Kansas City gets more Patrick Mahomes magic and advances to third straight Super Bowl

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Everything looked oh-so-familiar at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night: Patrick Mahomes hoisting the AFC championship trophy as confetti rained down, Andy Reid hugging owner Clark Hunt and Travis Kelce kissing Taylor Swift, grabbing the mic and imploring fans to party the night away.

The two-time defending Super Bowl champions have earned a chance at an unprecedented three-peat, brushing aside the Buffalo Bills in the process.

Mahomes ran for two touchdowns and passed for one and Harrison Butker kicked a tiebreaking 35-yard field goal with 3:33 left to give Kansas City a 32-29 win over the Bills in the AFC Championship Game.

“It’s just so hard to get to the Super Bowl and I don’t take it for granted, and to do it again at Arrowhead Stadium was special,” Mahomes said. “You get that trophy on that stage and you look around here and there’s not an empty seat — it’s special.”

Kansas City will get a familiar Super Bowl foe in Philadelphia, a team it beat in the big game two years ago. KC coach Andy Reid’s current team will take on his old team on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.

It’s the fourth time in the past five seasons that the Bills’ season has ended with a loss to Kansas City in the playoffs. “To be the champs,” Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen said, “you have to beat the champs.”

Allen found Curtis Samuel in the back of the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal with 6:15 left to tie the score at 29, capping a 70-yard drive.

Mahomes completed four consecutive passes on the ensuing possession, setting up Butker‘s field goal and putting the Bills in another do-or-die situation in Kansas City.

Allen got their drive going by running for a first down, but his next two throws were batted at the line of scrimmage. After he hit Amari Cooper for a short gain on third down, the Bills chose to go for it — they were 4-for-5 on fourth downs at that point — and the Kansas City blitz forced Allen to loft up a prayer that Dalton Kincaid was unable to corral deep downfield.

Kansas City took over, picked up a couple of first downs and began to celebrate.

“That’s football, you know. The loss hurts. That’s what makes this game what it is,” Bills pass rusher Von Miller said. “We did everything in our power to win. And just, you know, ran out of time.”

Kareem Hunt had a 12-yard touchdown run and Xavier Worthy had six catches for 85 yards, including an 11-yard TD, for Kansas City, which became the fourth franchise to reach at least three straight Super Bowls with its ninth consecutive postseason win. The Patriots (who went 2-1), the Bills (0-4) and the Dolphins (2-1) also have done it.

“I’ve always said it: It’s not about one guy. It’s not about a couple guys. It’s about the whole entire team,” Mahomes said. “When we needed the defense to get stops, they got stops. Offense, we made plays. That’s why we’re so special.”

Kansas City, which will be making its fifth Super Bowl appearance in six years, can become the second franchise to win four Super Bowls in a six-year span, joining the Steelers (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979 seasons).

Kansas City won the Super Bowl in the 2019, 2022 and 2023 seasons, joining the 2014-16-18 Patriots as franchises that have won three Super Bowls in five years. (The 2001-03-04 Patriots and 1992-93-95 Cowboys did even better, winning three Super Bowls in four years.)

“Every one of these is so special,” Clark Hunt said. “What a game today. Travis, Patrick and their teammates always find a way to get it done. That was true this whole year. And it’s a credit to Coach Reid and his amazing staff. Now we get to do something that’s never been done before.”

Allen threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns for Buffalo. James Cook ran for 85 yards and two TDs. The Bills still have not been to the Super Bowl since a run of four straight losing appearances during the 1990-93 seasons.

“Not the result we wanted. I told them they’ve got nothing to be ashamed of and I love them,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said, adding: “We had a chance with the ball in our hands, in Josh’s hands, to win it and we came up a little bit short right there.”

Buffalo and Kansas City have become well acquainted over the years, meeting eight times in the past five seasons.

The Bills have won all four games in the regular season. Kansas City has won the four that mattered in the postseason.

The Bills went ahead 10-7 in the second quarter, but Mahomes threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Worthy and scored on a 1-yard run to give Kansas City a 21-10 lead.

Allen’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Mack Hollins and Cook’s 1-yard touchdown run gave Buffalo a 22-21 lead late in the third quarter, but Mahomes scored on a 10-yard run and threw a two-point conversion pass with 10:14 remaining in the fourth quarter to put Kansas City ahead 29-22.