The Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs is finally upon us. First on the docket this weekend was the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars. To the surprise of few, the Chiefs ultimately prevailed over the Jaguars to the tune of 27-20.
In the Patrick Mahomes era, the Chiefs are an unblemished 5-0 in the Divisional Round. Kansas City advances to their 5th straight AFC Championship, which ties the Oakland Raiders for second longest streak in conference history for most consecutive appearances. They trail only the New England Patriots who went to eight-straight from 2011-2018. What is an AFC (and NFL) record is the fact they will HOST their fifth straight conference championship.
The Chiefs had a bit of a scare with an ankle injury to Patrick Mahomes, who briefly left the game. In relief, backup Chad Henne – who played in relief of Mahomes last year in the Divisional Round – returned, completing 5-of-7 passes for 23 yards and a touchdown. Mahomes eventually returned, and threw for 195 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.
Jacksonville put forth a valiant effort, and managed to kick a field goal with under 30 seconds remaining to make it a one-score game. Unfortunately, they were unable to recover the onside kick.
Kansas City will await the winner of the Bills vs. Bengals game tomorrow. No matter the outcome, it will be a rematch of one of the previous two AFC Championship games.
