Chiefs Survive Barn Burner!

Mahomes

Bill Cowher accurately predicted the last team who possessed the ball would win the game. It did not matter how much time was on the clock. All Patrick Mahomes needed was the remaining 13 seconds in regulation to put the Chiefs in position to kick the tying field goal. The Chiefs won the overtime toss and promptly drove down the field for the game winning touchdown. On to the AFC Championship. So, how did they get there?

Sunday night’s game got off to a relatively slow start. I use the word relative because 25 points were scored in the final two minutes of the game overall. Both squads drove the length of the field to score touchdowns in their opening offensive possessions. The Chiefs and the Bills collectively took 13 minutes off the clock with their opening touchdown drives. Each team’s game plan appeared to be to drain the clock and play keep away from the other team’s quarterback. The Bills gambled on two fourth and short plays, converting one, and scoring a touchdown on the second. Conversely the Chiefs converted three 3rd downs during their march down the field to tie.

The Chiefs defense forced two punts before the Chiefs offense finally put together another 12 play 86 yard touchdown drive, leaving only 1:52 till half time. Josh Allen only needed a minute and fifteen seconds to travel 75 yards to score the tying touchdown. Mahomes lead his Chiefs to field goal range, but Harrison Butker missed the 50-yard attempt.

The Chiefs took control of the game in the 3rd quarter scoring a field goal, forcing a three and out and then scoring a touchdown. Yet, it only took Josh Allen one play to score a 75-yard touchdown to bring the score to 23-21 in favor of the Chiefs. The teams traded punts before the Bills went on a 17 play 75-yard touchdown drive draining seven minutes off the clock. That last line is deceiving though. The Bills scored their touchdown on a 4th down with 13 yards to go. Josh Allen threw a 27-yard strike to Gabriel Davis to put the Bills ahead by one point. Allen and Davis performed in a “gotta have it” moment. After the two-point conversion, only one minute and 54 seconds was left on the game clock. Who knew 17 more points would be scored in that time frame? After the Bills scored on the 4th and 13 and converted a two-point conversion, it felt like the Bills were off to the AFC Championship.

The final two minutes of the game featured two heavy weights throwing haymakers. The first one was thrown at the conclusion of the Bill’s seven-minute drive. Then, the Chiefs started their drive. It looked like they were going to methodically drive the field and drain the clock. That would have been my preference. Yet, talent is talent and you want the ball in your most talented players hands. On the fifth play of the drive, Mahomes threw a short route to Tyreek Hill who weaved his way thru the Bills defense on his way to a 64-yard touchdown. It was a thing of beauty. Hill turned on the jets and outran the whole Bill’s defense. Josh Allen and the Bills had one minute and two seconds to work with. They only needed 49 seconds to travel 75 yards to go ahead by three points. Gabriel Davis caught his fourth touchdown pass to end the drive, setting a record for the amount of touchdown receptions collected by one player in a playoff game. Only 13 seconds remained on the clock. Yet, the Chiefs had three time-outs left. Mahomes second pass of the drive was to Travis Kelce who galloped for 25 yards to the Bills 31-yard line, putting Butker in position to kick the tying field goal.

The Chiefs won the toss. They took the ball. They were the first and the last team to have the ball, proving Bill Cowher right when Travis Kelce caught the game ending touchdown pass. The Chiefs are off to their fourth AFC Championship game in a row. That is an amazing feat.

The game highlighted how close the Bills and the Chiefs really are. Josh Allen threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns. Patrick Mahomes threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns. Statistically the difference in the game was the running game. The Chiefs ran it 27 times for 182 yards to the Bills 24 carries for 109 yards. Interestingly enough, the quarterbacks for both clubs lead their teams in rushing. Allen had 11 carries for 68 yards while Mahomes had 69 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Defensively no turnovers were committed and both quarterbacks were sacked twice. Both secondaries spent the night getting burned by Gabriel Davis and Tyreek Hill. Davis collected four touchdown receptions and two hundred yards on eight receptions. Hill caught eleven balls for 150 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs showed their diversity on offense. Mahomes kept the Chiefs first offensive drive going by converting several 3rd downs with his legs. The Chiefs ran the ball with 5 different ball carriers, and five different players scored touchdowns, including KSU alum Byron Pringle.

Pringle

The Chiefs offense continues to evolve, maximizing the individual talents of certain players to achieve the ultimate goal of winning. The surprise contributor is Jerick McKinnon. He has come on late in the season. His presence is really felt in the pass game as Mahomes has learned to check the ball down to his running backs and outlet receivers rather than looking for the deep shot. The Chief’s continued offensive evolution makes them the most dangerous team to defend against. However, the Chief’s defense is still their achilles heel. They will be sorely tested next week when Jamar Chase, Tee Higgins, C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Boyd come to town. Joe Burrow has four legitimate receivers to distribute the ball to. Add Joe Mixon to the mix as a check down back, and the Chiefs defense will be sorely tested once again. The Bengal are not scared of the Chiefs. They beat them 34-31 on 2 January 2022. The stage will be different though. This game will be played in Kansas City. The stadium will be rocking. It’s fair to expect another high scoring game at Arrowhead next week.

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