Top Patrick Mahomes moments of his 5 AFC championship appearances
Patrick Mahomes has led the Kansas City Chiefs to a sixth consecutive AFC championship game. Here's a look back at his best moments from the previous five.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes are right at home in the AFC championship.
After beating the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round last weekend, the Chiefs will face the Baltimore Ravens on the road for what will be their sixth straight appearance in the AFC championship game.
The Chiefs won three of those games to advance to the Super Bowl and won a pair of titles.
Mahomes stands to make history with a win Sunday. A victory for Kansas City would mark his 14th postseason win, making him one of only six quarterbacks in league history to win 14 or more postseason starts.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
But Mahomes’ success didn't happen overnight. Here’s a look back at the highlights from each of Mahomes’ five appearances in the AFC championship.
Mahomes’ latest visit to the AFC championship game holds claim to arguably one of his greatest playoff moments.
While battling through an ankle injury sustained during the divisional round against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mahomes led the Chiefs to their third Super Bowl appearance in four seasons with a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
After trailing 13-6 entering the second half, the Bengals managed to tie the game at 20-20 early in the fourth quarter with a two-yard run by Samaje Perine.
With less than 30 seconds remaining, Mahomes orchestrated a four-play, 26-yard drive from the Chiefs’ 47 to get Kansas City within field goal range. The real magic happened when, on third and 4 with 17 seconds remaining, Mahomes dropped back and scrambled to the sidelines for a first down.
But a shove by Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai when Mahomes was already out of bounds gave the Chiefs an extra 15 yards, and Harrison Butker sent a 45-yard kick over the crossbar with three seconds to go.
Mahomes missed the opportunity to make three straight trips to the Super Bowl with a thrilling 27-24 overtime loss to the Bengals in the AFC championship game Jan. 30, 2022.
Despite the loss, Mahomes’ highlight reel in the first half was stacked.
FROM OUTKICK: CHIEFS’ DONOVAN SMITH ACCUSES BILLS OF SHUTTING OFF HOT WATER AFTER THE GAME
The Chiefs scored a touchdown on their first three possessions, including a 10-yard sliding pass to five-time All Pro receiver Tyreek Hill on their opening drive. Mahomes led the Chiefs to an 18-point lead just before halftime.
But the momentum would shift in the Bengals’ favor with a minute remaining in the second quarter after Perine scored on a 41-yard run to begin Cinninnati’s comeback.
Mahomes was picked off in overtime, eventually giving way to the Bengals’ game-winning field goal.
Fresh off a Super Bowl championship, Mahomes completed 29 of 38 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns to defeat the Buffalo Bills 38-24 Jan. 24, 2021, to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl for a second straight year.
Mahomes, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, played with plenty of style in the dominating win, but his best of the game was an underhand pass to star tight end Travis Kelce.
Late in the third with the Chiefs leading by nine, Mahomes took a chance on first and goal, lobbing the ball to Kelce, who ran it in to give Kansas City a 31-15 lead.
Kelce finished with 13 catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns, and Hill added nine catches for 172 yards, becoming the first duo in NFL history with consecutive games of at least 100 yards receiving each in a single postseason.
Mahomes showed off his footwork in the Chiefs' 35-24 win over the Tennessee Titans in the AFC championship game Jan. 19, 2020, when he scored on a 27-yard run with seconds remaining in the first half.
BILLS' TYLER BASS MISSES GAME-TYING KICK AS CHIEFS MOVE ON TO AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
On second and 10, with the Chiefs trailing by three, Mahomes dropped back to the 35-yard line searching for an open receiver. With Kelce and Hill tied up by the Titans’ defense, Mahomes ducked and dodged for a touchdown.
"I was thinking about running out of bounds, but as I got to the sideline, I realized I could cut up," Mahomes said after the game. "I was running down the sideline, and I knew we had two timeouts. So, I was like, ‘I might as well cut it back.’ So, I cut it back and, luckily, I was about to hang onto the ball and get in the end zone."
In just his first year as the Chiefs starting quarterback, Mahomes led Kansas City to a 12–4 record, their third straight division title and the AFC championship game, where they took on the New England Patriots, who were seeking their third straight Super Bowl appearance.
New England, led by veteran quarterback Tom Brady, took an early lead in their eventual 37-31 overtime victory over the Chiefs. Despite taking the lead twice in the fourth quarter, Mahomes’ biggest moment of the game was getting the Chiefs within field goal range to force overtime.
Trailing by three with just over 30 seconds remaining, Mahomes led a four-play, 48-yard drive to set up Butker’s 39-yard, game-tying field goal.
Rex Burkhead scored on a 2-yard run to seal the Chiefs’ fate.
Mahomes finished 16 of 31 for 295 yards and three touchdowns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
