Patrick Mahomes threw for 177 yards and a touchdown, most of which went to good friend Travis Kelce, and the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans 23-14 on Saturday to advance to the AFC Championship Game for the seventh straight season. advanced.
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 consecutive 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.
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📺: #HOUvsKC on ESPN/ABC
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— NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2025
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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.
Taylor arrived much earlier than usual, about two hours before kickoff, and was dressed head-to-toe in Chanel, including a black-and-white tweed jacket, quarter-zip romper, pearl strand belt, and pendant earrings.
She spent part of the game sitting in her suite alongside Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, who is also a big Chiefs fan.
big @chief Fans inside the building 🤩 @taylorswift13 @CaitlinClark22
📺: #HOUvsKC on ESPN/ABC
📱: Streaming @NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/n04PZn010d
— NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2025
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Swift and Kelce's high-profile romance began last season when Kelce invited him to watch Kelce play against the Bears in September. Since then, the two have spent a lot of time together, often with cameras following them.
She's been spending more time in Kansas City lately after wrapping up her record-setting Elas Tour in Canada on Dec. 8.
