Chiefs grades are in and they’re Super! KC wins another AFC championship, beating Bills

The Kansas City Chiefs are headed back to the Super Bowl.

Their exhilarating 32-29 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday evening, in their seventh consecutive conference championship game, was a tribute to all three phases of football: The Chiefs’ scoring output was a season-high, their defense provided a critical fourth-down stop and their special teams accounted for the game-winning points.

The Chiefs will play the Philadelphia Eagles for the title — the NFL’s first three-peat — in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.

Here’s more about Sunday’s victory:

KC STAR OF THE GAME

Patrick Mahomes did it with his arm and legs Sunday. He went 18 for 26 for 245 yards and clinched the game with passes to running backs Isiah Pacheco and Samaje Perine.

Those completions ensured the Chiefs wouldn’t give the ball back. And for the first time in his career, Mahomes scored two rushing touchdowns in a game.

Next: Super Bowl LIX vs. Philly on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. The Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game earlier Sunday afternoon.

REPORT CARD

Passing offense: A

The Chiefs’ receivers got involved in a much bigger way than last week against the Houston Texans. The Chiefs’ first two snaps Sunday were completions by Mahomes to Hollywood Brown.

Rookie Xavier Worthy led the way with six receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown. JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeAndre Hopkins also got on the stat sheet a week after the KC receivers totaled just one reception.

The biggest play of the first half was a 26-yard completion to Worthy, who wrestled the ball away from Bills defender Cole Bishop as they hit the ground. Two plays later, Mahomes ran it in from the 1.

The Bills recorded two sacks and they were massive. The first, early in the third quarter, forced the Chiefs to punt from the Buffalo 42. The second came on first-and-goal from the 10 with 3 1/2 minutes remaining.

The Chiefs couldn’t budge and settled for a field goal. But that field goal turned out to be the game-winner.

Rushing offense: B

Mahomes looked to out-Josh Allen Josh Allen in the running game, taking off on multiple occasions when he saw green space. He finished with 43 rushing yards to Allen’s 39.

Maybe no Chiefs player benefited from the late-season layoff more than Kareem Hunt, who had been the team’s workhorse while Pacheco was recovering from injuries. Hunt finished with a game-high 64 yards Sunday.

The fumble on the Mahomes-Isiah Pacheco exchange was a killer. The Chiefs were driving on their second possession leading 7-3 when the ball hit the turf and into Ed Oliver’s grasp. The Bills turned the mistake into a touchdown on a drive when Allen recovered his own fumble.

Biggest rushing play of the first half belonged to Mahomes, whose 5-yard gain on fourth down from the KC 39 kept alive a drive. Did the play seem familiar? It was the one Mahomes used for a first down against the 49ers in the overtime period of last year’s Super Bowl.

Passing defense: B

Allen’s beautiful 34-yard dime to Mack Hollins just before halftime swung momentum back to the Bills, who had fallen behind 21-10.

The Chiefs didn’t have a sack of Allen during the regular season or in last year’s playoff victory at Buffalo, but Mike Danna dropped Allen for a 10-yard loss in the first quarter.

And that blitz to force Allen’s final incomplete pass. Wow. It was a Steve Spagnuolo special, bringing loads of pressure and forcing Allen to make an off-balance throw that still was nearly caught by tight end Dalton Kincaid.

Rushing defense: B

The Chiefs came up with a massive fourth-down stop early in the fourth quarter, stopping Josh Allen short of the first down. Many got in on the stop, especially Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill, and this turned out to be the defensive moment of the game.

The Bills had averaged 175 rushing yards in the first two playoff games but got away from that in the first half. They rediscovered their running game after the break, with James Cook stretching over the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown run to give Buffalo a 22-21 lead.

But it wasn’t enough, and Allen, who had averaged 76 rushing yards in three previous playoff games against the Chiefs, went for about half of that.

Special teams: A

Nikko Remigio, who returned last week’s opening kickoff 63 yards, did his thing on a punt. His 42-yard return set up a Chiefs touchdown.

A mistake turned into a break for the Chiefs, when Justin Reid was flagged for offsides on a Bills extra-point attempt just before halftime. The Bills elected to go for two from the 2, and the Chiefs came up with the stop to leave the halftime score 21-16.

Add another game-winner to Harrison Butker’s legacy. His 35-yarder with 3:33 remaining provided the winning points.