Kansas City, Mo. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The AFC's No. 1 seed in 2024 will get the chance to play for the right to appear in their fifth Super Bowl in seven seasons next Sunday evening on home field.
The Kansas City Chiefs took care of business in the AFC Divisional Round on Saturday afternoon, downing the Houston Texans, 23-14, in front of a rabid "Chiefs Kingdom" at Arrowhead Stadium.
Despite the Texans keeping close at halftime, and coming to within a point early in the third quarter, the Chiefs pulled away after controlling 7:44 of the game clock on their opening drive of the second half, and capping off the drive with an 11-yard touchdown from quarterback Patrick Mahomes to tight end Travis Kelce.
As the clock bled into the fourth quarter, the Chiefs defense clamped down on the Texans offense, led by second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud. Overall, the Chiefs got to Stroud a total of eight times, including five times in the second half.
This included a key fourth down sack on the Texans' second drive of the half with about 10 minutes remaining on the clock.
The Chiefs added another field goal with 4:38 to go in regulation to put the game just out of reach, and eventually closed out the 23-14 victory.
This will be the Chiefs' seventh-straight appearance in the AFC Championship Game dating back to the 2018 season, Mahomes' second season in the NFL and first full season as the starter in Kansas City.
In their first six appearances in the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs are 4-2, with losses only coming against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in 2018, and then in 2021 to Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Following the four wins in the AFC title game, the Chiefs have gone 3-1 in the Super Bowl, with Kansas City's only loss coming in Super Bowl LV to Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2020 COVID season.
Now the Chiefs await the winner of the other AFC Divisional Round matchup on Sunday between the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.
Just last season, the Chiefs managed to upend the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game with a 17-10 win at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. That punched their ticket to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, where the Chiefs secured an overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22, in overtime.
Meanwhile, the Bills and Chiefs have a rich playoff history since the 2020 season, when the two teams met at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC Championship Game. That game saw Kansas City earn a 38-24 blowout win over the Bills to earn a trip to Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay.
Overall, the Chiefs are a perfect 3-0 against the Bills in the postseason, earning the other two wins in the AFC Divisional Round in the 2021 and 2023 seasons.
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Kickoff for next Sunday's AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. EST.