Diminished by a right ankle injury, Pat Mahomes came back into the game in the third quarter and the Chiefs of Kansas City clinched their ticket to the American final with a 27-20 victory over the Jaguars de JacksonvilleSaturday.
This is the Chiefs’ fifth straight appearance in the conference finals. If they’re up against the Buffalo Bills, who play the Cincinnati Bengals tomorrow, the game will be played on neutral territory in Atlanta.
Mahomes, who was replaced by Chad Her in the first half after being injured on a tackle, had two touchdown passes and completed 22 of 30 passes for 195 yards through the air.
Kansas City mainly put the ball back in the hands of Travis Kelce who finished the encounter with two majors. Isiah Pacheco rushed for 95 yards on his 12 carries.
The Chiefs set the tone from their first offensive streak. At the Jacksonville 8-line, the KC quarterback spotted his accomplice Travis Kelce on eight yards to score the first points of the game with a touchdown. Harrison Butker then pulled off the conversion to make the Chiefs 7-0 in the 1st quarter.
The Jaguars ensured the response quickly. Jamal Agnew put Jacksonville in good stead with a 63-yard punt return. Trevor Lawrence finished the job with a touchdown pass to Christian Kirk. Riley Patterson tied the game at 7-7 by completing the conversion.
The Chiefs’ offense didn’t waver despite the absence of Pat Mahomes in the second quarter. Isiah Pacheco put Kansas City in good stead with a 39-yard run. Chad Henne then spotted Kelce who sped into the end zone to give the Chiefs a nine-point lead before halftime. It was Kelce’s second major in the first half only.
Trailing 20-10 in the 4th quarter, the Jaguars made sure to keep the game exciting until the very end. Travis Etienne found the end zone with a four-yard run to close the gap to three points (20-17) following the conversion of Riley Patterson.
If the Jags try by all means to hang on, they must be wary of Pat Mahomes who is able to complete touchdown passes on one foot. From the sequence following the Jacksonville touchdown, the Chiefs quarterback sent into the hands of Marquez Valdes-Scantling which turned his first reception into a major. Harrison Butker’s conversion then restored a ten-point lead to the Chiefs at 27-17 in the fourth quarter.
