The Kansas City Chiefs are heading to the Super Bowl after a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game.
This team had a big chip on its shoulder heading into the AFC title game. They felt scorned, overlooked and disrespected in their own house. They could have responded and said something about it in the days leading up to the game, but they instead let their preparation and play do the talking for them. Against an immeasurable amount of injury-related adversity prior to and during the game, this team stood proud and showed its character to the world.
With that in mind, here are our four biggest takeaways from the team’s win:
Patrick Mahomes' legend grows
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes played the AFC Championship Game with a high ankle sprain that he suffered the week prior Asked about the injury in his postgame press conference, Mahomes was brutally honest.
“I didn’t expect to be able to run very much, just from the way it felt,” Mahomes said. “But the training staff and Julie (Frymyer) did a great job of giving me enough mobility that I was able to protect myself. At the end of the game there, I had to run to get the first down and it got us into field goal range. Credit to them and just trying to stay on it. Now, we’ve got two more weeks, so we’ve got to keep doing it.”
He said that he tried to run a couple of times during the game and get through the spots he usually would, but he said he didn’t have the burst he usually had. When push came to shove, he relied on sheer adrenaline and force of will to make something happen.
But that wasn’t the only challenge for Mahomes to overcome during this game. By the middle of the third quarter, Mahomes had lost his three top wide receivers to injury. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and Marcus Kemp were the only three left standing with the game on the line.
His coach called him MVP and Clark Hunt called him Superman after the game. I think I’ll call him a legend.
Defense wins championships
As gutsy of a performance as the offense had against the Bengals in the AFC title game, the defense was the star of the show for the Chiefs. When Cincinnati ruled out Jonah Williams and Alex Cappa, I said the defense had no excuses and had to get pressure on Joe Burrow. Sure enough, they took full advantage of those key players being absent. The defensive line harassed Burrow throughout the game, sacking him multiple times in the win.
Perhaps even more impressive than the performance on the defensive line was the show put on by the rookies in the defensive secondary. Not five snaps into the game, L’Jarius Sneed was concussed and out of the game. Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams were suddenly tasked with defending the most dangerous wide receiver trio in football. Not only did they limit Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, but they managed to get two interceptions off of Burrow in the process.
This is the type of defense that the Chiefs will need if they’re to go on and win Super Bowl LVII.
And there were unsung heroes
As much credit as the players, coaches and front-office executives are getting for this win, the Chiefs don’t get anywhere in the AFC Championship Game without their athletic training staff. Both Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and TE Travis Kelce entered the game with injury questions. Those questions were answered by Rick Burkholder, Julie Frymyer, David Glover, TJ Hackler and more.
Julie WAS the reason i was the guy i was on the field today! It takes everyone but she lead the charge all week!!! Now let’s get Super Bowl ready!! https://t.co/glPKlL9Qz3
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) January 30, 2023
If you loved the way Kelce played then love this guy, David Glover. He spent the last 48 hours with Trav. And big shout out to TJ Hackler our Chiropractor who worked on him Sat/Sun. pic.twitter.com/6FFwlJNStj
— Rick Burkholder (@proatc) January 30, 2023
It truly takes a village in order to wage a successful NFL season and these folks deserve just as much credit as the others who are getting the majority of it.
Redemption song
With Justin Watson inactive and both Mecole Hardman and Kadarius Toney injured during the game, the Chiefs turned to much-maligned rookie receiver Skyy Moore for punt returns. Moore struggled with punt returns early this season, muffing several punts and putting the team in a bad position during the regular season. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub insisted the team wasn’t giving up on Moore as a punt returner, even when they benched him in favor of Toney and Watson.
Well, it’s a good thing they didn’t give up on him.
Moore’s first punt return of the game was a solid gain erased by a penalty. His second punt return was a game-changing 29-yard return that set up the game-winning drive for Kansas City. Suddenly, Moore found himself redeemed. He emancipated himself from all of those frustrating early-season moments. And Toub’s insistence on continuing to teach him and help foster his growth paid off in a big way.
