The Kansas City Chiefs outlasted the Buffalo Bills 27-24 in a thrilling playoff game on Sunday night from Highmark Stadium.
There were five lead changes in the game, with Isaiah Pacheco scoring the winning touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Buffalo kicker Tyler Bass botched what would have been the tying field goal with less than two minutes remaining.
The Chiefs will hit the road to face the Ravens for the AFC Championship from M&T Bank Stadium next Sunday at 3 p.m. Baltimore did not face Kansas City in the regular season.
The Chiefs haven’t played the Ravens since 2010, meaning the league’s MVP and Patrick Mahomes have likely never faced each other in the postseason before.
Travis Kelce and the Chiefs are just one game away from the Super Bowl after beating the Bills
Taylor Swift was on hand to watch the Chiefs beat the Bills in the AFC Divisional round
In a luxury box, Swift was seen with Jason, Kylie and Donna Kelce cheering on the Chiefs
The Buffalo Bills led by four going into the game, but could not beat Kansas City
Swift arrived at Highmark Stadium with an entourage including model and actress Cara Delevingne.
Swift shared a luxury box with Jason and Kylie Kelce, Travis’ older brother and sister-in-law, with the 12-time Grammy winner meeting the Philadelphia Eagles center and his wife for the first time in Buffalo.
After Travis Kelce scored his first touchdown of the game, his first in eight games, he was seen with his hands in a heart sign toward the luxury box with his girlfriend and family.
The cameras then panned to shirtless Jason Kelce, screaming with excitement while holding a Bud Light.
The elder Kelce was then seen jumping out of the luxury box and into the crowd, while still shirtless, to drink beer with fans.
While this was going on, Kylie Kelce remained in the luxury box, unfazed by her husband’s behavior.
Kelce scored his second touchdown of the game on the opening drive of the second half.
Jason Kelce’s future was a prominent topic in the NFL this week following the Eagles’ playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Rumors surfaced Tuesday morning that Kelce told Eagles teammates in the locker room that he was retiring. Both Kelce brothers have refuted the reports, stating that no decision has been made.
Fast forward to Kelce’s dozen games this season, starting with the Chiefs’ Sept. 24 game against the Chicago Bears, where she and her now-boyfriend were seen together in public for the first time.
Josh Allen’s famous girlfriend, actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld, was also reportedly at Highmark Stadium for the game, but was not seen on the broadcast.
Steinfeld, an Oscar nominee, and Allen’s relationship have not received anywhere as much attention as Swift and Kelce.
Jason Kelce partly stole the show by drinking beer from the luxury family box shirtless
Patrick Mahomes won his first real playoff game on the road against Buffalo on Sunday
Travis Kelce scored two touchdowns against Buffalo and recognized Swift after one score
The Bills got their divisional round rematch against the Chiefs two seasons after their epic overtime clash that prompted the NFL to change overtime rules.
Kansas City and Buffalo combined to score 25 points and had four lead changes in the final two minutes of regulation during the 2022 game, leading to overtime.
The Chiefs won the coin toss and promptly scored the game-winning touchdown, denying the Bills the ball in the extra frame. Now both teams must gain offensive possession in overtime at the end of an NFL postseason game.
The Bills had won the last two meetings between the teams, while Kansas City has not defeated Buffalo in regulation in the last four meetings.
Oddly enough, the last five meetings between the teams had all taken place at Arrowhead Stadium before Sunday’s game. The Chiefs haven’t played in Buffalo since 2020.
The Chiefs face the Baltimore Ravens next week with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line
A Mecole Hardman fumble in the end zone in the fourth quarter ultimately proved costly
Facing a 4th-and-5, down three points early in the fourth quarter and deep in its own territory, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott called a fake punt while Damar Hamlin carried the ball.
Hamlin was stopped well short of the first-down line and the play resulted in a turnover on downs.
The Chiefs were unable to capitalize on the turnover, with Mecole Hardman fumbling the ball out of the end zone, resulting in a touchback and the Bills regaining the ball.
Troy Vincent, the NFL’s vice president of football operations, said the league will examine rules on fumbling the ball out of the end zone in December.
Most believe the current NFL rule doesn’t fit with the rest of the league’s procedures because it unfairly punishes the offense and rewards the defense.
Rule 8, Section 7, Article 3, Item 4a of the NFL’s rulebook is expected to be changed in March.
Fans in Buffalo were ready for Taylor Swift’s arrival at their stadium and braved the cold weather
Kelce scored a touchdown by finding the end zone cone and eluding a Buffalo defender
The game featured a lot of pushing and shoving between the teams, who knew it was a throwback game for both starting quarterbacks.
Because Mahomes, playing in the first real road postseason game of his NFL career, could once again defeat one of his biggest rivals and further solidify his resume to all-time elite status.
Allen was on the cusp of coming to the attention of the Hall of Fame, but had the stigma that he would never get the Bills to a Super Bowl in his career, despite being an integral figure of one of the best teams in the competition of the decade.