The Kansas City Chiefs are back in the Super Bowl for the third straight season as they defeated the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship, 32-29. It was a back-and-forth game as expected, but the Chiefs once again executed on both sides of the ball when it mattered, and they came out with the win. After the game, Patrick Mahomes spoke about how Andy Reid’s trust in them helped them get the win.
“[Andy Reid] trusts us,” Mahomes said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “That’s how we’ve built this thing that we’ve built. It’s all about trusting the players to go out and make the plays. We’re conservative in certain moments, we play by the tempo of the game and then we decide. It’s a lot of trust on offense, defense and special teams. That’s what makes us so great, is it’s not just one guy, it’s everybody.”
It took a complete game from the Chiefs, but it was the coaching that changed the game for them. On offense, they took advantage of the Bills in third and fourth down situations and sometimes kept the ball in Mahomes’ hands. On defense, they would switch from man coverage to blitzing at the perfect moment to try and throw off Josh Allen. For a team that’s continuously been here, they always play like it, and it’s no surprise that they’re heading back again.
Chiefs win third straight AFC Championship game
The Chiefs have been here so many times, they know what to do in late-game situations to win. That’s what happened on third-and-9 when all the Chiefs needed was a first down to seal the game. Samaje Perine was the one who sealed it after catching the pass from Patrick Mahomes and running for the first down while staying inbounds. Apparently, it was a play that they had been talking about earlier in the week.
“We wanted to be a little closer [to the first down] to run that play, but I said, ‘Let’s just run it,’” Mahomes said. “If it’s not there, I’ll take the sack, punt and let the defense have it with about 25 seconds left. When you’ve been in a lot of games, you understand the process of it. That’s what winners do. We’re good about the time management and the clock management. That’s something we go over the night before the game.”
The Chiefs are now back in the Super Bowl and have a date with the Philadelphia Eagles, who they beat two seasons ago on the same stage.
