a team like that.”

In two weeks, Kansas City will play Philadelphia, which soundly beat the NFC East rival Washington Commanders earlier Sunday within the NFC title sport.

So, New Orleans will play host to a rematch of the Super Bowl from two years in the past, when the Chiefs beat the Eagles 38-35.

On Sunday night time, the packed home at Arrowhead Stadium noticed six lead modifications, a Chiefs turnover — the first since mid-November — and two fourth-down stops by Kansas City’s protection within the fourth quarter.

Buffalo’s Josh Allen threw two landing passes to at least one by Patrick Mahomes, however the Chiefs quarterback additionally ran for a couple of scores, together with tucking the ball below his arm and powering 10 yards into the tip zone within the fourth quarter.

Tight finish Travis Kelce was the lead blocker clearing the way in which on that landing.

“It’s always great when you have people in front of you that are going to lay their body on the line to get you into the end zone,” Mahomes mentioned.

Harrison Butker made the go-ahead, 35-yard subject objective with 3:33 remaining, and Kansas City’s protection got here up with a remaining stop to show back the Bills.

With Mahomes at quarterback, the Chiefs are 4-0 towards Buffalo within the postseason — though the Allen-led Bills have a 4-1 report towards Kansas City within the common season.

“Some of these games are gut-wrenching,” mentioned Kansas City coach Andy Reid, whose membership has the possibility to tug off an unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat. “And I’ve got a lot of gut to wrench.”

Jokes apart, few people in NFL historical past have a resumé as strong as Reid, who grew up in Los Angeles, and whose enjoying profession began at Marshall High and included a stop at Glendale College. Not solely does he have more wins than any coach in Chiefs historical past, but additionally more than any in Eagles historical past. He was head coach in Philadelphia from 1999 by way of 2012, and went to 4 consecutive NFC championship video games and a Super Bowl.

Canton is the possible subsequent stop for Reid, who has been an assistant or head coach in seven Super Bowls and 14 convention championship video games, together with seven consecutive AFC title video games with the Chiefs.

Chiefs proprietor Clark Hunt mentioned Reid “has to be in the conversation” of who’s the best coach within the historical past of the league. Up there with the likes of Bill Belichick, Vince Lombardi and George Halas.

“Different time periods make it hard to compare coaches from different generations,” Hunt mentioned. “Certainly having cleared 300 wins and the Super Bowl wins that he already has, AFC championships and NFC championships that he won, he’s got to be right there at the top.”

The Bills, in the meantime, had been seeking to attain the Super Bowl for the first time since dropping 4 in a row from 1990 by way of ’93. Most of their gamers weren’t even born when the franchise final performed on the league’s largest stage.

“It’s not fun,” mentioned Allen, trying down and talking softly with grass stains on each shoulders of his white uniform. “But to be the champs you’ve got to beat the champs, and we didn’t do it tonight.”

These groups know one another nicely, and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo observed a tendency for Allen to go over his left guard on short-yardage keepers. Kansas City reacted accordingly by shading its largest our bodies to that aspect.

“They put big guys in there, and they played it well,” Allen mentioned.

The massive block on Mahomes’ fourth-quarter landing run was a reminder that Kelce can do the grunt work to go together with the glamour. His girlfriend, pop star Taylor Swift, was on the sport and made a beeline for the trophy ceremony alongside Kelce’s mom.

Several minutes later, Travis Kelce and Swift walked back up the locker room tunnel, each smiling and his arm wrapped round her.

“Everybody was doing their job today,” Kelce mentioned later. “That’s why we put up so many points today. That’s why we were scoring touchdowns. One-five [a reference to Mahomes’ jersey number] was playing the best that he’s played all year. That’s what you want to see going into the last game.”

The broth-sipping Chiefs are heading to a acquainted place. Comfortable, assured and harmful.