KANSAS CITY — Everybody and their Uncle Leroy and Cousin Man-Man nem was rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs to knock off the Evil Empire, the New England Patriots, because folks just hate boyz that just keep on winning. Well playas…I guess all of those folks will be cheering for the Los Angeles Rams in two week because Tom Brady and Co. walked out of the joint with a 37-31 win in overtime to advance to Super Bowl LIII.
The Patriots jumped off of the bus and drove 80 yards in 15 plays on their opening drive to score on a Sony Michel 1-yard touchdown run to take a 7-0 lead. They forced KC into a quick three and out on their next possession. Then marched it right back down their throats to end the first quarter.
They were putting on a clinic on how to advance the ball at will. They were on a 3rd and 1 ready to add to their lead when Reggie Ragland picked off Tom Brady in the end zone to give the Chiefs new life. Well…at least they kept them from going up 14 points.
New England was New England so they were completely dominating these boyz midway through the second quarter. At the 7:39 mark of the second quarter KC had only run 8 plays for -2 yards but luckily they were only down 7 points.
It wouldn’t be a Tom Brady/Belichick offense if they didn’t score before the half. With 35 seconds left Brady hits Phillip Dorsett on a 29-yard touchdown pass to go up 14-0 at the break.
It was total DOMINATION by the Pats!! Bruh…Kansas City only ran 16 plays for 32 total yards whereas the Patriots popped off 42 plays for 245 total yards in the first half. The time of possession was the most telling. New England held on to the ball for 21:07 minutes verses Kansas City having it for only 8:53.
That high powered Chiefs offense can’t hurt you if it’s standing on the sideline watching the game. Again, KC was lucky to be down only 14 points at the break.
Mahomes and Co. came out of the break and went to work getting back into it. It only took them 4 plays to go 74 yards behind the arm of the young quarterback. Ole boy hit Travice Kelce on a 12-yard touchdown pass after connecting with Sammie Watkins on a 54-yard pass down the middle of the field.
Forget about these boyz being completely out of it because the Chiefs offense looked wide awake after that series. The defense sure was as they forced the Patriots to a three and out. However, the fireworks that the Chiefs set off on their previous drive got wet because they were grounded on the next possession.
New England went 6 plays for 8-yards as Gostkowski made good on a 47-yard field goal to go up 17-7 with 3:36 left in the third quarter.
KC sparked the fire back up on the fireworks on their very next possession as they began to move the ball at will. At the end of three New England was up 17-7 with Mahomes and Co. in the red zone. Mahomes hits Damion Williams on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 14:51 left to make it 17-14 Patriots.
They only had 32 yards the entire first half and they put up 145 in the third quarter and 9 seconds into the fourth. NUTS!!! Talk about fireworks!!!
Not only were the fireworks poppin’ on offense but the defense exploded too. The Patriots tried to power move these boyz by going for it on 4th and 1 at the KC 25 yard line but the Chiefs denied them. That put Mahomes and Co. back in the driver’s seat but they couldn’t do anything with it as they went three and out.
On the following punt Julian Edelman seemed to have touched the ball as it got past him and the Chiefs recovered it. After a review of the play it was ruled that Edelman did NOT touch it and it was Patriots ball on the KC 27 yard line.
Two plays later Edelman misses a pass as it goes right off of his finger tips and it’s intercepted by Daniel Sorenson with the ball on the New England 30 yard line. Two plays later Mahomes catches these boyz sleeping as they blitzed and he threw right over the top of them with a screen pass to Damion Williams who goes 23 yards for the touchdown. Chiefs go up 21-17 with 7:45 left. The KC battled from being down 14 points in the first half.
Don’t ever count the Patriots out as they turned to Sony Michel who runs 10 yards for the touchdown with 3:32 left to play to go up 24-21. Problem? No problem!! Mahomes hits Watkins for a 38 yard gain to set up a Damian Williams 2 yard touchdown to put the Chiefs up 28-24 with 2:03 left.
C’mon bruh!!! If anybody could bring their team back with 2 minutes left surely it would be Tom Brady? He methodically moved the ball down field and with 37 seconds left the Patriots had a 1st and goal from the KC 4 yard line! Rex Burkhead scored on a run up the middle to put the Patriots up 31-28.
Bruh…there were four lead changes in the fourth quarter!!! With 11 seconds left to play Harrison Butker knocks down a 39-yard field goal to send it to overtime tied at 31-31. NUTS!!!!
There were 38 total points scored in the fourth quarter. The most such points ever scored in an AFC championship game. This was only the second AFC Championship game to go to overtime. The other was in 1986 with Denver defeating Cleveland.
The Patriots win the toss and Tom Brady just slices the Chiefs’ defense up methodically moving the ball down the field. They get to the 15 yard line and Burkhead pops it to the 5. On the very next play from the 2 yard line on second and goal Bulkhead sends the Patriots to the Super Bowl!!!! Never doubt Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. At some point boyz will learn that lesson. Next stop ATL, Georgia!!!