Chiefs return to Super Bowl after breaking Bills’ hearts in another thriller
Chiefs return to Super Bowl after breaking Bills’ hearts in another thriller
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Them again. The “three-peat” is alive for the Kansas City Chiefs after they narrowly overcame the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship game on Sunday to set up a potentially historic Super Bowl clash with the Philadelphia Eagles. The finale on 9 February in New Orleans is a reprise of the Super Bowl two years ago that was won 38-35 by the Chiefs after they did just enough against spirited but slightly inferior opponents, thanks in large part to the inspirational play of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Bills know all too well what it’s like to be on the receiving end of that agonising experience.
Josh Allen is too good to be a nearly-man on a nearly-team, but the Bills star was once again second-best in the NFL’s most compelling quarterback rivalry. This was the fourth playoff meeting between Allen and Mahomes; the Kansas City man has now won all of them.
Buffalo repeatedly ran the ball, even on fourth downs, with Allen trying to force his way over the top of the roiling scrum in a bold tactic that was as much about asserting psychological domination as it was about securing a precious extra yard or two.
Already without injured starting safety Taylor Rapp, the Bills lost key cornerback Christian Benford in the first quarter after a clash of helmets with teammate Damar Hamlin while making a tackle. Benford was driven away in a cart after suffering his second concussion in a week. But the visitors’ resilience was not in doubt as they came from behind three times to take a one-point lead in the third quarter as a diving James Cook, hauled down, stretched out his right arm like Indiana Jones reaching for his fedora and planted the ball in the end zone to give Buffalo a 22-21 lead.
