The Kansas City Chiefs are in the AFC Championship Game. Patrick Mahomes and Co. beat the Buffalo Bills for the third time in a row in the playoffs

The Buffalo Bills have missed out on revenge against the Kansas City Chiefs for their playoff defeats in 2020 and 2021.

The reigning champions prevailed 27:24 (13:17) at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo.

The two previous postseason duels had taken place in Kansas City.

The Bills got off to a promising start. Josh Allen and his running backs repeatedly got new first down attempts. In the end, Buffalo had 182 rushing yards

NFL record for Mahomes and Kelce

After a balanced first quarter (3:3), Buffalo’s quarterback also reached the end zone on foot for the first time: His 8-yard run at the start of the second period gave the Bills a 10:3 lead.

Patrick Mahomes (17/23 for 215 yards, passer rating of 131.6) then left his mark on the game. After a field goal drive, the two-time Super Bowl winner found Travis Kelce in the end zone – the tight end’s first receiving touchdown since Week 11. The Chiefs took the lead for the first time, 10:13.

The Bills’ answer: run. Allen, in particular, gashed his way through Kansas City’s defenders several times with no regard for losses. This was also the case with his second rushing touchdown of the game 26 seconds before the break – 17:13, the halftime score.

At the start of the third quarter, Kelce added his second touchdown in front of his brother Kelce and Taylor Swift. It was the 16th overall in the playoffs from Mahomes to Kelce – no quarterback-receiver duo has more in the postseason.

Bills miss crucial field goal

The Bills countered again immediately: Allen threw a spectacular 13-yard sidearm pass to Khalil Shakir – touchdown, 24:20.

But KC also promptly found the end zone again in the person of running back Isiah Pacheco – 24:27 and the fifth lead change of the game.

Buffalo tried a fake punt via Damar Hamlin in the ensuing drive, but it failed. However, the Chiefs did not take advantage of the good field position: Mecole Hardman fumbled the ball out of the end zone, touchback instead of touchdown.

The previously red-hot offense cooled off somewhat in the final quarter, with five consecutive drives ending without scoring. The last one was particularly painful for Buffalo: kicker Tyler Bass missed a field goal from 44 yards, missing the equalizer and possible overtime

Chiefs and Ravens want to go to the Super Bowl

The Chiefs will host the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game next Sunday.

With a win, Kansas City can look forward to its fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years