The Kansas City Chiefs penned their name into Super Bowl LVIIII with a narrow 32-29 victory over the Buffalo Bills. The victory allows them to win three consecutive Vince Lombardi trophies. A feat not achieved in the Superbowl era, instated in 1966.
The dynamic and unstoppable duo of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes has essentially ruled the AFC and the entire NFL since the latter was drafted in 2018. Astonishingly, embodying that period of superiority, on February 9, Kansas City will play in its fifth big game in the last six seasons.
The one season they missed the Superbowl, they lost to a rampant Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC title game in 2022. So, their worst season was losing in the game one before the biggest of them all. They have since won nine straight postseason matchups, culminating in edging out Buffalo again last Sunday.
The Bills-Chiefs matchup has produced some of the most compelling outcomes in recent AFC history. But, inevitably, Mahomes and Co came out on top once again. MVP favourite Josh Allen has endured four playoff losses to Kansas City since 2018, including three Championship games and one Divisional. Allen is, in fact, 4-1 against Mahomes in the regular season, but the now-updated 0-4 record against the same man in January tells the whole story.
Well, maybe not all of it.
This is perhaps the closest Buffalo has come to overcoming the Chiefs’ brute dominance. With three and a half minutes left to play, they had Mahomes and the offence sitting on the bench. The game was in their hands. But, as we have seen repeatedly, the relentlessly successful power of Kansas City’s defence struck again. On 4th and 5, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo sent an all-out blitz.
It was a gutsy call on the play that would potentially decide the game. Allen was flustered and had to scramble to his right immediately and heave a hopeful lofted pass toward Dalton Kincaid. The tight end got his hands on the ball but could not bring it in, handing possession back to Kansas City.
And once you give them a chance to close the game out, they won’t pass up on it. The title game was put to bed on a 3rd and 9 in which third-string running back Samaje Perine darted for a first down to end any hope of a last-minute Bills fightback. Genius playcalling on both sides of the ball when the game mattered most. It’s so simple, yet so effective. Kansas City reigns supreme.
The Chiefs lost just two games in the regular season, one being the last game against the Broncos, where most starters were rested. The ability for Kansas to rest all of their key players for an extra week, having already locked up the one seed, meant they were the healthiest and most rested team hoping into the playoffs. Seeing the Lions’ defence struggle with their injuries highlights the importance of health and rest this late in the season.
The only other loss the Chiefs incurred in 2024 was against Buffalo back in week 11, which steered most of the discourse going into the AFC Championship game. Buffalo seemed the perfect outfit to dethrone the Chiefs this season. They had already beaten them in the regular season, which heightened the belief. Josh Allen had an MVP-worthy campaign with 40 total touchdowns for the fifth year in a row (28 passing, 12 rushing). And the Chiefs tended to perform worse against the Bills, even in scenarios where they won. Six of KC’s worst 20 games by defensive EPA since 2021 have been against the Bills (including the playoffs).
Unsurprisingly, as they typically do, Mahomes and his cohort clicked into gear when they needed to most, scoring 30 points for the first time this season and winning their 17th consecutive one-score game. A mind-boggling stat that spotlights Andy Reid’s inherent and incessant ability to win football games.
Chiefs games usually emphasize possessing the ball. No games have fewer combined possessions than Kansas affairs. Sunday’s AFC title ga,e had just 19 drives. The significance of long drives and elevated time of possession are vital for the Chiefs’ success. This explains Buffalo’s inclination to be aggressive on fourth down most often. You have to make your possessions count and get points on the board. Otherwise, you will be punished. Yet, with a 6.3 average winning point margin for Reid’s men since 2019 in the regular season, they always seem to find a way.
This, coupled with Arrowhead’s fortress reputation, where the Chiefs won all ten of their home games there this season, makes them essentially an unstoppable force. But a force that the Eagles must overcome if they are to spoil the three-peat festivities in New Orleans next Sunday.
A win for the Kansas City Chiefs in Superbowl 59 would move the franchise into a tie for second regarding the most victories ever in the big game with five, behind only New England and Pittsburgh, who have six apiece, not to mention the aforementioned three Superbowl’s in a row which has never been seen before.
The general NFL consensus is that this SB matchup is undesirable and drab, considering the entertaining nature of other teams. But take nothing away from both the Eagles and the Chiefs, they had the home-field advantage, and they took full advantage, and undoubtedly deserve to be the champions of their respective conferences.
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