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The Kansas City Chiefs are AFC Champions once again and are headed to their second consecutive Super Bowl. The Chiefs advanced to their fourth Super Bowl in five years. Led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs stunned Lamar Jackson and Ravens in Baltimore 17-10 in the AFC Championship on Sunday.
BACK. TO. BACK. pic.twitter.com/hK6hom7t4i
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) January 28, 2024
The Ravens looked sluggish on their first drive. Unable to produce anything substantial, Baltimore punted the ball away. The Chiefs came out firing on all cylinders. Travis Kelce converted on a crucial fourth down to keep the drive alive and ultimately set up a touchdown. Mahomes found Kelce again for the first score of the game to put the Chiefs up 7-0.
With the ball back, the Ravens looked to be finding a groove. The strong run offense recorded solid runs and Jackson found Zay Flowers in the endzone on a 30-yard touchdown pass to tie the game 7-7.
LAMAR. ZAY. WHAT A PLAY.
📺: #KCvsBAL on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/IIZbdmhqNS pic.twitter.com/GJqSOk5c4t— NFL (@NFL) January 28, 2024
The Chiefs drove right back down the field to take back the lead 14-7. From there, both teams’ offenses quieted down. The Ravens’ next drive concluded with a fumble to give the Chiefs the ball back. However, Kansas City turned the ball over on downs.
The Chiefs tacked on a field goal before halftime to extend their lead to 17-7 going into the locker room.
Defensive Day
After a pair of three-and-outs to start the third quarter, the defensive showdown continued.
A promising drive started for the Ravens as Jackson found Flowers for a 54-yard pass to put them in the red zone. However, the wide receiver committed a costly taunting penalty after the play, which backed his team up out of the red zone.
On a short pass from Jackson, Flowers dove for the endzone but lost control of the ball. The Chiefs’ L’Jarius Sneed forced the fumble resulting in a touchback, further squandering the hope of a comeback.
What a play by Sneed to prevent the TD 🔥
📺: #KCvsBAL on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/IIZbdmhqNS pic.twitter.com/bFvdrGRl3I— NFL (@NFL) January 28, 2024
The Ravens got the ball back with under four minutes left in the fourth quarter. They were driving at the Kansas City 25-yard line when Deon Bush picked off Jackson in the end zone. The Chiefs punted the ball away to give Baltimore its last glimmer of hope.
However, the Ravens could not secure the needed touchdown and settled for a field goal. The Chiefs ran the clock out to secure a 17-10 win and a coveted spot in Super Bowl LVIII.
First-time Underdogs
Mahomes played his first career road playoff games this postseason. Although facing the most adversity in his career, Mahomes said the run to the Super Bowl has been special.
Turnover Trouble
There’s no doubt the Ravens are disappointed in the outcome of their season. As arguably the most dominant team this regular season, carelessness with the ball proved to be their Achilles’ heel. Baltimore turned the ball over three times, which kept them from a chance at the Lombardi Trophy.
Jackson recognized the cost of the turnovers.
Super Bowl
The Kansas City Chiefs will meet the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas Feb. 11. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m.
