Pinned
Link copied
Mahomes just told Trevor Lawrence, "I'll be good." Presumably in relation to his ankle.
The Kansas City Chiefs have punched their ticket to the AFC Championship Game for the fifth straight season, as Andy Reid's squad defeated Doug Pederson and the Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-20. Patrick Mahomes suffered an ankle injury toward the end of the first quarter after taking a low hit. He missed one drive, but shook off the pain and returned in the second half to lead Kansas City to victory.
The Chiefs jumped out to a 17-10 halftime lead thanks to two touchdowns from star tight end Travis Kelce. His 10 catches in the first half tied the record for most receptions in a first half of a playoff game since 1991. The best tight end in the NFL finished with 14 catches for 98 yards and two scores.
Travis Etienne scored a 4-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to pull the Jaguars within three points, but the hobbled Mahomes led a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in response, hitting Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 6-yard score to push the lead back to 10 points. The Jaguars then turned the ball over on consecutive possessions, which opened the door for the Chiefs to run out the clock.
Mahomes becomes the first quarterback in NFL history to lead his team to five conference championship games before turning 30 years old, while the Chiefs will become the third team to make five straight conference championship games, matching the Oakland Raiders from the 1970s, and the 2011-18 New England Patriots. With the victory, Andy Reid now joins Bill Belichick (31) and Tom Landry (20) as the only coaches with 20 postseason wins.
So, what happened in Kansas City on Saturday? Let's take a look.
Why the Chiefs won
Kelce led all tight ends this season in receptions (110), receiving yards (1,338) and receiving touchdowns (12). The Jaguars allowed the third-most receiving yards (1,087), third-most yards per reception (13.1) and the fifth-most yards after catch per reception to tight ends this season. Can you guess what the Chiefs' plan of attack was entering this game?
Kelce set the single-game playoff record for a tight end with 14 catches. It was his fifth career playoff game with double-digit receptions, which is good for most in NFL history. With his two touchdowns, Kelce now has 14 touchdown receptions in the playoffs. He trails only tight end Rob Gronkowski (15) and Hall of Fame wideout Jerry Rice (22).
The Chiefs' star tight end was a big reason why Kansas City is advancing to the final four, but its offensive efficiency as a whole was impressive. The Chiefs finished the regular season with the No. 1 total offense (413.6 yards per game), No. 1 passing offense (297.8 yards per game) and the No. 1 scoring offense with 29.2 points scored per game. Kansas City scored on all three of its "real" first-half possessions -- even with Chad Henne at quarterback -- who led a 12-play, 98-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter. That marked the longest touchdown drive in Chiefs' postseason history. The Chiefs didn't punt until the second half, and even when the offense went stagnant for a bit, Mahomes rebounded to lead a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter which ultimately sealed the deal.
If you want to beat the Chiefs, you have to stop them from scoring points.
Why the Jaguars lost
Unlike the Chiefs, the Jaguars scored in all four quarters of this matchup. However, if you lose the time of possession battle AND the turnover battle against Kansas City you are not going to win. The Jaguars did some good things in this matchup, but missed opportunities crushed them.
A tripping penalty ruined a drive early in the second quarter, Christian Kirk missed on a deep pass that could have potentially been a Jaguars touchdown later in the second quarter and then two fourth-quarter turnovers virtually ended the game. You don't have to be perfect to defeat the Chiefs, but you need to be close. Penalties and turnovers will kill you.
Turning point
Down 10 points with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars needed to score. Lawrence led Jacksonville down to the Chiefs' 9-yard line, but then Jamal Agnew fumbled the ball 6 yards short of the end zone.
The Jaguars then forced a three-and-out as the Chiefs tried to run some clock, and the Jacksonville offense took over with 4:18 remaining in the game. Two plays into the drive, however, Lawrence threw an interception to Jaylen Watson. This series of unfortunate events put the game on ice.
Play of the game
One foot, no problem. Mahomes threw what ended up being the game-winning touchdown off of his non-injured foot in the fourth quarter -- a strike to Valdes-Scantling to extend Kansas City's lead to 10 points. It was a pretty gutsy toss with the safety sitting right in the middle of the field.
Quotable
"I'll be good to go." -- Mahomes speaking to NBC Sports on his ankle injury after the final whistle.
What's next
The Chiefs will await the winner of the Cincinnati Bengals-Buffalo Bills matchup Sunday. If the Bengals win, the AFC Championship will be played at Arrowhead Stadium. If the Bills win, the AFC Championship will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. As for the Jaguars, they will now turn their attention to the offseason.
