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The list of NFL franchises that have won back-to-back Super Bowls is brief. Seven teams did it: the Packers (1966 and 1967), the Dolphins (1972 and 1973), the Steelers (1974 and 1975, 1978 and 1979), the 49ers (1988 and 1989), the Cowboys (1992 and 1993) , the Broncos (1997 and 1998) and Patriots (2003 and 2004). After last season’s championship, many expected the Kansas City Chiefs to have a chance of becoming the next to join this list – to confirm the franchise as the last dynasty of the NFL. After comfortably defeating the Buffalo Bills, 38-24, that possibility is about to come true.
Entering Sunday, some believed the second-seed bills – with their masterfully constructed roster and rising QB to Josh Allen – would be enough to defeat the Chiefs. But in the end, the AFC championship game seemed to be played between teams from two different realms. Although Buffalo took a happy 9-0 lead midway through the first quarter, Kansas City was quick to clear the deficit. Patrick Mahomes found Mecole Hardman for a 3-yard touchdown, running back Darrel Williams scored on a 6-yard run, and tailgate Clyde Edwards-Helaire hit a yard, catapulting the Chiefs into a 21-9 lead. four minutes from the end. in the first half.
The Bills fell apart with goals from the field, but they didn’t matter – they never really did against Mahomes and the Chiefs. Buffalo drew less than nine points at the end of the third quarter, and then Kansas City retired for good. Tyreek Hill’s 71-yard catch set up a touchdown pass from Mahomes to tight end Travis Kelce. In Buffalo’s next practice, Chiefs cornerback Rashad Fenton shoved Allen off, and Mahomes responded by joining Kelce for the second time, extending Kansas City’s lead to 38-15. Mahomes finished the game 29 for 38 with 325 yards and three touchdowns, producing a magnificent performance that might have made you forget he was in concussion protocol and was dealing with a grass toe during the week. .
“It was just trusting each other,” Mahomes told CBS in a post-game interview. “The best thing about this team is that we believe in each other, and every time we go out on the pitch we give it our all.
Kansas City’s victory was one of the team’s most complete performances of the year. The Bills offense ended the season like no. 5 units in the Football Outsiders DVOA rankings. Allen had surprisingly turned into one of the top callers in the NFL, flanked by leading receiver Stefon Diggs and All-Pro Cole Beasley. But the Chiefs found a way to slow down Buffalo’s attack. Allen struggled as his receiving cast had difficulty beating Kansas City media coverage. The QB produced minus-2.7 added expected points, took four sacks (and lost 53 total yards), was tagged 10 times and committed his first post-season red zone turnover. During the regular season, the Bills had been the NFL’s third-best offense, with a conversion rate of 49.7%. On Sunday, that number fell to 35.7% (5 out of 14).
All season, the Chiefs had a massive target on their backs. Their motto “run it back” suggested that the franchise rose to the challenge. Kansas City took the best shot from each opponent, as evidenced by its 8-1 mark in single possession games of the regular season. However, it didn’t matter how many different ways teams tried to beat the Chiefs. always had answers to know how to stand out. They marched to a 14-2 record and the AFC’s no. 1 seed, a goodbye with a week in the calendar to spare. They survived Mahomes’ loss in the divisional round to the Browns, and this week they beat the team that was considered the only team in the conference capable of beating them. Even though analysts questioned whether the Chiefs were as confident as some thought, they continued to prove time and time again that they were the only consistent team in the NFL. Now they’re set to take on the league’s most consistent individual – Tom Brady – with a Super Bowl on the line.
Brady was on the field the last time the Chiefs were close to breaking through, during the 2019 AFC Championship, when a Patriots team led by Brady beat Kansas City in overtime. Brady has denied the start of the Chiefs’ dynastic run. In two weeks, we’ll find out if he’ll still delay Kansas City – and, more specifically, Mahomes – from getting any closer to his praise. There will undoubtedly be questions about the legacy of both quarterbacks ahead of the game, with the league’s winningest player being challenged by the first player who seems able to challenge him.
Brady and Mahomes have faced each other four times before. (The series is tied 2-2.) In Week 12 of this season, the Chiefs outlasted the Buccaneers, 27-24, behind Mahomes’ 462 passing yards and three touchdowns. Oddsmakers at the start favored the Chiefs by 3.5 points, despite the game being played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay and Kansas City without likely left tackle Eric Fisher, who left Sunday night’s game an Achilles injury. Mahomes has never made an away playoff game in his career. And while Super Bowl LV will be seen as a neutral setting on his career record, the Bucs will have a tangible advantage. Mahomes didn’t seem fazed by the likelihood after Sunday’s victory, however.
“The job is not done,” Mahomes said. “We’re going to Tampa and we’re trying to go back. We just have to be ourselves. I trust my guys rather than everyone. And we’re going to come out and be ourselves and be who we are.
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