BALTIMORE (AP) — The first quarter was vintage Patrick Mahomes, picking apart the Baltimore defense with quick passes, with Travis Kelce on the other end of several of them.
Then the Kansas City defense — now elite after some shaky seasons in the past — took over.
Finally, when Mahomes needed one more completion to send the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl, he went deep to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, whose struggles this season were emblematic of the team’s maligned receiving group.
It doesn’t matter anymore if the Chiefs show out in the regular season.
When they get to the playoffs, they have Mahomes, and that makes them tough to beat.
The Chiefs are going to their fourth Super Bowl in five seasons after Mahomes had an excellent first half and Kansas City’s defense did the rest Sunday in a 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
The Chiefs had not played a true road playoff game with Mahomes before this season.
This postseason, the Chiefs went on the road and beat the Buffalo Bills and Ravens in consecutive weeks, adding even more chapters to Mahomes’ legacy and their own growing dynasty.
The Ravens weren’t overrated, and neither was Lamar Jackson.
The Ravens were great all season, and Jackson deserves the MVP he’ll get in two weeks.
But Mahomes is the one current quarterback you want if you absolutely need to win a big game.
The Chiefs looked like less than themselves most of the season.
They lost six games, including to the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders.
The offense was questioned for not having enough star power. But in the end, it didn’t matter. Kansas City was great when it needed to be.
