KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs let the Cincinnati Bengals hang around in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium.
It cost them.
Mahomes was nearly perfect through two quarters but his two interceptions after that doomed the Chiefs’ hopes of reaching a third straight Super Bowl. The Bengals took advantage of those errors with a 24-point run to secure a 27-24 overtime victory over the Chiefs and make it to Super Bowl LVI.
The Chiefs and Bengals each owned a half. The Chiefs dominated the first. They raced out to a 21-3 halftime lead behind quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ three touchdown passes. He connected with wide receiver Tyreek Hill, wide receiver Mecole Hardman and tight end Travis Kelce for those scores.
Kansas City turned in an efficient outing through two quarters, scoring on three of four possessions. The Chiefs threatened to score again to close out the half, driving 66 yards on seven plays, but wide receiver Tyreek Hill was stopped at the 1-yard line as time expired.
The Chiefs’ offense sputtered in the second half, as Mahomes threw an interception and the offense punted four times. Midway through the fourth quarter, Mahomes had completed three of 10 passes — a stark contrast to his first half, in which he completed 18 of 21 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns.
Cincinnati capitalized on the Chiefs’ miscues in the third quarter, scoring 18 points in the period.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow connected with running back Samjae Perine for a 41-yard score, and then found rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase for a 2-yard touchdown. After Chase’s touchdown, Burrow completed a pass to wide receiver Trent Taylor for a 2-point conversion, tying the game at 21.
The Bengals carried the scoring binge into the fourth quarter and took a 24-21 lead after kicker Evan McPherson drilled a 52-yard field goal with 6:04 remaining in regulation.
Mahomes, however, wouldn’t let the Chiefs go down without a fight.
The Chiefs signal-caller drove the Chiefs down the field on their ensuing possession, getting KC inside the Bengals’ 10-yad line with less than two minutes to go.
The next series of plays was reminiscent of the last time the two teams met, with the game hanging in the balance late in regulation. This time the roles were reversed, with the Chiefs threatening in the red zone against the Bengals’ defense.
The Bengals sacked Mahomes, moving the ball outside the 20-yard line to set up a 44-yard field goal attempt by Harrison Butker, who drilled it to send the game to overtime.
But Mahomes, who finished the game with 275 yards through the air, threw his second interception of the game in the extra period to set up the Bengals’ winning drive.
Cincinnati drove 42 yards in nine plays and McPherson made a game-winning 31-yard field goal.
And with it, the Bengals advanced to the Super Bowl to represent the AFC and sent the Chiefs home.
HEAD OF COMMITTEE
An interesting thing has happened during the playoffs.
It was assumed the Chiefs would give back the primary lead-rusher role to Clyde Edwards-Helaire when he returned last weekend from a shoulder injury. Then, with Darrel Williams returning Sunday, it was safe to believe Edwards-Helaire and Williams would do the heavy lifting.
But the Chiefs have stuck with Jerick McKinnon, who started a third straight postseason game.
The 5-foot-9, 201-pound McKinnon runs with deceptive power, and he showed it with strong interior gains after initial contact. He’s also a smooth receiver out of the backfield.
On the Chiefs’ first possession, McKinnon accounted for 38 of the team’s 84 yards. He finished the game with 65 yards rushing on 12 carries, adding 30 yards receiving on three catches.
REDEMPTION, OF SORTS
Chase had himself a game in Week 17 against the Chiefs, accounting for five catches and 111 yards with two touchdowns in the first half. He finished that game with 11 catches for 266 yards and three touchdowns in the Bengals’ 34-31 win.
The Chiefs weren’t about to allow that to happen in Sunday’s rematch.
The Chiefs cornerbacks took turns covering Chase, depending on where he lined up before the snap. If Chase was on the right side, Charvarius Ward manned up against the rookie, while Rashad Fenton took care of the left side.
The Chiefs effectively took away Chase in the first half, holding him to two catches 8 yards, and then did their best to prevent him being a game-wrecker in the second half.
Chase finished the game with 54 yards receiving and a touchdown on six catches — far from the dominating performance he turned in the first time the Chiefs saw him.
Tee Higgins picked up the slack, recording six catches for 103 yards.
THE O-LINE’S DAY
The Bengals finished the regular season with 42 sacks, a total tied for the 11th-most in the league. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson led the Bengals’ defense with 14 sacks, the fourth-most in the NFL.
Neither had much of an effect on the Chiefs’ offense, which scored touchdowns on three of four first-half possession.
Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. held his own against Hendrickson, while rookie right guard Trey Smith made two incredible blocks in pass protection during Mahomes’ first-half touchdown pass to Kelce.
The second half was different, however, as the Bengals’ pass rushers sacked Mahomes four times and hit him five times.
INJURIES
Rookie tight end Noah Gray suffered an ankle injury in the first half and did not return.
INACTIVES
Running back Derrick Gore, cornerback Deandre Baker, tackle Prince Tega Wanogho, defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, rookie defensive end Joshua Kaindoh and quarterback Shane Buechele were not dressed for the game.
