After one other twelve-Mahomes thriller, the Chiefs beat the Bengals within the AFC title sport. The NFL

Patrick Mahomes hit his badly sprained proper ankle first, then Joseph Osai pushed him out of bounds, permitting Harrison Butker to make a 45-yard area purpose with simply seconds left and provides the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs the lead. A 23-20 win over Cincinnati Bengals Sunday night time within the AFC title sport.

After dropping three straight, together with a three-point extra time loss in final yr’s title sport, the Chiefs lastly beat the Bengals and The Philadelphia Eagles will play – Coach Andy Reid’s outdated staff – of their third Tremendous Bowl in 4 years.

“I’ve watched all of them yr, nice quarterback, nice complete staff,” Mahomes mentioned of the Eagles. “It will be an excellent problem for us, however I will have fun it first. I do not assume we now have any cigars, however we’ll be able to go to the Tremendous Bowl.”

Mahomes, who sprained his ankle in opposition to Jacksonville within the divisional spherical, threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns, although he in the end misplaced three of his broad receivers to accidents. Marquez Valdes-Scantling led the best way with 116 yards and a landing, whereas Travis Kelce — unhealthy again and all — had seven catches for 78 yards and a rating.

But it was Mahomes on his injured proper ankle, relatively than his highly effective proper arm, who rescued the Chiefs.

“Sooner or later within the sport, you simply must put it on the road,” Mahomes mentioned. “The protection gave us just a few probabilities to get into area purpose vary, we simply could not get there. The protection acquired us one other cease and I knew I used to be going to get there someway. So I put all the pieces on the road and we acquired to area purpose vary, and we’re on the arrowhead now and we’re in.”

The Chiefs acquired a key sack from Chris Jones to power a punt with 39 seconds left, and return man Skye Moore broke free for 29 yards. On Third-and-4 on the Bengals 47, Mahomes dodged the strain and sprinted towards the Bengals sideline, barely selecting up a primary down earlier than Osai tackled him from behind.

The penalty flag flew, the ball went 15 yards out and Butker’s kick was good.

“We’re not going to make it a few play. We put lots of performs on the sphere in the present day that would have put us in a greater place,” Bengals coach Jack Taylor mentioned. “The character of this soccer staff, that can by no means change. We have the best guys within the locker room, the best guys main this staff and this group.”

Joe Burrow, who was sacked 5 occasions and fumbled on the finish, completed with 270 yards passing for a landing and two interceptions for the Bengals. Tee Higgins had six catches for 83 yards and a rating.

The Chiefs had been capable of rush what the Buffalo Payments could not do in final week’s divisional spherical: They ran roughshod over an ailing Bengals offensive line that misplaced two starters to accidents and one other to a strained knee.

Barro was sacked thrice within the first quarter alone, and the Bengals offense did not acquire a single yard.

Mahomes, whose ankle has been the topic of hypothesis all week, led Kansas Metropolis to a area purpose on their opening possession. And when the Chiefs acquired the ball again, Mahomes did it once more, however solely after Kadarius Toney didn’t make a landing on a nifty throw — the incompletion upheld upon assessment.

Cincinnati lastly acquired the ball shifting within the second quarter, however Evan McPherson’s chip-shot area purpose additionally held them.

The Chiefs lastly reached the tip zone late within the second quarter, shifting downfield shortly behind a few nice grabs by Valdes-Scantling. The Bengals held on Third-and-1 at their 14-yard line, however the Chiefs went for it and Mahomes hit a loosely lined Kelce by Jesse Bates III for the landing.

The Bengals drove 90 yards within the remaining minute, however added a area purpose to make it 13-6 on the break.

However their offense was simply hitting its stride — and one other traditional was within the making.

After the Chiefs went three-and-out to start out the second half, Barrow led the Bengals downfield, bolting by means of a gaping gap within the protection for a third-down conversion earlier than hitting Higgins from 27 yards out to tie the sport at 13-13.

Mahomes, instantly down three broad receivers for a concussion and beginning to limp, is buried with the play. He answered the 12 with a landing drive of his personal, with a third-down throw to Valdes-Scantling to revive the lead.

The Chiefs had an opportunity to breathe after the third quarter, however Mahomes someway misplaced management of the ball earlier than throwing a cross and the Bengals fumbled. Six performs later – together with a daring fourth-down throw from Barro to Ja’Mar Chase – Samjay Perine raced into the tip zone to tie it on the 20.

Twelve gave the Chiefs an opportunity on third down when his deep throw to Higgins was batted into the air and picked off by rookie cornerback Josh Williams. Mahomes was capable of get the Chiefs previous midfield, however the two runs went nowhere and his third-down throw to Jerick McKinnon was too brief, forcing them to punt into Bengals territory.

The Chiefs protection, nevertheless, gave Mahomes and their offense another strive. It is an opportunity they’re going to take.