Chiefs make third straight Super Bowl; Barkley and Hurts lead Eagles over Commanders

By Canadian Press on January 26, 2025.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 245 yards and a touchdown, ran through the Buffalo defense for two more scores, and relied on his defense at key moments to help the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Bills 32-29 on Sunday night and reach the Super Bowl for the third consecutive season.

Now, the AFC champions will try to do something no other NFL team has done: Win all three.

The Chiefs will get a familiar foe in the Eagles, whom they beat two years ago for the first title in this run. Philadelphia romped to a 55-23 victory over the Washington Commanders earlier Sunday to earn a shot at the champs on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.

It’s the fourth time since January 2021 that the Chiefs have ended the Bills’ season in the playoffs. And like all the rest, it came after a heavyweight fight between two of the top teams in the AFC, one that was tied 29-all after Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen found Curtis Samuel in the back of the end zone to set up a little more drama at Arrowhead Stadium.

Mahomes was simply unflappable, though. He completed four consecutive passes on the ensuing possession, setting up Harrison Butker’s go-ahead field goal with 3:33 left and putting the Bills in another do-or-die situation in Kansas City.

Allen got their drive going by running for a first down, but his next two throws were batted at the line of scrimmage and fell incomplete. He hit Amari Cooper for a short gain on third down, and the Bills chose to go for it — they were 4 of 5 on fourth down at that point — and the Kansas City blitz forced Allen to loft up a prayer that Dalton Kincaid could not catch.

The Chiefs took over, picked up a couple of first downs and began to celebrate once again.

Kareem Hunt had a touchdown run and Xavier Worthy had six catches for 85 yards and a score for Kansas City, which became the fourth franchise to reach three consecutive Super Bowls with its ninth consecutive playoff victory.

Allen threw for 237 yards and two scores for Buffalo. James Cook ran for 85 yards and two touchdowns of his own.

EAGLES 55, COMMANDERS 23

Saquon Barkley dashed 60 yards for a touchdown on Philadelphia’s first play and finished with 118 yards and three scores, Jalen Hurts rushed for three TDs and the Eagles soared into the Super Bowl with a 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

Hurts and the Eagles are in the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons, and this time Barkley is along for the ride. The Eagles will play either the Buffalo Bills or former Eagles coach Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs.

Hurts, wearing a brace on his left knee, also threw for 246 yards and a touchdown pass and the Eagles had a towel-waving crowd in a frenzy for the NFC championship game at Lincoln Financial Field.

A.J. Brown caught six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown and the Eagles scored a season high in points to usher the franchise into their fifth Super Bowl.

The Associated Press