In a bit of a weird Championship Weekend, the Eagles took down a one-sided affair while the Chiefs pulled out the win in another tight battle against Cincinnati. Super Bowl LVII sets up as a matchup between what have been the best two teams from each conference for the majority of this season.

Mahomes’ Magic Proves Just Enough For K.C.

It turns out, not even a high ankle sprain can stop Patrick Mahomes. The dreaded diagnosis, the injury that can derail promising seasons for most players, wasn’t enough to take down the MVP. To be certain, he was slowed down by it. Hobbling at times, especially after seeming to aggravate it in the second half, Mahomes’ game wasn’t filled with his usual improvised acrobatics. Conducting the offense didn’t seem as effortless as it normally does on Sundays for the Chiefs’ signal caller. But during crunch time, in the handful of moments that swing the game in one direction or another, Mahomes was able to pull off his magic and make plays that leave you wondering how you ever doubted him.

In their second drive of the third quarter, the Chiefs took over at their own 35-yard line, having just given up a touchdown to Cincinnati to knot the game at 13-13. Nearing midfield, Mahomes hit Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a short pass to the right. Determined to make up for a lackluster season in one game,^[1]Valdes-Scantling signed a three-year 30-million-dollar contract in 2022, yet finished PPR WR54. Valdes-Scantling picked up the slack for a slew of in-game WR injuries and gained 25 yards on the play. He later made a great effort to reach the ball forward on a close third down and keep the drive moving. Faced again with another third down, this time from the Bengals’ 19-yard line, it was money-time for Mahomes. With his protection being pushed back toward him, Mahomes made a quick shuffle to his right, located Valdez-Scantling coming open in the end zone, and fired a laser at him right down the pike. It was just enough to get by the Bengals’ defender and put the Chiefs back up, 20-13.

Later, after Cincinnati had again tied the game up, the Chiefs had enough time for one last drive in the fourth quarter. Given good field position by a nice punt return from Skyy Moore, K.C. needed a couple of plays to put themselves in field goal position. On third-and-4 from Cincinnati’s 47-yard line, Mahomes took off from the pocket, bad ankle and all, and sprinted out towards the sideline, picking up the first down. As he stepped out of bounds, he was pushed by the Bengals’ Joseph Ossai who had been in close pursuit. The play drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and put the Chiefs 15 yards closer for the field goal try. Harrison Butker then came on with eight seconds left, nailed the kick, and won the game 23-20.

Bengals Comes Up Just Short