KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With 3 minutes, 33 seconds remaining and the Kansas City Chiefs leading, 32-29 at Arrowhead Stadium, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills sat in a familiar spot, with the season on the line. They faced this exact situation last year, except in Buffalo, in the AFC divisional round, trailing by three with a chance to tie the game or win it in regulation.
Last season, Tyler Bass missed a potential game-tying field goal with 1:47 left. But this year, the Bills never got in field-goal range, as Allen’s fourth-and-5 floating pass attempt from his own 47-yard line, a prayer off his back foot, fell through the hands of diving tight end Dalton Kincaid, preserving a Chiefs victory and sending Kansas City to its third straight Super Bowl appearance.
» READ MORE: Eagles are going to the Super Bowl after crushing Commanders, 55-23, in NFC championship game
And for the second time in three seasons, the Eagles and Chiefs will face off for the World Championship, this time in New Orleans in Super Bowl LIX. The Chiefs beat the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, 38-35, to win the first of two consecutive titles. Now, they’re looking for an unprecedented three-peat.
The failed fourth-down attempt on Buffalo’s final possession was the second time in the fourth quarter the Chiefs defense rose to the occasion and ended a Bills scoring threat. Early in the fourth quarter, with the Bills clinging to a 22-21 lead, Allen’s fourth-and-1 sneak attempt from the Kansas City 41-yard line was stopped by the Chiefs’ interior defensive line, led by star Chris Jones.
Up until that point, the Bills had played turnover-free football, and recovered a Patrick Mahomes fumble in the first half that they turned into seven points. But as the Chiefs have shown in the Andy Reid-Mahomes era, you can’t make mistakes, in the fourth quarter nonetheless, and expect to win in Kansas City.
Mahomes provided the magic with his right arm early with an 11-yard passing touchdown to Xavier Worthy, but it was his mobility that took over in critical moments in the game, including on his go-ahead 10-yard touchdown run after the Bills’ turnover on downs to put the Chiefs up, 29-22. Allen responded with a touchdown throw, a 4-yarder on fourth-and-goal to wide receiver Curtis Samuel to tie the game at 29 with 6:15 remaining.
But the Chiefs responded with an eight-play, 51-yard drive, to set up a Harrison Butker 35-yard field goal that proved to be the game-winner. Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce and Worthy for 11- and 23-yard gains to put the Chiefs into Buffalo territory.
Mahomes finished the game completing 18-of-26 passes for 245 yards with three total touchdowns (two rushing, one passing). Reid, who coached the Eagles from 1999 to 2012, will coach in his sixth Super Bowl as a head coach, five of those coming with Mahomes as his quarterback.