Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) holds the Lamar Hunt trophy after winning the AFC Championship football game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on January 28, 2024. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Chiefs beat the highest seeded Baltimore Ravens 17-10 to assert the AFC championship on Sunday and earn a visit to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years.
Patrick Mahomes accomplished 30 passes for 241 yards and one touchdown that to Travis Kelce in the primary quarter that had pop star girlfriend Taylor Swift jumping up and down in jubilation in a personal box at Baltimore’s at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Chiefs now head to Las Vegas for the Feb. 11 Super Bowl where they may defend their crown against either the San Francisco 49ers or Detroit Lions who meet afterward Sunday within the NFC championship game.
No team has won back-to-back NFL titles since Tom Brady led the Latest England Patriots to Vince Lombardi trophies in 2004 and 2005.
“It’s been a heck of a 12 months, we’re not done yet,” said Mahomes. “We’ve been underdogs the previous couple of games but we never feel like underdogs.
“We’ve got plenty of guys on this team that know methods to win.
“When the playoffs got here around we were going to make it occur and now we’re within the Super Bowl the job’s not done.”
American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift (center) walks off the sector after the Kansas City Chiefs won the AFC Championship football game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on January 28, 2024. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
The primary Super Bowl held in Las Vegas is already expected to be one among the splashiest football-fests ever but the excitement around America’s biggest party is certain to be dialled up a number of notches with Swift and her legion of fans often called ‘Swifties’ on board.
The AFC championship was highlighted by a marquee quarterbacking matchup between Mahomes, the twice and reigning NFL most useful player and Lamar Jackson, who claimed the honour in 2019 and is favoured so as to add one other for his work this season.
The Chiefs, playing of their sixth straight championship game, were quick out of the blocks, Mahomes hitting favourite goal Kelce with a 19-yard touchdown strike to cap an 81-yard opening drive.
The Ravens answered right back needing just six plays to search out the tip zone, Jackson pulling off a Houdini-like escape avoiding a sack then finding Zay Flowers for a 30-yard touchdown.
The furious early pace continued with Mahomes engineering a clinical nine-minute drive on Kansas City’s next possession that spanned parts of each the primary and second quarters and finished off with Isiah Pacheco powering over from the 2.
Helped by two personal foul penalties by Baltimore the Chiefs were in a position to add to their lead just before the half on a Harrison Butker 52-yard field goal sending the visitors within the half up 17-7.
The Ravens and Chiefs finished the regular season with the 2 top-ranked defences allowing the fewest points per game, and scores were hard to come back by within the second half.
Baltimore’s sputtering attack looked ready to come back back to life late within the third quarter when Jackson hit Flowers with a giant 54-yard pass play to get into scoring position.
Jackson would look Flowers’ way again but just inches from the goal line the receiver would fumble turning the ball over to Kansas City.
Their next possession and driving again Baltimore would again turn the ball over, Jackson intercepted by Chiefs Deon Bush ultimately zone.
Baltimore would add some suspense with a Justin Tucker 43-yard field goal trimming the Chiefs’ result in 17-10 with 2:34 to play but couldn’t complete a storybook comeback.
