MAHOMES SHOWS MOXIE
Despite injured ankle, clutch run gets Chiefs in range for winning FG
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes scrambled for a first down on his badly sprained right ankle, then was shoved out of bounds late by defender Joseph Ossai, giving Harrison Butker a chance to kick a 45-yard field goal with three seconds left that lifted the Chiefs to a 23-20 victory Sunday against the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game.
The Chiefs finally beat the Bengals after three consecutive losses, including a threepoint overtime defeat in the AFC title game last season, and will play the Eagles — coach Andy Reid’s old team — in their third Super Bowl appearance in the last four years.
It will be the first Super Bowl pitting two Black quarterbacks in Mahomes and the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, and it also will feature a brother-against-brother storyline with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Eagles center Jason Kelce on opposing teams.
‘‘I’ve watched them all year long,’’ Mahomes said of the Eagles. ‘‘Great quarterback, great entire team. It’s going to be a great challenge for us, but I’m going to celebrate this one first.’’
Mahomes, who hurt his ankle in the divisional round of the playoffs against the Jaguars, threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns, even though he was missing three of his receivers to injuries by the end. Marquez Valdes-Scantling led the way with 116 yards receiving and a touchdown, and Travis Kelce — bad back and all — had seven catches for 78 yards and a score.
Yet it was Mahomes on his balky right ankle, rather than with his strong right arm, that rescued the Chiefs.
‘‘At some points in games, you’ve gotta just put it all on the line,’’ Mahomes said. ‘‘The defense gave us a couple of chances to get in field-goal range, [and] we didn’t get there. The defense got another stop for us, and I knew I was going to get there somehow.
‘‘So I just put it all on the line, and we got in field-goal range.’’
The Chiefs got a crucial sack from defensive tackle Chris Jones to force a punt with 39 seconds left, and Skyy Moore broke free for 29 yards on the return.
Then on third-and-four from the Bengals’ 47, Mahomes eluded pressure and scrambled toward the Bengals’ sideline. He barely picked up the first down before Ossai gave him a shove from behind.
The penalty flags flew, the ball moved 15 yards closer and Butker’s third field goal of the game barely got over the crossbar.
‘‘We’re not going to make it about one play,’’ Bengals coach Zac Taylor said of Ossai’s penalty. ‘‘There was plenty of plays we left on the field today that could have put us in a better position.’’
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who was sacked five times and appeared to be woozy at the end, finished with 270 yards passing with a touchdown and two interceptions. Tee Higgins had six catches for 83 yards and a 27-yard touchdown, Samaje Perine had a two-yard scoring run and Evan McPherson kicked two field goals for the Bengals.
‘‘Tough loss,’’ Burrow said. ‘‘We didn’t make the plays we needed to to win this game, and they did down the stretch. And that’s what it came down to.
‘‘You always expect to win the game . . . but that’s not always how it turns out.’’