Travis Kelce and Isaiah Pacheco score touchdowns while Lamar Jackson throws a late interception as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game; watch Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas live on Sky Sports NFL, with coverage from 10pm on Sunday February 11
Monday 29 January 2024 07:25, UK
He did it again. They did it again. They were doubted; they cared not for doubts. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are heading to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in the last five years after shattering the dreams of Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens with a 17-10 victory in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.
Jackson threw an end zone interception while chasing the game in the fourth quarter and Zay Flowers lost a fumble at the Chiefs goalline as a battle of the league's elite quarterbacks evolved into a battle between the Ravens' play-caller and Steve Spagnuolo's phenomenal Kansas City defense.
Travis Kelce and Isiah Pacheco each scored first-half touchdowns as the defending Super Bowl champions built a defining 17-7 advantage at the break on their way to booking a spot in Las Vegas, where they will face the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of Super Bowl LIV.
Mahomes finished 30 of 39 passing for 241 yards and a score as he and the Chiefs now look to become the first team since the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004 to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles.
Kelce meanwhile continued to make a name for himself in the record books with 11 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown, surpassing the great Jerry Rice for most postseason receptions in NFL history.
Trailing 17-7 with seven minutes remaining, Jackson was intercepted by Deon Bush while forcing a dangerous throw to his tight end Isaiah Likely at the back of the end zone, prompting Baltimore's quarterback to slam his helmet in frustration amid a game of costly mistakes from the hosts.
The Ravens were inches away from making it a one-score game in the third quarter when L'Jarius Sneed continued his sparkling campaign by punching the ball out of the hands of Flowers as the rookie attempted to dive for the goalline, with the Chiefs recovering in the end zone for a touchback.
It capped a turbulent drive for the first-round pick, who had cost his team 15 yards after being flagged for taunting Sneed following a 54-yard catch that would have set the Ravens up at the 10-yard line.
Baltimore's messy day continued on the Chiefs' ensuing drive as Jadeveon Clowney's roughing the passer penalty extended a drive that eventually chewed four valuable minutes off the clock.
Justin Tucker's 43-yard field goal with 2.34 remaining kept the Ravens alive, until Mahomes delivered one final sucker-punch with a 32-yard pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling to ice the game on third-and-nine.
What had been billed by Jackson as a heavyweight bout wasted little time in delivering its first wave of jabs as Kelce out-wrestled All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton in the corner of the end zone to haul in a 19-yard touchdown strike that would cap the Chiefs' 10-play 86-yard opening drive.
The makings of an epic had been teased earlier in the possession when Mahomes dared to float a pass towards his star tight end on a crossing route on fourth-and-one, Kelce leaping to make the 13-yard grab on Hamilton as the pair ignited their fascinating game-long duel.
Back came Baltimore. Back came Lamar. The Ravens were level on the very next drive when their probable MVP quarterback extended the play amid a chaotic backfield before heaving a 30-yard end zone strike to Zay Flowers, having moments earlier converted on fourth-and-one with a 21-yard burst that had threatened to become a house call were it not for L'Jarius Sneed.
The Chiefs reverted to the run in a bid to restore control of the clock, a 16-play 75-yard marathon march lasting nine minutes and culminating in Pacheco's two-yard rushing score.
Kansas City had the opportunity to extend their advantage when they recovered a fumble from Jackson, only to turn it over on downs after Pacheco was stuffed on fourth-and-one from the Ravens' 13-yard line.
Jackson magic followed as he scurried to catch and carry his own deflected pass for 13 yards in a drive that would come up empty, before Harrison Butker tacked on a 52-yard field goal to make it 17-7 at the break.
For Jackson and the Ravens it would serve as yet another painful playoff exit after they had entered the postseason as the AFC's No 1 seed and the consensus Super Bowl favourites.
For the Chiefs, it was the extension of a drastic turn in form since the start of the playoffs after a season of struggles on offense that had contributed to them losing four of six games in a stretch from the end of November to Christmas Day. Playing in their sixth straight AFC Championship Game, they found a way yet again.
Kansas City Chiefs
Baltimore Ravens
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes: "It's been a heck of a year, we're not done yet, but this is the way to get there. We've been underdogs for the last few games, but we never feel like underdogs and we've got a lot of guys who know how to win."
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce: "The Chiefs are still the Chiefs. And believe it - you've got to fight for your right to party! Believe it, baby, we're going to Las Vegas."
Sky Sports NFL's Ndamukong Suh: "They showed the reason they should be in the Super Bowl because they were calm, collected, and their composure was right there when they needed plays."
Sky Sports NFL's Jason Bell: "They've got the best quarterback in the league and that's what's important. They had to change, they had to evolve, and they're playing their best football at the moment."
The Chiefs move on to face the 49ers at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Sunday February 11. Build-up begins at 10pm live on Sky Sports NFL ahead of kickoff at 11.30pm from Allegiant Stadium.
