Statistics after 2 games
COMP
AVG
TD
INT
PASSING
ATT.
COM
PCT
YARDS
GAIN
TD
PCT
INT
PCT
LONG
RATE
Hurts
49
31
63.3
275
5.61
2
4.1
0
0.0
40
91.8
TEAM
49
31
63.3
269
5.61
2
4.1
0
0.0
40
91.8
OPPONENTS
45
26
57.8
192
5.16
0
0.0
1
2.2
22
62.5
RUSHING
ATT.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Gainwell
26
160
6.2
35t
1
Sanders
28
132
4.7
18
2
Hurts
20
73
3.7
14
2
B.Scott
12
53
4.4
10t
2
Minshew
2
-2
-1.0
-1
0
TEAM
88
416
4.7
35t
7
OPPONENTS
44
199
4.5
39
2
RECEIVING
NO.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Goedert
10
81
8.1
23
1
Smith
8
97
12.1
40
1
Brown
7
50
7.1
12
0
Gainwell
3
35
11.7
17
0
Pascal
1
4
4.0
4
0
Sanders
1
3
3.0
3
0
Stoll
1
5
5.0
5
0
TEAM
31
275
8.9
40
2
OPPONENTS
26
232
8.9
22
0
INTERCEPTIONS
NO.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Bradberry
1
8
8.0
8
0
TEAM
1
8
8.0
8
0
OPPONENTS
0
0
0.0
0
0
SACKS
NO.
Reddick
3.5
Sweat
1.5
Cox
1.0
Graham
1.0
Hargrave
1.0
TEAM
8.0
OPPONENTS
2.0
GROSS
NET
IN
PUNTING
NO.
YARDS
AVG
AVG
20
LONG
BLK
Kern
7
309
44.1
39.3
3
53
0
TEAM
7
309
44.1
39.3
3
53
0
OPPONENTS
9
384
42.7
42.7
4
48
0
PUNT RETURNS
NO.
FC
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Covey
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
TEAM
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
OPPONENTS
3
0
14
4.7
9
0
KICKOFF RETURNS
NO.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
B.Scott
1
29
29.0
29
0
TEAM
1
29
29.0
29
0
OPPONENTS
8
237
29.6
42
0
OFF.
DEF.
FUMBLES/RECOVERIES
FUM
REC.
REC.
Blankenship
0
0
1
Hurts
1
1
0
Joseph
0
0
1
Reddick
0
0
1
TEAM
1
1
3
OPPONENTS
4
1
0
SCORE BY QUARTERS
1
2
3
4
OT
TOT
TEAM
21
28
7
13
0
69
OPPONENTS
0
7
7
0
0
14
TOUCHDOWNS
LONG
SCORING
TOT
RUS
REC
RET
XP
XPA
FG
FGA
FG
SAF
TOT
Elliott
0
0
0
0
9
9
2
2
31
0
15
Hurts
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
12
Sanders
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
12
B.Scott
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
12
Gainwell
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
Goedert
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
Smith
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
TEAM
9
7
2
0
9
9
2
2
31
0
60
OPPONENTS
2
2
0
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
12
FIELD GOALS
1-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50+
Elliott
0/
0
0/
0
2/
2
0/
0
0/
0
TEAM
0/
0
0/
0
2/
2
0/
0
0/
0
OPPONENTS
0/
0
0/
0
0/
0
0/
0
0/
0
Statistics after 3 games
COMP
AVG
TD
INT
PASSING
ATT.
COM
PCT
YARDS
GAIN
TD
PCT
INT
PCT
LONG
RATE
Purdy
63
41
65.1
569
9.03
3
4.8
0
0.0
74t
109.8
Johnson
13
7
53.8
74
5.69
0
0.0
0
0.0
22
70.7
McCaffrey
1
0
0.0
0
0.0
0
0.0
0
0.0
0
39.6
TEAM
77
48
62.3
606
8.35
3
3.9
0
0.0
74t
101.8
OPPONENTS
97
63
64.9
555
5.98
3
3.1
3
3.1
50t
78.5
RUSHING
ATT.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
McCaffrey
40
238
6.0
68
2
Mitchell
23
53
2.3
13
0
Samuel
13
34
2.6
22
0
Purdy
7
24
3.4
13
1
Mason
2
12
6.0
8
0
Juszczyk
1
8
8.0
8
0
Kittle
1
4
4.0
4
0
Johnson
2
2
1.0
2
0
TEAM
89
375
4.2
68
3
OPPONENTS
91
328
3.6
17
5
RECEIVING
NO.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Samuel
13
211
16.2
74t
1
McCaffrey
12
61
5.1
14
1
Kittle
10
164
16.4
31
0
Aiyuk
6
109
18.2
31
0
Jennings
4
67
16.8
33
0
Mitchell
2
25
12.5
18
1
Juszczyk
1
6
6.0
6
0
TEAM
48
643
13.4
74t
3
OPPONENTS
63
580
9.2
50t
3
INTERCEPTIONS
NO.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Lenoir
2
12
6.0
6
0
Warner
1
16
16.0
16
0
TEAM
3
28
9.3
16
0
OPPONENTS
0
0
0.0
0
0
SACKS
NO.
Armstead
2.0
Omenihu
2.0
Ebukam
1.0
TEAM
5.0
OPPONENTS
6.0
GROSS
NET
IN
PUNTING
NO.
YARDS
AVG
AVG
20
LONG
BLK
Wishnowsky
9
389
43.2
41.0
6
57
0
TEAM
9
389
43.2
41.0
6
57
0
OPPONENTS
12
561
46.8
40.9
4
60
0
PUNT RETURNS
NO.
FC
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
McCloud
5
0
50
10.0
16
0
TEAM
5
0
50
10.0
16
0
OPPONENTS
1
0
0
0.0
0
0
KICKOFF RETURNS
NO.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
McCloud
2
95
47.5
53
0
Samuel
2
65
32.5
37
0
TEAM
4
160
40.0
53
0
OPPONENTS
12
313
26.1
44
0
OFF.
DEF.
FUMBLES/RECOVERIES
FUM
REC.
REC.
Bosa
0
0
1
Johnson
1
0
0
McCloud
1
0
0
Purdy
1
0
0
Samuel
1
0
0
TEAM
4
0
1
OPPONENTS
1
0
4
SCORE BY QUARTERS
1
2
3
4
OT
TOT
TEAM
13
19
7
28
0
67
OPPONENTS
7
37
10
12
0
66
TOUCHDOWNS
LONG
SCORING
TOT
RUS
REC
RET
XP
XPA
FG
FGA
FG
SAF
TOT
Gould
0
0
0
0
5
5
8
8
50
0
29
McCaffrey
3
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
18
Purdy
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
Mitchell
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
Samuel
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
Kittle
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
TEAM
6
3
3
0
5
5
8
8
50
0
60
OPPONENTS
8
5
3
0
6
7
4
4
56
0
60
FIELD GOALS
1-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50+
Gould
0/
0
2/
2
3/
3
2/
2
1/
1
TEAM
0/
0
2/
2
3/
3
2/
2
1/
1
OPPONENTS
0/
0
1/
1
1/
1
1/
1
1/
1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs lost cornerback L'Jarius Sneed to the concussion protocol and versatile linebacker Willie Gay Jr. to a shoulder injury, depriving their defense of two key playmakers in their AFC title game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night.
The Chiefs also lost wide receivers Kadarius Toney to a twisted ankle and Mecole Hardman while getting tackled early in the second half. Fellow while Bengals counterpart Tyler Boyd went down early in the second half with a quadriceps injury.
Sneed was hurt while trying to tackle Samaje Perine low on the fourth play of the game. His helmet and shoulder appeared to hit Perine's knee as he stopped him for a 6-yard gain, and Sneed lay motionless for a moment. He finally rolled over onto his back and was checked out by trainers before walking off the field on his own.
The Chiefs announced in the second quarter that Sneed was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Sneed typically defends the opposing slot receiver, and that means Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo planned to have him cover dangerous Bengals pass catcher Ja'Marr Chase much of the night. His injury also meant the Chiefs would be relying on three rookie cornerbacks — Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Josh Williams.
Sneed picked off three passes, forced three fumbles and also had 3 1/2 sacks this season.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Cincinnati
0
6
7
7
—
20
Kansas City
3
10
7
3
—
23
First Quarter
KC_FG Butker 43, 8:50.
Second Quarter
KC_FG Butker 24, 14:58.
Cin_FG McPherson 30, 8:36.
KC_Kelce 14 pass from Mahomes (Butker kick), 3:50.
Cin_FG McPherson 23, :00.
Third Quarter
Cin_Higgins 27 pass from Burrow (McPherson kick), 9:54.
KC_Valdes-Scantling 19 pass from Mahomes (Butker kick), 4:15.
Fourth Quarter
Cin_S.Perine 2 run (McPherson kick), 13:30.
KC_FG Butker 45, :03.
A_73,426.
___
Cin
KC
First downs
18
23
Total Net Yards
309
357
Rushes-yards
17-71
20-42
Passing
238
315
Punt Returns
1-5
3-41
Kickoff Returns
3-56
3-63
Interceptions Ret.
0-0
2-6
Comp-Att-Int
26-41-2
29-43-0
Sacked-Yards Lost
5-32
3-11
Punts
4-49.0
4-37.75
Fumbles-Lost
0-0
2-1
Penalties-Yards
9-71
4-55
Time of Possession
27:09
32:51
___
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING_Cincinnati, Burrow 4-30, Perine 5-22, Mixon 8-19. Kansas City, Pacheco 10-26, Mahomes 3-8, Hardman 2-7, McKinnon 4-1, R.Jones 1-0.
PASSING_Cincinnati, Burrow 26-41-2-270. Kansas City, Mahomes 29-43-0-326.
RECEIVING_Cincinnati, Higgins 6-83, Chase 6-75, Hurst 4-37, Mixon 3-15, Perine 3-4, Boyd 2-40, Wilcox 1-10, Irwin 1-6. Kansas City, Kelce 7-78, Valdes-Scantling 6-116, Pacheco 5-59, Moore 3-13, McKinnon 2-17, Hardman 2-10, Kemp 1-13, Toney 1-9, Smith-Schuster 1-7, Gray 1-4.
MISSED FIELD GOALS_None.
2022_Kansas City 23, Cincinnati 20
2021_Cincinnati 27, Kansas City 24, OT
2020_Kansas City 38, Buffalo 24
2019_Kansas City 35, Tennessee 24
2018_New England 37, Kansas City 31, OT
2017_New England 24, Jacksonville 20
2016_New England 36, Pittsburgh 17
2015_Denver 20, New England 18
2014_New England 45, Indianapolis 7
2013_Denver 26, New England 16
2012_Baltimore 28, New England 13
2011_New England 23, Baltimore 20
2010_Pittsburgh 24, N.Y. Jets 19
2009_Indianapolis 30, New York 17
2008_Pittsburgh 23, Baltimore 14
2007_New England 21, San Diego 12
2006_Indianapolis 38, New England 34
2005_Pittsburgh 34, Denver 17
2004_New England 41, Pittsburgh 27
2003_New England 24, Indianapolis 14
2002_Oakland 41, Tennessee 24
2001_New England 24, Pittsburgh 17
2000_Baltimore 16, Oakland 3
1999_Tennessee 33, Jacksonville 14
1998_Denver 23, New York 10
1997_Denver 24, Pittsburgh 21
1996_New England 20, Jacksonville 6
1995_Pittsburgh 20, Indianapolis 16
1994_San Diego 17, Pittsburgh 13
1993_Buffalo 30, Kansas City 13
1992_Buffalo 29, Miami 10
1991_Buffalo 10, Denver 7
1990_Buffalo 51, L.A. Raiders 3
1989_Denver 37, Cleveland 21
1988_Cincinnati 21, Buffalo 10
1987_Denver 38, Cleveland 33
1986_Denver 23, Cleveland 20, OT
1985_New England 31, Miami 14
1984_Miami 45, Pittsburgh 28
1983_L.A. Raiders 30, Seattle 14
1982_Miami 14, New York 0
1981_Cincinnati 27, San Diego 7
1980_Oakland 34, San Diego 27
1979_Pittsburgh 27, Houston 13
1978_Pittsburgh 34, Houston 5
1977_Denver 20, Oakland 17
1976_Oakland 24, Pittsburgh 7
1975_Pittsburgh 16, Oakland 10
1974_Pittsburgh 24, Oakland 13
1973_Miami 27, Oakland 10
1972_Miami 21, Pittsburgh 17
1971_Miami 21, Baltimore 0
1970_Baltimore 27, Oakland 17
1969_Kansas City 17, Oakland 7
1968_New York 27, Oakland 23
1967_Oakland 40, Houston 7
1966_Kansas City 31, Buffalo 7
1965_Buffalo 23, San Diego 0
1964_Buffalo 20, San Diego 7
1963_San Diego 51, Boston 10
1962_Dallas 20, Houston 17, OT
1961_Houston 10, San Diego 3
1960_Houston 24, L.A. Chargers 16
___
NOTE: List includes AFL Championship Games from 1960 to 1969.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs top Bengals 23-20 to win AFC title, will face Eagles in Super Bowl.
Cincinnati
0
6
7
7
—
20
Kansas City
3
10
7
3
—
23
First Quarter
KC_FG Butker 43, 8:50. Drive: 7 plays, 39 yards, 3:21. Key Plays: Mahomes 16 pass to Pacheco; Mahomes 16 pass to Kelce. Kansas City 3, Cincinnati 0.
Second Quarter
KC_FG Butker 24, 14:58. Drive: 12 plays, 60 yards, 6:18. Key Plays: Mahomes 18 pass to Pacheco; Hardman 2 run on 3rd-and-1; Mahomes 12 pass to Kelce; Mahomes 13 pass to McKinnon; Mahomes 13 pass to Kelce on 3rd-and-19. Kansas City 6, Cincinnati 0.
Cin_FG McPherson 30, 8:36. Drive: 14 plays, 63 yards, 6:22. Key Plays: S.Perine 5 run on 3rd-and-1; Burrow 10 pass to Wilcox; Burrow 16 pass to Boyd on 3rd-and-14; Burrow 24 pass to Boyd. Kansas City 6, Cincinnati 3.
KC_Kelce 14 pass from Mahomes (Butker kick), 3:50. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:43. Key Plays: Mahomes 11 pass to Valdes-Scantling; Mahomes 29 pass to Valdes-Scantling. Kansas City 13, Cincinnati 3.
Cin_FG McPherson 23, :00. Drive: 12 plays, 90 yards, 2:03. Key Plays: Thornhill 0 interception return to Cincinnati 28; Burrow 17 pass to Chase; Mixon 3 run on 3rd-and-1; Burrow 11 pass to Higgins; Burrow 21 pass to Higgins. Kansas City 13, Cincinnati 6.
Third Quarter
Cin_Higgins 27 pass from Burrow (McPherson kick), 9:54. Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 3:35. Key Play: Burrow 11 run on 3rd-and-6. Cincinnati 13, Kansas City 13.
KC_Valdes-Scantling 19 pass from Mahomes (Butker kick), 4:15. Drive: 12 plays, 77 yards, 5:39. Key Plays: Moore kick return to Kansas City 23; Mahomes 11 pass to Hardman on 3rd-and-4; Mahomes 25 pass to Valdes-Scantling; Mahomes 7 pass to Valdes-Scantling on 3rd-and-7. Kansas City 20, Cincinnati 13.
Fourth Quarter
Cin_S.Perine 2 run (McPherson kick), 13:30. Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 2:25. Key Play: Burrow 35 pass to Chase on 4th-and-6. Cincinnati 20, Kansas City 20.
KC_FG Butker 45, :03. Drive: 4 plays, 26 yards, 00:27. Key Play: Mahomes 5 run on 3rd-and-4. Kansas City 23, Cincinnati 20.
A_73,426.
___
Cin
KC
FIRST DOWNS
18
23
Rushing
6
3
Passing
11
17
Penalty
1
3
THIRD DOWN EFF
6-14
7-14
FOURTH DOWN EFF
1-1
1-1
TOTAL NET YARDS
309
357
Total Plays
63
66
Avg Gain
4.9
5.4
NET YARDS RUSHING
71
42
Rushes
17
20
Avg per rush
4.176
2.1
NET YARDS PASSING
238
315
Sacked-Yds lost
5-32
3-11
Gross-Yds passing
270
326
Completed-Att.
26-41
29-43
Had Intercepted
2
0
Yards-Pass Play
5.174
6.848
KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB
4-3-1
6-3-3
PUNTS-Avg.
4-49.0
4-37.75
Punts blocked
0
0
FGs-PATs blocked
0-0
0-0
TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE
61
110
Punt Returns
1-5
3-41
Kickoff Returns
3-56
3-63
Interceptions
0-0
2-6
PENALTIES-Yds
9-71
4-55
FUMBLES-Lost
0-0
2-1
TIME OF POSSESSION
27:09
32:51
___
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING_Cincinnati, Burrow 4-30, Perine 5-22, Mixon 8-19. Kansas City, Pacheco 10-26, Mahomes 3-8, Hardman 2-7, McKinnon 4-1, R.Jones 1-0.
PASSING_Cincinnati, Burrow 26-41-2-270. Kansas City, Mahomes 29-43-0-326.
RECEIVING_Cincinnati, Higgins 6-83, Chase 6-75, Hurst 4-37, Mixon 3-15, Perine 3-4, Boyd 2-40, Wilcox 1-10, Irwin 1-6. Kansas City, Kelce 7-78, Valdes-Scantling 6-116, Pacheco 5-59, Moore 3-13, McKinnon 2-17, Hardman 2-10, Kemp 1-13, Toney 1-9, Smith-Schuster 1-7, Gray 1-4.
PUNT RETURNS_Cincinnati, Taylor 1-5. Kansas City, Moore 2-29, Toney 1-12.
KICKOFF RETURNS_Cincinnati, T.Williams 2-46, Irwin 1-8. Kansas City, Pacheco 2-45, Moore 1-18.
TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS_Cincinnati, Bell 5-2-0, Apple 5-1-0, L.Wilson 5-1-0, Hilton 4-1-0, Bates 3-3-0, Ossai 3-2-0, Pratt 2-5-0, C.Sample 2-0-1, Reader 1-3-0, Taylor-Britt 1-2-0, Tupou 1-2-0, Hubbard 1-1-1, Hendrickson 1-1-0, Higgins 1-0-0, Hurst 1-0-0, Carter 0-3-0, B.Hill 0-1-0. Kansas City, Reid 7-0-0, McDuffie 6-0-0, Cook 4-0-0, Ja.Watson 4-0-0, Danna 3-2-0, C.Jones 3-1-2, J.Williams 3-1-0, Saunders 3-0-0, Clark 2-1-1.5, Thornhill 2-1-0, Bolton 1-3-0, Karlaftis 1-0-1, Sneed 1-0-0, Gay 0-1-.5, Harris 0-1-0, Nnadi 0-1-0.
INTERCEPTIONS_Cincinnati, None. Kansas City, Ja.Watson 1-10, J.Williams 1-(minus 4).
MISSED FIELD GOALS_None.
___
OFFICIALS_Referee Ron Torbert, Ump Ramon George, HL Kent Payne, LJ Jeff Seeman, FJ Tom Hill, SJ Boris Cheek, BJ Todd Prukop, Replay Roddy Ames.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes was forced to rely on his badly sprained right ankle rather than his strong right arm when the Kansas City Chiefs were desperately driving with a chance to win the AFC championship.
The All-Pro quarterback, missing three wide receivers to injuries and battered himself, took off on a third-down play near midfield in another gut-check game with the Cincinnati Bengals. Mahomes strained to reach the mark he needed and was headed out of bounds when he felt the hands of Joseph Ossai send him sprawling into the bench.
The mad dash, coupled with the 15-yard penalty for a late hit, was all Kansas City needed.
Harrison Butker strode confidently onto the field, sent a 45-yard kick through cold, gusting wind over the crossbar with 3 seconds to go, and put the Chiefs back in the Super Bowl for the third time in four years with a 23-20 victory.
“I don’t think we have any cigars,” Mahomes said with a smile, "but we’ll be ready to go in the Super Bowl.”
It was vindication for the AFC West champions, who had lost three straight to their newfound nemeses, including a three-point overtime loss to Cincinnati in last year's conference title game. All of those defeats were by three points.
Now, the Chiefs are headed back to the big game.
Awaiting them is coach Andy Reid's old team, the Eagles, in the first matchup of Black quarterbacks in the Super Bowl with Mahomes and Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts. It will also feature a brother-against-brother showdown between Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Philadelphia center Jason Kelce.
“I’ve watched them all year," Mahomes said. “It’s going to be a great challenge for us. But I’m going to celebrate this first.”
Mahomes, who hurt his ankle against Jacksonville in the divisional round, threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns, even though he was missing three of his wide receivers to injuries by the end. Marquez Valdes-Scantling led with 116 yards and a touchdown, while Travis Kelce — bad back and all — had seven catches for 78 yards and a score.
“It’s a tough bunch. My heart goes out to them, man, they’re tough guys,” Reid said. “They worked so hard this week. Pat and Kelce were both banged up a little bit. They pushed through and great things happened."
The Chiefs also managed to shut the mouths of the Bengals, some of whom had taken to calling their home “Burrowhead” for Joe Burrow, who had never lost to Kansas City. Even Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval started in on the trash talk.
“I’ve got some wise words for that Cincinnati mayor,” Kelce said. "Know your role and shut your mouth, you jabroni!”
Burrow, who was sacked five times and wobbly by the end, finished with 270 yards passing to go with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Bengals. Tee Higgins had six catches for 83 yards and the score.
“We’re not going to make it about one play. There was plenty of plays we left on the field today that could have put us in a better position,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “The character of this football team, that’s never going to change. We’ve got the right people in the locker room, the right men leading this team and this organization.
“I know that this is a team that our city and our fan base can be proud of,” Taylor added. "They represent themselves the right way, and we’re going to fight, scratch and claw to be back in this position next year.”
The Chiefs were able to do early what the Buffalo Bills could not in last week’s divisional round: They ran roughshod over an ailing Bengals offensive line missing two starters to injury with another bothered by a sore knee.
Burrow was sacked three times in the first quarter alone and the Bengals offense did not gain a single yard.
Mahomes looked just fine on his sore ankle in leading Kansas City to a field goal on its opening possession. When the Chiefs got the ball back, Mahomes did it again, but only after Kadarius Toney failed to pull in a nifty throw for a would-be touchdown — the incompletion was upheld upon review.
Cincinnati finally got moving in the second quarter, but it also had to settle for Evan McPherson’s chip-shot field goal.
So much for two of the league’s highest-scoring offenses.
The Chiefs finally reached the end zone late in the second quarter when Mahomes hit Kelce, loosely covered by Jessie Bates III, with a fourth-down throw for the touchdown. The Bengals drove 90 yards in the closing minutes, but only added a field goal to get within 13-6 at the break.
Turns out their offense was just hitting its stride. And another classic was brewing.
After the Chiefs went three-and-out to start the second half, Burrow led the Bengals downfield, bolting through a yawning hole in the defense for a third-down conversion before hitting Higgins from 27 yards out to knot the game 13-all.
Mahomes, suddenly down three wide receivers to injuries and beginning to limp, gamely pressed on. He answered Burrow with a touchdown drive of his own, capped by a third-down throw to Valdes-Scantling to regain the lead.
The Chiefs had a chance to gain some breathing room later in the third quarter, but Mahomes somehow lost control of the ball before throwing a pass and the Bengals pounced on the fumble. Six players later — including an audacious fourth-down throw from Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase — Samaje Perine ran into the end zone to tie it at 20.
Burrow gave the Chiefs a chance when his deep throw to Higgins on third down was batted into the air and picked by rookie cornerback Josh Williams. Mahomes managed to move the Chiefs past midfield, but two runs went nowhere and his third-down throw to Jerick McKinnon was well short, forcing them to punt in Bengals territory.
Kansas City's defense held, though, got a crucial sack from Chris Jones to force a punt with 39 seconds left, and shaky return man Skyy Moore broke free for 29 yards on the return. That gave Mahomes and the offense one more try.
“It was a tough road to get here. To win 10 in a row, it was a pretty incredible feat,” Taylor said. "We came up short. We wanted to play longer than that, but really proud of these guys.”
INJURIES
Bengals: WR Tyler Boyd left with a quadriceps injury early in the second half.
Chiefs: Lost CB L’Jarius Sneed (concussion), LB Willie Gay Jr. (shoulder) and WRs Toney (ankle), Mecole Hardman (pelvis) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee).
UP NEXT
The Chiefs are headed to their third Super Bowl in four seasons. They ended a 50-year championship drought when they rallied to beat the San Francisco 49ers in 2020, then lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following year.
___
AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Statistics after 2 games
COMP
AVG
TD
INT
PASSING
ATT.
COM
PCT
YARDS
GAIN
TD
PCT
INT
PCT
LONG
RATE
Mahomes
73
51
69.9
521
7.14
4
5.5
0
0.0
29
108.3
Henne
7
5
71.4
23
3.29
1
14.3
0
0.0
8
114.9
TEAM
80
56
70.0
533
6.8
5
6.3
0
0.0
29
109.6
OPPONENTS
80
50
62.5
443
6.09
2
2.5
3
3.8
37
72.2
RUSHING
ATT.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Pacheco
22
121
5.5
39
0
McKinnon
15
26
1.7
7
0
Mahomes
6
16
2.7
5
0
Toney
1
14
14.0
14
0
Hardman
2
7
3.5
5
0
Moore
1
3
3.0
3
0
Gray
1
0
0.0
0
0
R.Jones
1
0
0.0
0
0
Henne
1
-1
-1.0
-1
0
TEAM
50
186
3.7
39
0
OPPONENTS
36
215
6.0
23
2
RECEIVING
NO.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Kelce
21
176
8.4
16
3
Valdes-Scantling
7
122
17.4
29
2
Pacheco
6
65
10.8
18
0
Toney
6
45
7.5
9
0
Moore
4
13
3.3
8
0
Smith-Schuster
3
36
12.0
16
0
Gray
2
31
15.5
27
0
Hardman
2
10
5.0
11
0
McKinnon
2
17
8.5
13
0
Bell
1
4
4.0
4
0
Kemp
1
13
13.0
13
0
Ju.Watson
1
12
12.0
12
0
TEAM
56
544
9.7
29
5
OPPONENTS
50
487
9.7
37
2
INTERCEPTIONS
NO.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Ja.Watson
2
11
5.5
10
0
J.Williams
1
-4
-4.0
-4
0
TEAM
3
7
2.3
10
0
OPPONENTS
0
0
0.0
0
0
SACKS
NO.
Clark
2.5
C.Jones
2.0
Karlaftis
1.0
Nnadi
1.0
Gay
0.5
TEAM
7.0
OPPONENTS
3.0
GROSS
NET
IN
PUNTING
NO.
YARDS
AVG
AVG
20
LONG
BLK
Townsend
8
354
44.3
40.8
5
60
0
TEAM
8
354
44.2
40.8
5
60
0
OPPONENTS
8
387
48.4
37.2
2
58
0
PUNT RETURNS
NO.
FC
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Moore
2
0
29
14.5
29
0
Toney
4
0
35
8.8
12
0
TEAM
6
0
64
10.7
29
0
OPPONENTS
4
0
28
7.0
9
0
KICKOFF RETURNS
NO.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Pacheco
2
45
22.5
23
0
Moore
1
18
18.0
18
0
TEAM
3
63
21.0
23
0
OPPONENTS
6
187
31.2
63
0
OFF.
DEF.
FUMBLES/RECOVERIES
FUM
REC.
REC.
Bolton
0
0
1
Kelce
1
0
0
Mahomes
1
0
0
McKinnon
0
1
0
TEAM
2
1
1
OPPONENTS
1
0
1
SCORE BY QUARTERS
1
2
3
4
OT
TOT
TEAM
10
20
10
10
0
50
OPPONENTS
7
9
7
17
0
40
TOUCHDOWNS
LONG
SCORING
TOT
RUS
REC
RET
XP
XPA
FG
FGA
FG
SAF
TOT
Butker
0
0
0
0
5
5
5
5
50
0
20
Kelce
3
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
18
Valdes-Scantling
2
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
12
TEAM
5
0
5
0
5
5
5
5
50
0
45
OPPONENTS
4
2
2
0
4
4
4
4
48
0
36
FIELD GOALS
1-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50+
Butker
0/
0
1/
1
0/
0
2/
2
2/
2
TEAM
0/
0
1/
1
0/
0
2/
2
2/
2
OPPONENTS
0/
0
1/
1
1/
1
2/
2
0/
0
Statistics after 3 games
COMP
AVG
TD
INT
PASSING
ATT.
COM
PCT
YARDS
GAIN
TD
PCT
INT
PCT
LONG
RATE
Burrow
109
72
66.1
721
6.62
4
3.7
2
1.8
35
89.3
TEAM
109
72
66.1
661
6.62
4
3.7
2
1.8
35
89.3
OPPONENTS
114
71
62.3
785
7.16
4
3.5
2
1.8
41t
88.2
RUSHING
ATT.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Mixon
39
163
4.2
16
1
Burrow
15
70
4.7
21
1
Perine
14
58
4.1
11
1
Chase
1
3
3.0
3
0
TEAM
69
294
4.3
21
3
OPPONENTS
74
261
3.5
35
1
RECEIVING
NO.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Chase
20
220
11.0
35
2
Higgins
13
148
11.4
27t
1
Hurst
13
141
10.8
23
1
Mixon
8
50
6.3
13
0
Perine
8
35
4.4
11
0
Boyd
6
89
14.8
24
0
Irwin
2
19
9.5
13
0
Wilcox
2
19
9.5
10
0
TEAM
72
721
10.0
35
4
OPPONENTS
71
816
11.5
41t
4
INTERCEPTIONS
NO.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Davis-Gaither
1
0
0.0
0
0
Taylor-Britt
1
0
0.0
0
0
TEAM
2
0
0.0
0
0
OPPONENTS
2
6
3.0
10
0
SACKS
NO.
Bell
1.0
B.Hill
1.0
Hilton
1.0
Hubbard
1.0
Sample
1.0
TEAM
6.0
OPPONENTS
10.0
GROSS
NET
IN
PUNTING
NO.
YARDS
AVG
AVG
20
LONG
BLK
Chrisman
9
420
46.7
36.4
3
54
0
TEAM
9
420
46.7
36.4
3
54
0
OPPONENTS
11
472
42.9
39.4
6
53
0
PUNT RETURNS
NO.
FC
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Taylor
5
0
39
7.8
14
0
TEAM
5
0
39
7.8
14
0
OPPONENTS
5
0
67
13.4
29
0
KICKOFF RETURNS
NO.
YARDS
AVG
LONG
TD
T.Williams
4
93
23.3
29
0
Taylor
1
18
18.0
16
0
Irwin
1
8
8.0
8
0
TEAM
6
119
19.8
29
0
OPPONENTS
10
218
21.8
29
0
OFF.
DEF.
FUMBLES/RECOVERIES
FUM
REC.
REC.
Hubbard
0
0
2
Hurst
1
0
0
Taylor
1
0
0
TEAM
2
0
2
OPPONENTS
4
2
1
SCORE BY QUARTERS
1
2
3
4
OT
TOT
TEAM
17
15
22
17
0
71
OPPONENTS
3
27
17
3
0
50
TOUCHDOWNS
LONG
SCORING
TOT
RUS
REC
RET
XP
XPA
FG
FGA
FG
SAF
TOT
McPherson
0
0
0
0
6
7
5
5
39
0
21
Chase
2
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
12
Burrow
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
Higgins
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
Hubbard
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
Hurst
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
Mixon
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
Perine
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
TEAM
8
3
4
1
6
7
5
5
39
0
63
OPPONENTS
5
1
4
0
5
5
5
5
45
0
45
FIELD GOALS
1-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50+
McPherson
0/
0
3/
3
2/
2
0/
0
0/
0
TEAM
0/
0
3/
3
2/
2
0/
0
0/
0
OPPONENTS
0/
0
3/
3
0/
0
2/
2
0/
0