Kansas City Chiefs set to meet NFL Super Bowl with Philadelphia Eagles | American football news
Taylor Swift celebrates with Travis Kelce as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills 32-29 to advance to the Super Bowl on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.
The Kansas City Chiefs kept their bid for a historic third straight Super Bowl alive after defeating the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in an AFC Championship thriller to set up a National Football League (NFL) title showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles’ explosive play on the field Sunday led them to a 55-23 triumph over the Washington Commanders and the NFL Championship Game in New Orleans on Feb. 9.
In another tight matchup between Chiefs running back Patrick Mahomes and fellow Bills Josh Allen, Mahomes ran for a 10-yard touchdown and completed a two-point conversion to give Kansas City a 29-22 lead early in the fourth quarter.
After Allen answered with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel to tie the score at 29-29, Harrison Butker hit a 35-yard field goal for a touchdown — the Chiefs’ defense thwarted the Bills’ last-ditch bid.
“I’m very proud of my teammates and how they responded,” said Mahomes, who ran for two touchdowns and threw for another. “It was a great football team and I’m just, I’m just speechless.
“I’m just excited to come to New Orleans — let’s make history.”
Kansas City has now crushed the Bills’ dreams in four of the last five postseasons – twice in the conference championship game. The Bills have not made it to the NFL Championship since 1993.
Taylor Swift joins the celebration
The Chiefs were cheered on by Taylor Swift, the pop singer girlfriend of their tight end Travis Kelce.
The 14-time Grammy Award-winning superstar returned to Arrowhead StadiumConfetti rained down on the court afterward, and Swift and Kelce shared a kiss in celebration. Swift gave Chiefs coach Andy Reid a big hug and kept the party going with Kelce’s mother, Donna, and about 80,000 fans who simply refused to leave their seats.
“I’m very thankful to be here in Kansas City, playing with the guys and everybody in this building,” said Kelce, who had just two catches for 19 yards as the Bills refused to let him beat them by himself.
“It’s a special, special place. We feel it every day and we just try to take advantage of it and not let it slip out of our hands.”
Swift will almost certainly be in New Orleans with his famous friends when the Chiefs go for an unprecedented third straight Lombardi Trophy against the Eagles, who got a great game from Patrick Mahomes and some key stops from their defense to end the Bills’ season for the fourth time in the last five years.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said his team will have to put aside the hype surrounding their “three-peat” bid and focus on the Eagles.
“It still comes down to the game and the purity of the game and each play and how you handle it,” Reid said.
“And don’t go too far outside that box. You just concentrate on the opponent and what you have to do against him.”
Philadelphia Eagles defeated Washington Commanders
In Philadelphia, quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley each rushed for three touchdowns, rookie running back Will Shipley ran for another and Hurts threw for one TD as the Eagles set a conference championship game scoring record.
They will have a chance to avenge their loss to the Chiefs in the 2023 Super Bowl.
Barkley called reaching the Super Bowl “unbelievable,” but cautioned that the Eagles aren’t satisfied with the conference crown.
“The goal wasn’t just to get there,” Barkley said. “The goal is to win. And we’re going to celebrate and enjoy this and get right back to work.”
