Super Bowl is set: Chiefs top Bengals 23-20, will face Eagles
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Patrick Mahomes scrambled for a first down on his badly sprained right ankle, then was shoved late out of bounds by Joseph Ossai, giving Harrison Butker a chance to kick a 45-yard field goal with 3 seconds left that gave the Kansas City Chiefs a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC title game Sunday night.
The Chiefs finally managed to beat the Bengals after three straight losses, including a three-point overtime defeat in last year's conference championship game. Kansas City advanced to play the Philadelphia Eagles in their third Super Bowl in four years.
Mahomes, who hurt his ankle against Jacksonville in the divisional round, threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns, even though he was missing three of his wide receivers to injuries by the fourth quarter.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling led the way with 116 yards and a touchdown, while Travis Kelce - bad back and all - had seven for 78 yards and a score.
Joe Burrow had 270 yards passing with a touchdown and two interceptions for Cincinnati. He was sacked five times.
Eagles 31, 49ers 7:
PHILADELPHIA - Jalen Hurts had one of Philadelphia's four rushing touchdowns and the Eagles soared into the Super Bowl, forcing both of San Francisco's quarterbacks out of the game with injuries and beating the wounded 49ers 31-7 in the NFC championship game on Sunday.
The Eagles, who won the Super Bowl five years ago with a different coach and quarterback, will try to do it again behind the formidable duo of Hurts and coach Nick Sirianni.
Miles Sanders ran for two touchdowns and linebacker Haason Redick made the hit that forced 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy out of the game with an elbow injury. Redick also recovered a fumble by Purdy's replacement, Josh Johnson, who later suffered a concussion.
That forced Purdy back into the game, but his injury was clearly a factor as the 49ers all but gave up on throwing the ball, even while trailing by multiple scores.
San Francisco's bad luck at quarterback was finally too much to overcome as its 12-game win streak ended. The Niners lost both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo to season-ending injuries, and Purdy - the final pick in April's draft - lost as a starter for the first time.
Philadelphia police greased traffic and light poles in what has often proved a futile attempt to slow the revelry ahead. But a city that has been starved for a championship now has its beloved Birds in the Super Bowl just three months after the Philadelphia Phillies reached the World Series.