The Kansas City Chiefs are heading to the Super Bowl

By Jackson Tolliver

In his sixth season as a starter, Patrick Mahomes will play in his fourth Super Bowl, looking to win his third.

It wasn’t the most convincing offensive performance, but Mahomes and the Chiefs came out of the gate hot, scoring one of their two touchdowns on their first drive and scoring all of their 17 points in the first half. The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the better defenses in the NFL, allowing just 301.4 yards per game during the regular season. They kept that momentum in this matchup, holding the Chiefs to just 319 total yards.

The problem, however, was that the Chiefs offense played better. They made plays when it mattered. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, after rookie receiver Zay Flowers caught a 54-yard pass to set up the Ravens, Chiefs safety L’Jarius Sneed knocked the ball out of his hands just a couple of plays later to force a fumble at the goal line. Despite the Ravens forcing a punt on the next possession, Lamar Jackson proceeded to throw an interception in the end zone on their next series.

The Ravens were able to make it a one-score game with just under three minutes to go after a Justin Tucker field goal, but Mahomes found his receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling after the two-minute warning to seal the game. They kneeled it out as the Baltimore fans hit the exits after another disappointing playoff loss.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce shined with 11 receptions, 116 yards and a touchdown. He made big plays for the offense, often against one of Baltimore’s best defenders, Kyle Hamilton. He was able to be slightly neutralized in the second half, along with the entirety of the Kansas City offense, but they did enough in the first half to come out with the victory.

Andy Reid and the Chiefs now await the winner of the AFC Championship, where either the Detroit Lions or San Francisco 49ers will punch their ticket to meet them in Las Vegas. The Super Bowl is on Sunday, Feb. 11.