The Kansas City Chiefs are headed back to the Super Bowl after defeating the Buffalo Bills, 32-29, in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.
Here are some quick notes from the game.
1. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is now 17-3 in the postseason.
Sunday's win moved Mahomes past Joe Montana for sole possession of the second-most postseason victories by a starting quarterback in NFL history on Sunday. Only Tom Brady, with 35, owns more.
It wasn't without some theatrics, either, as Mahomes led his sixth-career fourth-quarter comeback in the postseason, passing Montana for the second-most all-time. Again, only Brady recorded more in league history (with 9). Mahomes also now owns a winning record for his career in games that he trailed at some point in the fourth quarter at 27-26. That's easily the best mark for any quarterback in league history, and the next closest winning percentage – compiled by Daryle Lamonica – is just .386.
Mahomes is now in line to make his fifth start in the Super Bowl, and once he does, he'll join Brady and John Elway as the only quarterbacks in league history to do so. Additionally, Brady started his fifth Super Bowl when he was 34 years old, and Elway was 38. Mahomes is just 29.
2. The Chiefs are the first back-to-back defending champion to return to the Super Bowl in NFL history.
Nine teams have won back-to-back Super Bowls in league history, but following Sunday's win, the Chiefs are the only member of that group to return to the Super Bowl for a third-straight year.
Overall, the Chiefs are just the fourth team in league history to play in three consecutive Super Bowls, joining the 1971-73 Miami Dolphins, the 1990-93 Buffalo Bills and the 2016-18 New England Patriots.
The Chiefs are also the first team in NFL history to reach five Super Bowls in a six-season span.
3. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy tallied the most productive night of his young career.
Worthy hauled in six catches for a career-most 85 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. He also broke the triple-digit mark in terms of scrimmage yards for the first time in his young career with 101.
The former first-round pick now has at least 40 receiving yards in each of his last nine games dating back to Week 11. His 10 scrimmage touchdowns on the season lead the Chiefs.
4. Head Coach Andy Reid recorded his 28th career playoff victory.
Reid extended what was already the second-most postseason wins by a head coach in NFL history on Sunday, notching his 28th victory in the playoffs. He trails only Bill Belichick's 31 for the most all-time.
Reid will also tie Don Shula for the second-most Super Bowl appearances by a head coach in league history (with 6) when the Chiefs take the field in New Orleans. Only Belichick (with 9) owns more.
5. The Chiefs' defense stepped up on multiple occasions.
Kansas City, despite facing the league's No. 2 scoring offense, made numerous plays on Sunday that helped secure the victory.
First, the Chiefs stopped Buffalo on consecutive two-point conversion attempts midway through the game. The Bills tallied 12 unanswered points on either side of halftime, but due to those failed attempts, Buffalo only possessed a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
Still, the Bills looked poised to add to that advantage with just under 13 minutes remaining in the game before Kansas City stuffed Bills' quarterback Josh Allen on a short fourth-down attempt. The Chiefs didn't waste the opportunity, either, as Patrick Mahomes led a go-ahead touchdown drive immediately following the turnover on downs.
Perhaps the defensive play of the night, however, was the one that sealed the outcome. The Bills, trailing by three points, were facing a 4th-and-5 at midfield when Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dialed up a blitz that pressured Allen virtually right away. Allen was hit as he released the ball, and as his fourth-down heave fell incomplete, the Chiefs took over offensively and never gave the ball back.
A few standouts from the night included defensive lineman Chris Jones, who recorded a team-high eight pressures, and cornerback Jaylen Watson, who allowed just two catches for nine yards on 30 coverage snaps.
Overall, the Chiefs pressured Allen on 16 of his dropbacks in Sunday's game, and on those, Allen completed just 4-of-13 passes.
6. Tailback Kareem Hunt found the end zone for a second-straight week.
Hunt, who rushed for 64 yards on 17 carries in Sunday's game, scored a touchdown for the fourth week in a row with a 12-yard score on the Chiefs' opening series.
It was also Hunt's sixth-straight postseason game with a rushing touchdown, making him one of just two players (joining Terrell Davis) to tally a rushing score in each of his first six career playoff games.
7. Eight different players caught a pass for the Chiefs on Sunday.
Patrick Mahomes spread the ball around to eight players on Sunday: wide receiver Xavier Worthy (6 catches for 85 yards), wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (2 catches for 60 yards), wide receiver Hollywood Brown (3 catches for 35 yards), tight end Travis Kelce (2 catches for 19 yards), tailback Samaje Perine (1 catch for 17 yards), tailback Isiah Pacheco (2 catches for 12 yards), wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (1 catch for 11 yards) and tailback Kareem Hunt (1 catch for 6 yards).
That tally doubled the number of players who caught a pass in the Chiefs' Divisional Round victory over Houston.
8. The Chiefs completed the first undefeated season at home (including the playoffs) in franchise history.
Kansas City finished a perfect, 10-0 record at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium with Sunday's victory. It's the first undefeated season that includes the playoffs in franchise history.
The Chiefs previously compiled undefeated regular seasons at home in 1971, 1995, 1997 and 2003, but all four of those teams lost a playoff game at home. The 2024 Chiefs are the first to avoid that fate.
9. Kansas City scored a season-high 32 points on Sunday.
The Chiefs scored on five of their eight "true" possessions on Sunday, tallying a season-high 32 points. Kansas City was 5-of-9 on third down, 1-of-1 on fourth down and 4-for-6 in terms of red zone touchdown efficiency.
Aside from the kneel downs at the end, only four of the Chiefs' 63 total plays lost yardage on Sunday.
10. The Chiefs have now won nine consecutive playoff games.
Kansas City won its ninth-straight playoff game on Sunday, matching the 1961-67 Green Bay Packers for the second-longest streak in NFL history. Only the 2001-05 New England Patriots, who recorded 10 straight playoff wins, compiled a longer streak.
That stretch has the Chiefs on the doorstep of something that has never been achieved before in NFL history, and following a third-straight AFC title, Kansas City will prepare for a battle against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.
