Kansas City's last three trips to the AFC Championship

The Kansas City Chiefs have been the golden standard in the AFC for quite some time, and are going back to the AFC Championship for the fourth time in as many years. Getting to four straight is impressive, but hosting four straight like the Chiefs will do this weekend is history making.

Every year that Patrick Mahomes has been the starting quarterback for Kansas City, he has led them to at least the conference championship, or farther. He and the Chiefs have have chance to get back to the Super Bowl for the third straight season if they beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

On their first trip to the AFC title game they lost to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, but have won on their last two trips, stamping their ticket to consecutive Super Sundays.

Let’s recap how the last three trips to the conference title game went for Mahomes and the Chiefs.

New England Patriots vs. Kansas City Chiefs (L, 37-31 in OT)

The Chiefs new era in the AFC Championship started with a dramatic finish much like the one we saw in Arrowhead on Sunday night.

They found themselves down ten points going into the fourth quarter, and needed 24 points in the final fifteen minutes to push the game to overtime. Much like the game against he Bills, it was Harrison Butker sending the game into overtime in the final seconds of regulation. But it was Brady and the Pats who won the coin toss and marched down the field for a game winning two yard touchdown from Rex Burkhead.

Mahomes passed for 295 yards and three touchdowns, but was outshined by Brady who led New England on the game winning overtime drive, and threw for 348 yards.

Tennessee Titans vs. Kansas City Chiefs (W, 35-24)

In 2020 Mahomes led the Chiefs to their Super Bown in a half century. Mahomes was the leading rusher on that winter night in Arrowhead, and had the game changing play late in the first half, doing a tight rope run up the sidelines setting up a touchdown drive that gave Kansas City their first lead of the game.

The Chiefs didn’t look back after taking the advantage shortly before the halftime break. It was the KC defense that stepped up in the second half, holding the Titans to seven points and Derrick Henry to just seven yards in the final two quarters.

Mahomes threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns, and Sammy Watkins had seven receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown to send the Chiefs to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1970.

Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs (W, 38-24)

In last year’s AFC Championship, the Chiefs went down 9-0 in the first quarter and had to battle back again the Buffalo Bills. It took them ten minutes to turn what was a two score deficit to a 21-9 advantage shortly before halftime.

Travis Kelce took over from there, scoring two touchdowns in the final two quarters to fend off Josh Allen and the Bills. The Chiefs had complete control in the second half, leading by 23 points at one time in the fourth quarter.

Mahomes had 325 yards and three touchdowns and Tyreek Hill exploded for 172 yards on nine receptions in the comfortable win over Buffalo. The Chiefs would lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl two weeks later.