January 21, 2024
Updated 1 hour ago
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Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes now have the most combined touchdowns in playoff history (16)
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Dates: 13th – 28th January 2024 |
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` coverage: Live text coverage of every game on the ` Sport website and app, plus live radio commentary on ` Radio 5 Sports Extra and ` Sounds every Sunday evening. |
The Kansas City Chiefs remained on track for their fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years after winning another exciting playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.
And the rematch lived up to the hype as Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen once again delivered a quarterback shootout before the defending champions cruised to a 27-24 victory in a nervy finale.
It's the third time in four years that Kansas City has knocked the Bills out of the playoffs – and this time they did it in Buffalo.
The Chiefs will now compete in the AFC Championship for the sixth consecutive year and are looking to become the first team to win back-to-back NFL titles since the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
The Detroit Lions previously defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a 31-23 win to secure a spot in the NFC Championship Game for the second time.
Both they and the Chiefs will visit the top seed in their conference next Sunday, with Kansas City taking on the Baltimore Ravens (8 p.m.) before Detroit taking on the San Francisco 49ers (11:30 p.m.).
This was Allen's best chance yet to earn a victory over his offseason golf buddy in the playoffs, as Mahomes' 16th playoff game was his first on the road due to the Chiefs' recent dominance.
Buffalo had 37 minutes of possession, 14 more than the visitors, with the 27-year-old Allen rushing for two touchdowns, but Mahomes made the most of his opportunities with the ball, passing for 215 yards and two touchdowns to Travis Kelce.
After a slow start, Allen got into the end zone in the second quarter and the Chiefs cut the deficit to 10-6 with their second field goal.
The lead then changed hands five times over the next 20 minutes, starting with Kelce diving into the corner for a 22-yard score before Allen stormed in just before halftime to give the Bills a 17-13 lead.
The 28-year-old Mahomes needed just three minutes in the third quarter to lead the Chiefs downfield and regain the lead on Kelce's second touchdown, which took the pair past Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski and tied for the most TDs on the play -off history scored (16). .
Allen fired a 13-yarder to Khalil Shakir to cap a Buffalo drive that lasted more than eight minutes, and right at the start of the fourth quarter, Isiah Pacheco swooped in to put the Chiefs back in the lead.
That made for a tense finish and Buffalo turned the ball over on downs before Kansas City's Mecole Hardman fumbled while reaching for the end zone.
Buffalo breathed a sigh of relief when the Chiefs failed to recover an Allen fumble and the Bills continued their drive, setting up a 44-yard field goal attempt with less than two minutes left.
But Tyler Bass sent the kick wide right, just as Scott Norwood did when the Bills suffered the first of four straight Super Bowl losses in 1991, and their latest loss to Kansas City extends their wait to return to the NFL title game .
The Lions reach the NFC Championship game for the second time
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Baker Mayfield threw three touchdowns but two interceptions, with the second from Derrick Barnes securing the win for Detroit
Like the Bills, Detroit has won multiple NFL championships, but all of those were won before the first Super Bowl in 1967, and the Lions are one of only four teams to never play in the Super Bowl.
That secured another home game in the divisional round against an in-form Buccaneers team that simply refused to be eliminated.
The defense was on top for most of another exciting night in the Motor City, with Cade Otton's touchdown for Tampa Bay canceling out a Josh Reynolds score to make the score 10-10 at halftime.
The third quarter began with three punts before quarterbacks Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield, both former No. 1 draft picks, got going.
Craig Reynolds crashed into the end zone from a yard out for the Lions before the Bucs responded with Mayfield sending Rachaad White for a 12-yard score.
Jahmyr Gibbs rushed in from 31 yards out to put Detroit back in the lead early in the fourth quarter before Amon-Ra St Brown's touchdown gave them some breathing room.
Again, Tampa Bay hit right back, Mayfield found Mike Evans to keep the game alive, and they got the ball back with two minutes left, but Detroit secured the win when linebacker Derrick Barnes intercepted Mayfield – the QB's second choice in this game.
Goff, who finished the game with 287 passing yards and two touchdown passes, now has a chance to reach a second Super Bowl after leading the Los Angeles Rams to the big game in 2019.
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