For the fourth time in five years, the Kansas City Chiefs are heading to the Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes' club was able to crown themselves AFC champions yet again after heading into M&T Bank Stadium and pulling out a 17-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
It was about as good of a start as the defending champions could've asked for. They began the game by forcing a three-and-out on defense and then Mahomes took the offense 86 yards down the field where he connected with Travis Kelce for the game's first touchdown. Baltimore would strike back on the ensuing possession with a score of its own but mostly went silent for the rest of the game outside of a late fourth-quarter field goal. The Chiefs took a 17-7 lead into halftime, thanks in part to that hot start by their offense. Mahomes completed his first 11 passes of the game, while Kelce was a wrecking ball in that first half as well catching all nine of his targets for 96 yards and a touchdown while setting a pair of NFL records, including passing Jerry Rice for most playoff catches in league history.
Both defenses started to show up in the second half as the third quarter began with five straight punts. The biggest swing of this game, however, came right at the end of the third and heading into the fourth. Down two scores, Lamar Jackson connected with Zay Flowers for a 54-yard gain that put the Ravens at the Chiefs 10-yard line. However, a taunting penalty on Flowers pushed that big gain back 15 yards.
For a moment, it looked like the rookie wideout was set to redeem himself with a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. However, as Flowers dove toward the end zone, cornerback L'Jarius Snead punched the ball loose and it was downed in the end zone by Kansas City to force the touchback. Instead of cutting the lead to a field goal, it remained a double-digit advantage for the Chiefs.
Squandering scoring opportunities was the theme of Baltimore's defeat. On top of that miscue by Flowers, the Ravens offense was again threatening to score midway through the fourth quarter to, at a minimum, make it a one-possession game. After getting the ball to the Chiefs 25-yard line, Jackson threw into triple coverage on a pass intended for Isaiah Likely in the end zone, which was picked off by safety Deon Bush and further helped propel Kansas City to another Super Bowl appearance.
Mahomes completed 30 of his 39 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown in the win. Kelce caught all 11 of his targets for 116 yards and a touchdown. As for the Ravens, Jackson was 20-of-37 for 272 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He also rushed for 54 yards and fumbled.
For an in-depth look at how this game unfolded, check out our takeaways below.
Why the Chiefs won
It was a tale of two halves in Kansas City's latest AFC Championship victory. Over the first two quarters, the story was all about the dynamic duo of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. They had connected on all nine of their targets for 96 yards and a touchdown, which helped build up the Chiefs double-digit halftime lead. Mahomes was particularly dialed in, completing his first 11 throws of the day and 20 of his 29 in the first half. While the offense built up a lead over that stretch, it was Kansas City's defense that slammed the door shut in the second half. They forced back-to-back punts to begin the third quarter and then forced turnovers on the next two possessions, both of which came in the end zone to eliminate scoring opportunities.
Why the Ravens lost
There were points in this game where the Ravens had an avenue to either take the lead or get themselves within striking distance of the Chiefs, but simply couldn't get over the hump. They didn't have much of a rhythm offensively out of the gate. They began the game with a three-and-out and punted a total of five times in the loss. Outside of their lone touchdown drive of the game on their second possession, the offense managed just 35 yards of total offense in the first half. It was that inability to move the ball on offense that was their true demise as the defense did find its footing in the second half and shut out the Mahomes-led Chiefs over the final two quarters. But, as the Ravens offense got within striking distance of the end zone, they turned the ball over. On back-to-back possessions, Flowers had a fumble at the goal line that resulted in a touchback, and Jackson threw an inexplicable pass into triple coverage that was intercepted in the end zone. Those blunders effectively eliminated any chance of a comeback.
Turning point
For a game that felt like the Chiefs had total control of, the Ravens routinely found themselves within striking distance, but they simply couldn't get out of their own way. The gut punch in the losing effort came at the start of the fourth quarter. Baltimore had moved the ball deep into Chiefs territory and Zay Flowers looked like he was going to dive into the end zone to cut the K.C. lead to a field goal, but L'Jarius Snead knocked the ball out of his hands before crossing the goal line. The ball was fumbled and recovered by Kansas City in the end zone for a touchback. That took the wind out of Baltimore's sails and started to unravel after that.
Play of the game
Arguably the biggest on-field storyline following the Chiefs this year has been the inconsistent play from the wide receivers. The position group led the NFL in drops and was pegged by many to be the thorn in the side of their repeat hopes. However, the unit has turned the tide in the postseason and came up extremely clutch in the final minutes of this win. Faced with a third-and-9 from their 46-yard line, Kansas City was faced with a must-convert situation as they were north of the 2-minute warning and clinging to a one-possession lead. It was at this spot when Mahomes dropped back and uncorked a deep ball to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who hauled in the 32-yard reception. That catch effectively iced the game with the Chiefs maintaining possession and simply running out the remainder of the clock.
What's next
From here, the Chiefs will await the winner of the NFC Championship between the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers. Then, they'll gear up for Super Bowl LVIII from Las Vegas, which will kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 11, and air on CBS.