KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes rushed for 177 yards and a touchdown, most of which went to his best friend Travis Kelce, and the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans 23-14 on Saturday for the seventh time. They advanced to the AFC Championship Game. consecutive seasons.
Kelce had seven catches for 117 yards and a score as the Chiefs (16-2) faced an unprecedented loss as his girlfriend Taylor Swift watched from her suite with WNBA star Kaitlyn Clark. He helped keep the dream of winning a third straight Super Bowl alive.
The Chiefs are just the fourth team in NFL history to reach the conference title game after winning the Lombardi Trophy, but the previous three teams lost. They'll try to change that next weekend when they play the Bills or Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium. They will face each other in Buffalo on Sunday, looking to take back the title from the defending champions.
Mahomes improved to 16-3 in the playoffs, tying Joe Montana for second-most wins in NFL history behind Tom Brady and going 7-0 in the divisional round. Mahomes also helped Andy Reid become the fourth NFL coach to reach 300 career wins.
Meanwhile, the Texans (11-8) have yet to win in six divisional games. They have lost to Kansas City twice.
Houston quarterback CJ Stroud threw for 245 yards but was sacked eight times. Joe Mixon, who was questionable due to an ankle injury, ran for 88 yards, caught several passes and scored a touchdown.
Texans kicker Kaimi Fairbairn missed a 55-yard field goal attempt and an extra-point try, and had another blocked field goal attempt with 1:46 left, but made the game a one-possession game. That would have kept Houston's hopes of a comeback alive.
