Chiefs on the Brink of History: Thoughts After the Win Over Buffalo
The Kansas City Chiefs are heading back to the biggest stage. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs take down the Bills in the AFC title game.
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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 26: Patrick Mahomes #15 and Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrate after defeating the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in the AFC Championship Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 26, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The Kansas City Chiefs are one win away from history after defeating the Buffalo Bills, 32-29, in the AFC Championship Game.
Kansas City will play for the Lombardi Trophy for the third year in a row with the first three-peat in NFL history on the line. This is their fifth Super Bowl appearance in the last six years.
When I previewed this matchup, I said the team that makes the plays down the stretch will win. The Chiefs proved all season long when the game is on the line, they will make the game-winning plays. On Sunday, it took the offense, defense, and special teams to make those plays.
Key Plays
The first play came early in the fourth quarter, with Kansas City trailing by one point. With fourth down and inches, the Chiefs defense stood tall and stopped Josh Allen to get the ball back to Patrick Mahomes.
When Mahomes has the ball in crunch time, you know he’s going to make a play. And Sunday was no different. On first and goal, Mahomes took off outside the pocket and fought his way into the endzone for his second rushing touchdown to regain the lead.
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It wasn’t the end of Mahomes’ impact. In a tied game with just over six minutes left, the two-time NFL MVP led another go-ahead drive. This time a field goal from Harrison Butker with 3:33 left to make it 32-29.
With the season on the line, the defense needed to make one more stop. This time it was fourth down and five; and defensive coordinator Steve Spganuolo went into his bag of tricks.
Spags drew up a cornerback blitz with Trent McDuffie, forcing Allen to roll out and George Karlaftis forced a tough throw, ultimately falling incomplete.
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The offense was able to seal the deal with clutch completions from Mahomes to Isiah Pacheco and Semaje Perine.
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Kansas City continues to showcase that championship DNA, making the necessary plays to win the game. That is why they won 15 games in the regular season, and why they are heading to New Orleans.
Thoughts
Entering Sunday, the Chiefs did not score more than 30 points in a game this season. To win this game, they were going to have to score 30-plus. The offense showed up in the first half, gaining 217 total yards, after only tallying 212 total yards in the Divisional Round against the Texans.
One of my keys was to spread the ball around, and that is exactly what Mahomes did. Xavier Worthy had a career-high 85 yards to pair with a touchdown. JuJu Smith-Schuster made two big plays to set up the offense deep in Buffalo territory, and Hollywood Brown hauled in three catches. Even Justin Watson got involved with a two-point conversion.
In a game where Travis Kelce was going to be the main focus for the Bills defense, Mahomes needed to rely on his secondary options and spread the wealth. He did that with eight different Chiefs recording a reception in the game.
A difference maker in this game was Mahomes’ legs as well. Kansas City did a great job of getting him out of the pocket and extending plays with his ability to throw on the run. This was key in limiting the effectiveness of Buffalo’s pass rush.
Mahomes finished the game with 43 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. It’s his first playoff game with multiple rushing touchdowns in his career. Mahomes’ legs continue to be an underrated factor that pays dividends for the Chiefs.
The Kansas City defense struggled throughout the game, but that is not what fans will remember. Chiefs fans will remember their ability to stand tall and make plays in the biggest moments.
Kansas City has now defeated Buffalo in each of their last four postseason matchups. While the Bills played a great game and did enough to win, it is the pedigree of the Chiefs that continues to push them through.
Only one team stands in the way of a Super Bowl three-peat, the Philadelphia Eagles. For the second time in three years, the Chiefs and Eagles will battle for the Lombardi.