The Super Bowl will welcome the Kansas City Chiefs once again.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs took down the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in the AFC Championship Game to punch its ticket to the Big Game for the third straight season.
Kansas City scored on its first drive with a Kareem Hunt touchdown run, but Buffalo overcame a slow start and scored 10 unanswered. However, the Chiefs rattled off two straight touchdowns of their own to take a 21-10 lead late in the second half, but not before Josh Allen found Mack Hollins for a tough touchdown catch. The ensuing two-point conversion failed, though, so Kansas City led 21-16 entering the second half.
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It stayed close in the second half, too, as neither team found a way to run away with it. Buffalo took the lead 22-21 when James Cook made an incredible effort on a 4th-and-goal, then converted on another similar situation when Allen found Curtis Samuel to tie it at 29-29.
In the end, Kansas City did what it does best and closed it down on both sides of the ball, with Allen unable to perform his magic on Buffalo's final drive.
Kansas City will now progress to the Super Bowl where the No. 2-seeded Philadelphia Eagles will hope to exact revenge from two seasons ago.
Let's analyze the AFC showdown further with winners and losers:
WINNER: Three-peat odds
The Chiefs just keep making new history. They are now one step away from completing a historic three-peat in the Super Bowl, something that has never been achieved in the sport's history. Not even Tom Brady's New England Patriots could do it.
But Kansas City just wins and no other team has been able to stop the side when it matters most. Philadelphia came close last time but eventually fell short by three points. Will Saquon Barkley's historic campaign be enough to tilt it in Philadelphia's favor?
LOSER: Josh Allen, Bills
Allen may have gotten the better of Mahomes in the regular season, but he's still winless versus the Chiefs star in the playoffs. This loss moved Allen to 0-4 against Mahomes in postseason history, a rough look no matter the perspective.
The 28-year-old completed 22 of 34 passes for 237 yards, two touchdowns and no picks while rushing for 39 yards on 11 carries. He finally went a full season limiting his turnovers and displaying his greatness, but it remained not enough to put down Mahomes and the Chiefs.
WINNER: Andy Reid, Chiefs
After constantly falling short with Philadelphia, Reid can now become tied for the second-most winningest Super Bowl head coach ever. Bill Belichick is first with six, followed by Chuck Noll's four.
Should Reid win against his former team in the Big Game for the second time, he'd also be a four-time Super Bowl winner. Bill Walsh and Joe Gibbs also currently have three rings.
LOSER: Super Bowl rematches
There was a Super Bowl rematch last season between Kansas City and the San Francisco 49ers that ultimately lived up to the hype due to the collective quality in all aspects. Was another rematch this year the ideal matchup compared to something fresh?
Obviously the Bills and Washington Commanders didn't have enough talent to overcome two superior teams, but new and intriguing battles tend to be the way to go. With the recent wild card round and NCAA National Championship ratings both declining, it'll be interesting to see how the non-Philly and Kansas City markets fare in terms of non-halftime-show viewership.
LOSER: Missed opportunities
Buffalo and head coach Sean McDermott will regret the number of missed chances on the night. The Bills missed two critical fourth downs and also botched two two-point conversions after scoring touchdowns. The game obviously would've been different had Buffalo converted, but it left four points off the board just on those misses alone.
To lose by three points is a tough way to go out, and there's really no guarantee a non-Chiefs side in the AFC will make a deep run again next season. Buffalo will have to find ways to make upgrades to the roster, especially with Allen's air weapons.