By Field Level Media
January 26, 2025 – 9:20 PM PST
The Kansas City Chiefs’ dynasty shows no signs of slowing down, and a historic Super Bowl appearance is next on the agenda.
Eight other back-to-back Super Bowl champions came up empty when trying to make it back to the big game for a third straight time.
The Chiefs, however, cleared that hurdle with Sunday’s 32-29 victory over the visiting Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game, setting up a meeting with the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.
Kansas City will be looking to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
“I’m excited to get down to New Orleans,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “Let’s go make history.”
Harrison Butker kicked a tiebreaking 35-yard field goal with 3:33 remaining as the Chiefs recorded the wild victory over the second-seeded Bills.
Mahomes accounted for three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing) as top-seeded Kansas City eliminated the Bills from the postseason for the fourth time in the past five seasons. Kareem Hunt rushed for a touchdown, and Xavier Worthy had six receptions for 85 yards and one score.
“It’s not about one guy, it’s not about a couple guys, it’s about the entire team,” Mahomes said of Kansas City’s success. “When we needed the defense to get stops, they got stops. The offense, we made plays. That’s why we’re so special because it’s a team effort and a team football game.”
The Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers (twice), San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots were the other organizations to win two straight Super Bowls.
Three of those teams lost in the conference championship the following season, two others fell in the divisional round and three missed the playoffs. The Patriots were the most recent team to give it a shot, beating the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl at the end of the 2003 season and topping the Eagles a year later before losing to the Broncos in the divisional round of the 2005 campaign.
Kansas City defeated the 49ers to win it all last season, and this year’s Super Bowl will be a rematch of Super Bowl LVII, which the Chiefs won 38-35 on Feb. 12, 2023.
On Sunday, Mahomes completed 18 of 26 passes for 245 yards and added 43 on 11 rushes as the Chiefs won their ninth consecutive postseason game.
“All the confetti and all of that is great, but it’s going to come down to the football game,” Kansas City coach Andy Reid said. “The team that makes the least mistakes is going to come out the victor.”
Josh Allen was 22-of-34 passing for 237 yards and two touchdowns for the Bills, who were trying to earn their first Super Bowl appearance in 31 years.
Instead, Buffalo lost its eighth consecutive true road playoff game, with four of those setbacks coming during Allen’s career.
“It’s not fun,” Allen said. “But to be the champs, you have to beat the champs, and we didn’t do it tonight.”
Bills tight end Dawson Knox didn’t mince words.
“It’s devastating,” Knox said. “Unfortunately, I have felt this pain before, even more so this year.”
James Cook rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns while Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel had scoring receptions for Buffalo.
Kansas City drove 51 yards in eight plays to set up Butker’s go-ahead kick.
The Bills faced fourth-and-5 from their own 47-yard line on their next possession when the Chiefs heavily blitzed Allen, and his desperation throw went off the hands of Dalton Kincaid and fell incomplete with 1:54 left.
Two plays later, Kansas City’s Isiah Pacheco took a short pass 10 yards for a first down. The Bills then had a chance to force a punt on third-and-9, but Mahomes hit Samaje Perine out of the backfield for 17 yards to clinch the victory.
“It’s not the result we wanted,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “I told them they had nothing to be ashamed of. They gave it all they had.”
Buffalo took a 22-21 lead on Cook’s 1-yard TD run with 2:56 left in the third quarter to cap a 12-play, 80-yard drive. The ensuing two-point conversion try failed.
The Bills later had possession, but Allen was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Kansas City 41-yard line, giving the Chiefs the ball with 12:55 remaining in the game.
Just five plays later, Mahomes ran to the end zone for a 10-yard score and followed with a two-point conversion pass to Justin Watson to give Kansas City a 29-22 lead with 10:14 left.
Buffalo answered and tied the score on Allen’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Samuel on fourth-and-goal with 6:15 to play.
Kansas City held a 21-16 halftime lead.
The Chiefs drove 90 yards in nine plays on their first possession, with Hunt scoring on a 12-yard run.
Buffalo scored the next 10 points on Tyler Bass’ 53-yard field goal in the opening quarter and Cook’s 6-yard TD run with 10:25 left in the first half.
Kansas City took a 14-10 lead on Mahomes’ 11-yard touchdown pass to Worthy with 4:13 left in the second quarter. Mahomes added a 1-yard scoring run with 1:55 to go to give the Chiefs a 21-10 advantage.
Buffalo responded with Allen’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Hollins with 23 seconds remaining in the frame. A two-point conversion attempt failed.
–Field Level Media
