They started the day scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions and went into the locker room with a double-digit lead at halftime.
Through the first two quarters, it looked like the Chiefs were destined to reach the Super Bowl for the third consecutive season. Joe Burrow marched the offense 42 yards down the field that set up the AFC Championship-winning field goal by Evan McPherson. Kansas City was again able to win the critical coin toss and gain the opening possession, but a Patrick Mahomes interception forced by Bengals safety Jessie Bates and reeled in by Vonn Bell gave Cincinnati the ball back. A second-half rally led by Joe Burrow helped force overtime for the second straight week at Arrowhead Stadium. Taking a simple motion handoff from left to right, the receiver took his time following blocks before bursting down the sideline to give Kansas City its first lead of the day.For the first time since the 1988 season, the Cincinnati Bengals are heading to the Super Bowl. We had three Hardman TDs to pick from, and his second came on a play in which most players would have no business scoring. You simply can't end drives that way and expect to beat the Chiefs. 5-yard line, however, Jimmy G faced pressure from George Karlaftis and lofted one up in the direction of George Kittle, only for Chiefs rookie Joshua Williams to snag the ball out of the air and erase San Francisco's shot at points. Down 14-13 to the Chiefs late in the second quarter, the 49ers were knocking at the door after recovering a muffed punt by rookie Skyy Moore. Honestly, it probably came on Garoppolo's lone pick of the day. Ex-Chiefs corner Charvarius Ward surrendered a bomb on third-and-long, and his teammates took turns blowing their own coverages after blitzes or front-four pressure failed to get home. combined for 30 points in the final two quarters.
It didn't help that DeMeco Ryans' defense had no answers for Mahomes and Co., especially after the half, when K.C. But all in all, Garoppolo never matched Mahomes in terms of consistent playmaking, throwing an ill-advised red-zone pick into traffic and failing to feel pressure on a safety that basically sealed the game. Even Ray-Ray McCloud got on the highlight reel with a nice TD catch. Brandon Aiyuk was busy, and George Kittle flashed his Kelce-level athleticism with a nearly 100-yard outing. As the Chiefs caught up and forced some red zone errors by Jimmy Garoppolo, however, the 49ers' ground game took a backseat to a more erratic aerial attack. Early on, San Francisco looked like a seamless contender, moving up and down the field by leaning on the new rushing duo of Christian McCaffrey and Jeff Wilson Jr. They couldn't run the ball the whole game. And Frank Clark had his best Chiefs performance in recent memory, totaling 1.5 sacks and hitting Garoppolo twice, including on a safety that all but sealed Kansas City's big win. L'Jarius Sneed played with confidence on the outside, getting to Garoppolo on a blitz and nearly logging a pick as well. The Chiefs defense wasn't without its moments, too. Mahomes simply fed them all, and his line proved sturdy the entire time, neutralizing San Francisco's typically feisty front. Everyone - almost literally - was on display: Travis Kelce emerged just when he needed to, always finding a way to run wide open on third-and-long JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling each made downfield work look easy Mecole Hardman turned on the jets for three scores as a ball-carrier and even Jerick McKinnon spiced up the backfield with a late catch-and-run. A slightly sloppy start, including an early Mahomes pick in his own territory, did nothing to overshadow their second-half stardom. The Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes combo remains the standard. Here are some additional takeaways from Sunday's Chiefs win: Why the Chiefs won Marquez Valdes-Scantling also went off on several deep shots, torching former Chiefs veteran Charvarius Ward. 15, and Mecole Hardman scoring three times on red zone trickery. The Chiefs scored a combined 30 points in the second half alone, however, with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Travis Kelce serving as reliable outlets for No. But Patrick Mahomes proved the more sustainable big-play artist in the cross-conference clash, spreading the ball around as Andy Reid's squad rolled to a 44-23 victory.ĭeMeco Ryans' defense made noise early in the showdown, with Talanoa Hufanga intercepting Mahomes to help San Francisco go on a 10-0 run out of the gate. Christian McCaffrey made his sharp-looking debut with his new squad, helping Jimmy Garoppolo and Co. On Sunday, in the marquee matchup of the Week 7 afternoon slate, rematching San Francisco on West Coast turf, they did it again. The Chiefs handled their business against the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
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