Mahomes breaks Brady’s NFL record
Chiefs survive wild wrestling match, Lions celebrate hard-hitting fairy tales
By David Needy
January 22, 2024, 5:34 a.m
Drama and tragedy: In a thriller, the Kansas City Chiefs once again bowl the Buffalo Bills out of the NFL playoffs. The champions send a statement, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce set a record. In Detroit, the Lions are fighting against the eternal loser image with their tale of hard work.
Almost exactly two years ago, in the second round of the NFL playoffs on January 23rd, Patrick Mahomes led his Kansas City Chiefs to a dramatic home overtime win against the Buffalo Bills. In 2024, on Sunday evening at minus ten degrees Celsius, Josh Allen and Co. will welcome the champions, who are struggling in the regular season – and the eagerly awaited duel between the quarterback rivals does not disappoint again. The champion tames the buffalo herd in a thrilling wrestling match and moves into the sixth AFC Championship Game in a row with a 27:24 thriller. Shortly before the end, drama and tragedy reign.
It’s exciting back and forth, right from the start. Almost every drive brings a change in lead, the late drama looms early. After a field goal each, the Bills and Allen, who really wanted to play as flawlessly as last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, managed a dominant drive with the first touchdown, which the quarterback himself ran into the end zone. The Bills have more first downs (8) in the first quarter than the Chiefs plays (6).
The Chiefs came out stronger in the second quarter, also thanks to furious runs from running back Isiah Pacheco. And then Mahomes, who was greeted with loud boos in his first road game of his playoff career, finally showed his skills with an exquisite deep pass over 29 yards straight into the path of his tight end Travis Kelce. His partner Taylor Swift and brother Jason Kelce, who retired a few days ago, are busy cheering in their VIP box with the few Chiefs fans around.
Mahomes then missed the accuracy of his throws into the end zone twice and only managed another field goal to make it 6:10. But in the following drive, the quarterback does better and finds the criminally released Kelce, who, after seven games without a touchdown, screams a primal scream into the ice-cold evening sky at the same time as his brother, shirtless and with a beer can in his hand in the stands. “Bread and butter. The Chiefs take the lead,” writes the NFL on X about the superstars’ combo.
But Allen wouldn’t be the top buffalo if he didn’t plow down the field again with brilliant runs in the shortest possible time and make it 17:13 with his second rushing touchdown 26 seconds before halftime. The quarterback cheers with a bodybuilder pose to show who’s boss in his home.
A blunder of greed
The second half continues captivatingly. Mahomes starts a 24-yard run that even Allen would be jealous of, including a brilliant fake pass. Shortly afterwards, after a pass from his playmaker, Kelce throws himself with the egg in his arms for the touchdown and the lead again. Again the superstar combination. With this touchdown, Mahomes and Kelce broke the NFL postseason record set by New England Patriots icons Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski with 15 receiving touchdowns for a duo.
The Bills counter with the magic of Josh Allen, whose throwing hand is now bleeding after a hit. He finds Khalil Shakir deep in the corner of the end zone. The wide receiver catches the ball just as magically for a touchdown. Of course, Mahomes and Co. hit back immediately, Pacheco fueled his way into the end zone for the next seven points to make it 27:24. Nobody suspected that this would mean the final result.
Because in the end it will be dramatic. With 13 minutes left on the clock, the Bills make their first real mistake. It’s a blunder of greed. At its own 31-yard line, Buffalo plays a fake punt on its fourth attempt, but it goes wrong. The Chiefs take over and come close to the preliminary decision – but cannot punish the faux pas because a VAR interruption decides on a fumble centimeters from the end zone and Bill’s possession of the ball, which also does not lead to any points.
Drama is followed by tragedy and the next mistakes: With just under two minutes left on the clock, the Buffalo herd is close to taking the lead, but Allen’s throw to Shakir in the end zone goes too deep. Instead of a lead, at least the late equalizer? No, kicker Tyler Bass shows nerves and misses the decisive field goal from 44 yards. The Chiefs are once again too big a hurdle for the Bills and show what tough playoff stuff they are made of. Now the biggest hurdle this season awaits: the Baltimore Ravens with MVP favorite Lamar Jackson.
Lions fight against loser image
The Detroit Lions are one of the most unsuccessful teams in NFL history. For years the league’s whipping boy, they are the only team that has existed since the beginning of the Super Bowl era to never make it to the finals. The fans from the hardworking and motor city of Detroit have been waiting longingly for moments like this Sunday evening for what feels like ages: The duel against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the most expensive divisional round game of all time: The average ticket price on the unofficial market is, according to ” TickPick.com” $1186the cheapest ticket still costs more than $700.
Nevertheless, 65,000 frenetic fans transform Ford Field into a deafening madhouse right from the start and the Motor City fairy tale continues. With the 31:23 win, the Lions move into an NFC title game for the first time since 1991 after ending their 32-year drought without a playoff win with a home win against the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday. The game, which has been extremely exciting for a long time, is also the duel between two quarterbacks who were previously rejected and have each finally found a new home: Detroit’s Jared Goff, the first pick in the 2016 draft, and Baker Mayfield, also the first selected two years later.
Right from the start, the Lions defense creates an even better atmosphere: after less than four minutes, CJ Gardner-Johnson intercepts a deflected pass from Mayfield in the middle of the field. Of all people, you have to say Gardner-Johnson, because the safety gave in Trash talk duel with Mayfield last week. The interception puts the Lions in very good field position and a first field goal. However, the Buccaneers responded with a field goal of their own in the drive that followed, making it 3-3.
Now the quarterback stars are getting better and better into the rhythm: Goff leads his lions 75 yards down the field in 14 plays. He looks for and finds German wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown or tight end Sam LaPorta time and time again with almost blind understanding, especially when the opposing defense puts pressure on the quarterback. At the beginning of the second quarter, Goff found Joshua Reynolds, who was completely alone, with a pass over nine yards for the first touchdown. The madhouse is finally freaking out.
The lions strike back in gazelle style
The Buccaneers are playing on an equal footing. But because their kicker Chase McLaughlin nails a field goal from 50 yards with a loud “doink” against the goal post, the frenetic supporters in Ford Field can cheer again. But then comes the first dampener in the mood: Within 73 seconds, Mayfield bridged 92 yards in a sensational drive just before halftime. With 19 seconds on the clock, wide receiver Mike Evans sensationally catches a fine pass from the quarterback two yards from the end zone. There Mayfield finds Cade Otton with the next play, Ford Field falls silent for the first time and the score is 10:10 and halftime goes.
In the second half, the defenses were initially convincing. Then a Lions touchdown brings the game back to life, and from then on it goes back and forth quickly. After a varied drive, Detroit makes a fourth attempt just before the end zone – and the risk is rewarded. Running back Craig Reynolds runs to take the lead again, the Motorcity madhouse is back immediately. But the Buccaneers are able to respond again and bring the game back to a tie shortly before the last quarter thanks to great throws from Mayfield.
Immediately afterwards, the Lions hit back in gazelle style: Jahmyr Gibbs conjured up an incredibly nimble and agile sprint onto the grass and danced a 31-yard run into the end zone to make it 24:17. And a few minutes later, St. Brown added seven points with a catch in the end zone, after previously keeping the drive alive with a great catch.
Despite another touchdown, Tampa Bay can’t recover because Mayfield, who was actually so strong that evening (349 yards and three touchdowns), throws his second interception at the beginning of the last drive. The Motor City fairy tale continues: Next Sunday, the long-standing underdog will sensationally fight for the entire hard-working city of Detroit to get into the Super Bowl.