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:
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 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…
