NFL: Chiefs beat Bengals 23-20 to join Eagles in Super Bowl

SUMMARY

A 45-yard field goal by Harrison Butker with four seconds left in the game helped the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 on Sunday to secure their Super Bowl berth.

On February 12, the Chiefs will cross swords with the Phildelphia Eagles with the Vince-Lombardi trophy at stake.

This is Kansas City’s fifth participation in the ultimate duel, and the first since 2020. They were then defeated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes gave Butker the chance to play heroes when he got a first down on an impromptu run and took a tackle from Joseph Ossai out of bounds.

The penalty Ossai took alone seriously undermined the Bengals’ chances of sending the game to overtime.

A turnover by Mahomes in the fourth quarter, however, had opened the door wide for the Bengals, who hastened to create equality for the second time in the confrontation.

Without being the victim of the slightest pressure, Mahomes fumbled the ball, and Sam Hubbard seized it, giving new life to the visitors, finalists of the Super Bowl last year.

After an audacious aerial play from Joe Burrow towards Ja’Marr Chase, Samaje Perine scored the middle finger from a close two-yard range.

Mahomes’ second touchdown pass of the night had previously given the Chiefs a 20-13 lead with 4:15 remaining in the third quarter.

Responding to the first major of the Cincinnati game, the KC star quarterback fired a most precise pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, in the center of the end zone.

Mahomes came close to joining Kadarius Toney for a long overhead touchdown on the Chiefs’ first offensive possession.

Toney fumbled the ball in the end zone, however, and kicker Harrison Butker then successfully performed for 43 yards.

From the Chiefs’ next offensive sequence, running back Isiah Pachecho believed he had given his club a ten-point lead by running the nine yards separating him from the end zone.

A penalty imposed on Andrew Wylie for holding, however, dampened the heat of the fans at Arrowhead Stadium, and Butker came on for a short kick, making it 6-0.

Victim of two quarterback sacks in the first fifteen minutes of the game, Burrow had an inspiring first offensive sequence early in the second quarter.

The Bengals’ quest for the first touchdown of the night ended at the 12 line, however, when the young quarterback’s attempt at tight end Hayden Hurst was blocked.

Thus, Cincinnati found itself in turn having to settle for a precision kick, managed by Evan McPherson.

Mahomes continued to manhandle the Bengals secondary in her third appearance on the field. This time, the star quarterback for the Chiefs made his rivals pay with a risky gamble that paid off. On a fourth down and one yard to go, Mahomes joined his favorite target, tight end Travis Kelce, on 14 yards for the game’s first major.

Kelce now ranks second in NFL history for receiving yards (1,444) in playoff games. He allowed himself to steal the second position from the former New England Patriots, Julian Edelman.

Burrow had another encouraging streak before halftime, during the two-minute offense, but once again the Kansas City defense got up to stop a passing touchdown.

McPherson was therefore put to use a second time, and the latter allowed the Bengals to retreat to the locker room with a reasonable decline of seven points (13 to 6).

The Bengals offense continued to gain confidence coming back from the break, and that led to their first touchdown of the night. Ignoring a double coverage against him, Tee Higgins made his most important catch for 27 yards, bringing the counters to zero.