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TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | January 28

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | Best Weekend of NFL Season

It’s KC’s Patrick Mahomes vs B’more’s Lamar Jackson for the AFC title (file photo)

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Screw Super Bowl Sunday. The best weekend of the year for a tried and true NFL fan is THIS weekend, the home of the AFC & NFC Championship games.

It’s pretty simple math. Two is greater than one.

First, the opener. The Kansas City Chiefs travel East to the Charm City of Baltimore, but please don’t expect Baltimore Ravens fans of extending the warm and wonderful, faithful and friendly hospitality known of the City of Baltimore, Maryland. The Chiefs might get more WIRE or House of Cards than The Social Network.

With full disclosure in mind, I adore Baltimore. It’s one of the gems of the I-95 corridor from Washington DC to Portland, Maine. (The other gems include Philadelphia (PA), Mystic (CT), Providence (RI), Portland (Maine) and a not-too-far off “95” Portsmouth (New Hampshire). There is more to be written on the nuances of these Mid-Atlantic to Northeast corridor gems, but let’s get back to the NFL.

With the upstart and impressive Detroit Lions traveling to Santa Clara, the home of the San Francisco 49ers, we have the possibility of a new rivalry in the making. Th Lions and Niners might see a lot of each other down the road. The SF 49ers are the best in the business with a healthy RB Christian McCaffrey – my choice for league MVP over Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson. And, while all four teams possess potent offenses, it’ll be the defense that wins the respective championships. (Now, who was the first to say that poignant phrase)?

They’ll be playing for a chance to compete for the Vince (file photo)

LET’S DIG IN: Here’s some background and some good juice on the two games being played for the right to compete at Super Bowl LVIII (that’s 58 for you non-Romans).

3PM (ET) – KANSAS CITY CHIEFS at BALTIMORE RAVENS

As many a media outlets are reporting, the Chiefs are playing in their sixth consecutive AFC Conference Championship game, the second longest streak in NFL history (New England: (8) from 2011-2018).

The Chiefs, with a win, can become the third team ever to advance to four Super Bowls in a five year span. (Buffalo 1990-1993) and New England (2014, 2016-18). With another win, KC head coach Andy Reid can become the fourth head coach in NFL history to head-up a team in five or more Super Bowls. (Bill Belichick, Don Shula and Tom Landry).

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (2018 and 2022) has two league MVPs while Lamar Jackson (2019) has one league MVP with a strong possibility of another one coming for this season. Mahomes is (13-3) in his 16 NFL Playoff starts and has 38 TD passes, 4,561 yards passing with a 106.7 passer rating. He needs a victory to tie Terry Bradshaw, John Elway and Peyton Manning – all with 14 playoff wins. Tom Brady (35) and Joe Montana (15) lead the NFL in playoff victories as QBs.

Since the start of last year’s playoffs, Mahomes has 10 touchdown passes with no interceptions over five games. He can become the first QB in NFL history to go six playoff games without an interception (minimum of 20 attempts per game).

Mahomes’ cohort, Travis Kelce will begin his day with 145 receptions, 1,694 yards and 18 TD receptions in his postseason career. With seven receptions against the Ravens, Kelce can surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for the most receptions in NFL Playoff history with (151) the magic number.

On the other side of the field, the Baltimore Ravens are seeking their third franchise Super Bowl appearance (they won in 2013).

Baltimore boasts the NFL’s best rushing attack, averaging 156.5 yards per game but their claim to fame this season is the fact they led the NFL in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 16.5 ppg. They also led in sacks with 60.

Kansas City was second in scoring defense (17.3 ppg) and the Chiefs defense claimed 57 sacks.

Will it be offense or the defense that wins an AFC Championship on Sunday?

6:30PM (ET) – DETROIT LIONS at SAN FRANCISCO 49ers

The Lions are playing in only their second NFC title game, the last coming in 1991. A victory would propel Detroit to its first ever Super Bowl appearance.

Detroit’s Jared Goff can become the fifth QB to advance to the Super Bowl with multiple franchises (LA Rams). He’d join Tom Brady (New England and Tampa Bay), Peyton Manning (Indianapolis and Denver), Craig Morton (Dallas and Denver) and Kurt Warner (St. Louis and Arizona).

Detroit’s rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs recorded 63 scrimmage yards and a rushing TD in the Wild Card game, then 114 scrimmage yards and a rushing TD in the divisional round. On Sunday, he can become the fourth rookie in NFL history to record a TD in three playoff games.

Detroit wide-out Amon-ra St.Brown recorded seven catches in the wild card game and eight in the divisional playoff game and he can join Michael Thomas and Wes Welker as players to grab at least seven catches in their first three NFL Playoff games.

The team to beat, however, is the San Francisco 49ers who’ve played in four of the past five NFC championship games (2019, 2021-23) and the franchise has 19 championship game appearances.

The Niners can become the fifth NFL franchise with eight Super Bowl appearances. They’d join:

  • 11 – New England
  • 8 – Dallas
  • 8 – Denver
  • 8 – Pittsburgh

SF QB Brock Purdy can become the fourth quarterback to win four playoff games in his first two NFL seasons.

Saving the best for last, Niners amazing RB Christian McCaffrey totaled 128 scrimmage yards (98 rushing, 30 receiving) and two rushing TDs last week in the divisional round.

McCaffrey can become the third player in NFL history with at least 50 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in each of his six career playoff games. He would join Marcus Allen and Terrell Davis.

What does it all mean? May the best team win and – to all teams and players, stay safe and healthy so we can see the best of the best.

January 27th’s Boston Globe told the story of Game 1 (Photo by T. Peter Lyons)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The NBA told us, it’s “Rivalry Week.” Oh yeah? Wrong sport. There is no better rivalry than the “Battle of Commonwealth,” two epic college ice hockey games – played back-to-back this weekend – featuring the No. 1 Boston University Terriers vs the No. 2 ranked Boston College Eagles.

The 30 minutes before the annual men’s basketball tournament (Final Four) is on the list of the greatest moments in sports, yes, but the 30 minutes before Boston College (BC) hosted Boston U. (BU) resembled the college hockey version of college basketball’s Duke vs Carolina. At the Conte Forum on Friday, January 26th, there were a few things missing – as in BU fans. All the tickets in the crowd of 7,884 went to the BC faithful and the students. – let’s call ‘em kids – gobbled them up.

No. 1 BU skated out to see a sea of white shirted co-eds, all dancing in the aisles to a combination of recorded pop music blasted by the Game Ops to the sound of the BC Band belting out Led Zep’s “Kashmir.” There might’ve been 250 BU fans in the building.

It had to be intimidating, but maybe not as intimidating as 7,200 fans at a sold out Agganis Arena all rooting for the Terriers on January 27 (Boston College took the second game 4-3). It’s not a long run between 28 and 925 Commonwealth Ave but it’s a continent away for fans dressed in Red hockey sweaters emblazoned with BOSTON as compared to Maroon and Gold uniforms with either BOSTON COLLEGE or EAGLES across the front. The tickets must be guarded like the very goals they will defend.

It’s ONLY happening this weekend, at least unto February 5th in the nightcap of the semis to the annual Beanpot when they meet again. BC will be ranked No. 1 in the USA when the Beanpot begins.

TIDBITS: If I ever owned a thoroughbred race horse, I think I’d name it “Rivalry Week,” just to drive racetrack announcers around the country a little WILD. … Go ahead, say Rivalry Week three times – FAST. … Maybe I’d spell the horse’s name “Wivalry Week?” … There was a warm welcome back to Boston to Coach Don Casey this weekend as he traveled east from his San Diego digs to visit Boston and take in the Los Angeles Clippers at Boston Celtics game Saturday night. The Clippers and Celtics, along with the New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets were the NBA clubs Casey spent the most time with on the bench as an assistant and head coach (for LAC and NJN). A defensive (read: zone) specialist who coached Temple University from 1973 to 1982 spent seven seasons at the (Boston Garden, Fleet Center, TD Garden) as an assistant coach under (the late) Chris Ford and popular franchise man, M.L. Carr. And, yes Case and his son, Michael, stopped into West End Johnnies for a bite before Saturday’s game.

THINGS I THINK ABOUT: Why don’t dogs get poked in the eye more often, if ever? … And, what ever happened to the “original” National Floors Direct actress, Adrienne LaValley, and why was she replaced by Worcester native and current Boston North End resident, Samantha Valletta. If you have no idea what this is about, you haven’t watch a morning news show in Greater Boston. … Wouldn’t you just like to ask Chicago’s Robert Lamm what Question 66 was? And, speaking of Chicago, if you haven’t watched “The Terry Kath Experience,” you’re missing out on a vital story on the evolution of Rock ‘n Roll in these United States. As the cover says, “The Terry Kath Experience” is a documentary about a daughter discovering the legacy of her father – the late Terry Kath. Kath was one of the founding members of the band Chicago whose powerful guitar playing and husky, melodic voice has been praised by such icons as Jimi Hendrix, Joe Walsh and Eric Clapton. … Everyone forgets, Chicago – first known as Chicago Transit Authority – played a brand of rock that had never been played before (or since). Ass-kicking guitars blended with a horn section played by classically trained musicians became the headline band for the early to mid-70s. … That said, I find it bothersome that the band is still touring under the name, “Chicago.” Maybe they should play under the name “Sheboygan.” … It amazes me how all decent content on NFL.com is now only available if you pay for NFL+ at $6.99 a month. For that rate, they’d have to send a car to pick-up at home and drive back-and-forth to Gillette Stadium every Sunday. … While on the tangent, the same goes true of dishwasher soap. Cascade Platinium gets all the dishes cleaner than clean. Why didn;t they make regular Cascade that way to start? … SF QB Brock Purdy “don’t get no respect.” Look for a big day from Purdy. … And, one more item on the AFC Championship game and beyond: Can’t we all leave pop star Taylor Swift and Chiefs All Pro TE Travis Kelce alone for a while (like a year or more)? Maybe limit it to one cut-away a game?

Beltre, Mauer, Helton – Hall of Famers

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COOPERSTOWN – (Staff and Wire Services) – Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer and Todd Helton became the newest members of the Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday night, when results of the balloting conducted by voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America was announced by president Josh Rawitch at the plaque gallery inside the museum.

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Beltre, a star third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers from 1998-2018, earned a resounding 95.1 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot.

Fellow first-ballot inductee Mauer, who played his entire career for his hometown Minnesota Twins from 2004-18, garnered 76.1 percent. His 293 votes were four more than the minimum needed to reach the 75 percent necessary for enshrinement.

Helton, a slugging first baseman who spent his 17-season career with the Colorado Rockies from 1997-2013, received 79.7 percent of the vote in his sixth season of eligibility.

Beltre, Mauer and Helton will be inducted along with former manager Jim Leyland — who was elected via the 16-member Contemporary Baseball Era Committee on Dec. 3 — in a ceremony scheduled for July 21 in Cooperstown.

Beltre and Mauer are the first pair of first-ballot inductees since Mariano Rivera and the late Roy Halladay were enshrined in 2019. The three-person class elected by the writers is also the largest since 2019, when Mike Mussina and Edgar Martinez were also elected.

Billy Wagner just missed with 73.8 percent of the vote in his penultimate season of eligibility. Gary Sheffield, in his 10th and final year on the ballot, finished at 63.9 percent.

Carlos Beltran, in his second year on the ballot, received 57.1 percent of the vote — up from 46.5 percent last year, when many believed he was being punished for his role in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. Chase Utley (28.8 percent) led the remaining debut candidates.

Beltre, the only third baseman to finish with at least 400 homers and 3,000 hits, is sure to wear a Rangers hat on his plaque after he concluded his career with an impressive eight-year stint in Arlington, Texas, that solidified his first-ballot status. While with Texas, he made three All-Star teams, won three Gold Gloves and finished in the top 10 in the American League MVP balloting four times while hitting .304 with 199 homers and 1,277 hits.

Beltre finished his 21-year MLB career as a .286 batter with 477 homers, 1,707 RBIs, 3,166 hits and 848 walks.

Mauer played all 15 seasons with the Twins and built his Hall of Fame case while spending his first 10 seasons behind the plate. The native of nearby St. Paul won three batting titles and three Gold Gloves as well as the AL MVP in 2009, when he set career highs with a .365 average, 28 homers and 96 RBIs. Mauer spent his final five seasons at first base following a series of concussions.

Another one-team icon, Helton earned induction on his sixth year on the ballot and will become the second Colorado Rockies player in the Hall of Fame, joining former teammate Larry Walker in Cooperstown. Helton batted above .300 in his first 10 full MLB seasons and finished his career with a .316 average along with 369 homers. He led the NL with a .372 average and 147 RBIs in 2000.

Wagner’s 422 saves rank sixth all-time. The diminutive left-hander made seven All-Star teams and averaged 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings, the highest figure ever among pitchers to throw at least 900 innings.

Sheffield, a slugger known for his bat waggle and ferocious yet controlled swing, hit 509 homers and finished in the top 10 of the MVP balloting six times for five different teams.

Andruw Jones, a defensive whiz as well as a potent batter, received 61.6 percent on his seventh year on the ballot.

–By Jerry Beach, Field Level Media

Sports Law: Porter Reaches Plea Deal

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Former Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. reached a plea deal Tuesday in his New York assault case involving former girlfriend and WNBA guard Kysre Gondrezick.

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Porter, 23, pleaded guilty in a Manhattan court to charges of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment in the second degree.

According to his attorneys, he will be able to withdraw the plea following the completion of a 26-week counseling program.

Porter was arrested at a New York City hotel on Sept. 11 after police initially said he fractured one of Gondrezick’s neck vertebrae in an alleged attack. Prosecutors later dropped one of his assault charges after finding insufficient evidence that Porter injured her neck.

Gondrezick told the New York Post in October that Porter “didn’t hit me.”

“The resolution will allow Mr. Porter to put this incident, which involved false felony allegations and false facts, behind him with no criminal record and move forward,” Porter’s lawyers said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Rockets traded Porter to Oklahoma City on Oct. 17 and the Thunder waived him the next day.

Porter averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds in 59 games (all starts) for the Rockets in 2022-23.

The 2019 first-round draft pick has career averages of 15.3 points, 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 196 games (146 starts) with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2019-20) and Rockets.

–Field Level Media

NBA: Embiid, Towns Score 70, 62

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PHILADELPHIA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Philadelphia center Joel Embiid scored a career-high and franchise-record 70 points to go along with 18 rebounds as the host 76ers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 133-123 on Monday.

Embiid, the reigning Most Valuable Player, became the third player in Philadelphia franchise history to produce at least 60 points in a game, joining Wilt Chamberlain (three occasions) and Allen Iverson.

Embiid surpassed Chamberlain’s previous franchise mark of 68 points, set on Dec. 16, 1967, at the Chicago Bulls. (Chamberlain had his 100-point game as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors, now the Golden State Warriors franc hise).

Prized No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama scored 33 points for the Spurs. Devin Vassell added 22, Jeremy Sochan contributed 14, Doug McDermott had 13 and Julian Champagnie and Tre Jones each finished with 12.

Hornets 128, Timberwolves 125

Miles Bridges scored 28 points, Brandon Miller finished with 27 and Charlotte overcame a record-setting performance by Karl-Anthony Towns to rally past Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Towns scored 62 points to break his own franchise record for the Timberwolves. But he missed his final 3-point attempt in the final second of regulation, failing to force overtime.

Charlotte trailed by 15 points at the start of the fourth quarter. The Hornets outscored the Timberwolves 36-18 in the final period to earn their 10th win of the season.

Suns 115, Bulls 113

Kevin Durant knocked down a tie-breaking 17-footer with 1.6 seconds left to give Phoenix a victory over visiting Chicago.

Durant scored a season-high 43 points to reach 40 for the second straight game as the Suns won their sixth consecutive game. Bradley Beal scored 18 points for Phoenix, and Devin Booker added 16.

DeMar DeRozan missed a contested 3-point attempt as time expired, leaving the Bulls with their ninth straight head-to-head loss against Phoenix. Coby White had 26 points, matched his career high of 10 rebounds and had nine assists while DeRozan scored 21 points for Chicago.

Bucks 122, Pistons 113

Giannis Antetokounmpo notched a triple-double with 31 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists and visiting Milwaukee defeated Detroit for the second time in three days.

Khris Middleton had 26 points and Damian Lillard, who tossed in a season-high 45 points in the Bucks’ 141-135 win on Saturday, added 17 points and eight assists. Milwaukee has won 21 of the past 22 regular-season meetings with the Pistons, including the past nine matchups.

Marcus Sasser led Detroit with 23 points. Isaiah Stewart had 19 points, eight rebounds and five blocks, while Jaden Ivey added 17 points.

Cavaliers 126, Magic 99

Jarrett Allen set a franchise record with his 12th consecutive double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, as Cleveland rolled to a road blowout of Orlando.

Allen surpassing Elmore Smith and Andre Drummond — with whom Allen was tied with for the Cavaliers’ double-double mark coming into the night — provided the only drama of the second half in a wire-to-wire, lopsided affair.

Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 18 points and six assists. Franz Wagner, playing his second consecutive game since returning from an ankle sprain that sidelined him the previous eight, scored 17 points.

Grizzlies 108, Raptors 100

Jaren Jackson Jr. had 27 points and six steals and visiting Memphis defeated Toronto.

Luke Kennard added 19 points for the Grizzlies, who had lost their previous two games. Vince Williams Jr. supplied 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Scottie Barnes had 22 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots for the Raptors, who have lost three straight. RJ Barrett recorded 29 points and nine rebounds.

Celtics 119, Mavericks 110

Jayson Tatum tossed in a game-high 39 points and collected 11 rebounds to help Boston win at Dallas.

Tatum shot 11 of 21 from the field as the Celtics won for the fifth time in six games. Jaylen Brown added 34 points for the Celtics, who received 17 points from Jrue Holiday.

Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 33 points, a season-high 18 rebounds and 13 assists. Kyrie Irving scored 23 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 20 for Dallas, which took its third loss in four games.

Kings 122, Hawks 107

Harrison Barnes scored 32 points and Sacramento took advantage of the absence of Trae Young (concussion protocol) to thump visiting Atlanta.

Domantas Sabonis contributed a game-high 21 rebounds, 14 points, six assists and two steals to the win, which allowed the Kings to snap a four-game losing streak.

Dejounte Murray had a game-high 35 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who were held to their sixth-lowest point total of the season. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 18 points.

–Field Level Media

Filed Under: NBA

Well Rested Mavericks Await Celtics

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DALLAS – (Staff and wire Service Report) – It’ll be a well-rested Dallas Mavericks team that takes the floor against the visiting Boston Celtics on Monday night.

Dallas hasn’t played since dropping a 127-110 decision to the Los Angeles Lakers on the road on Wednesday night. The Mavericks were scheduled to play at Golden State on Friday, but that game was postponed following the death of Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic.

Boston, meanwhile, will be playing its second game in as many nights. Despite a lackluster second half, the Celtics won 116-107 at Houston on Sunday. The Celtics led 70-55 at halftime but were limited to 46 points in the second half (20 in the third quarter).

Former Maverick Kristaps Porzingis led Boston with 32 points, six rebounds and five blocked shots. Derrick White added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Jaylen Brown finished with a triple-double (13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists).

Boston, which boasts the NBA’s best record (33-10), shot 43.9 percent from the field (43 of 98).

“I think that’s the recipe and something that we took from last year is when we’re not shooting well, can we have a different switch attack?” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said after the Houston game. “Which is what Kristaps is able to bring us in the post and how do we fight for extra possessions, which is our offensive rebounding and our crashing. It’s something that we stress this year.”

Guard Jrue Holiday (sprained right elbow) and center Al Horford (rest) didn’t play in Boston’s victory over the Rockets. Horford typically doesn’t play in both games of back-to-backs.

Luka Doncic was back in the Dallas lineup for the loss to the Lakers after he missed three games with a sprained right ankle. Doncic scored 33 points, collected 13 rebounds and had 10 assists.

Doncic shot 12 of 24 from the floor but was just 2 of 9 from 3-point territory. He leads the Mavericks in points (33.6), rebounds (8.3) and assists (9.2) per game.

“First game back was tough with the legs,” Doncic said. “I thought a lot of threes were going in and they didn’t.”

Dallas trailed by two at halftime but was outscored 42-27 in the third quarter. The Mavericks were 11 of 40 on 3-point attempts.

“Some shots didn’t fall,” Dallas center Dereck Lively II said. “There were some times where we came down the court, and we just weren’t moving the ball well. We were just kind of getting up jumpers instead of trying to get into the offense and trying to move the ball around so we could get a better look.”

Most of the misses came from the Mavericks’ top scorers, as Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kyrie Irving were a combined 3 of 21 from behind the arc.

“We generated a lot of wide-open looks and they didn’t drop for us,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “They made it a point to have pace and took advantage of the misses. When you miss open shots against a team like that, they are going to make you pay.”

Monday’s game is the first of two meetings this season between the Celtics and Mavericks. The teams will also play in Boston on March 1.

–Field Level Media

Celtics, Porzingis Dispatch Rockets

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HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Kristaps Porzingis scored a game-high 32 points while Jaylen Brown added a triple-double as the visiting Boston Celtics outlasted the short-handed Houston Rockets 116-107 on Sunday.

Porzingis finished 6-for-11 from behind the arc as the Celtics went 17-for-47 from deep as a team. Brown had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and Derrick White finished with 21 points and 12 boards for Boston, which was without Jrue Holiday (elbow) and Al Horford (rest).

The Rockets were without starters Fred VanVleet (back) and Jabari Smith Jr. (ankle). Rookies Amen Thompson, who had career highs of 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Cam Whitmore were inserted into the starting lineup, and the Rockets produced a valiant effort, closing within 93-90 when Dillon Brooks (25 points) scored with 9:13 to play.

But Whitmore missed two free throws and Porzingis answered with a midrange jumper before Payton Pritchard nailed a corner 3-pointer that enabled the Celtics to reclaim control for good.

Alperen Sengun notched a triple-double for Houston with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Houston, having trailed by 17 points in the first half, pulled within 85-80 when Aaron Holiday buried a 3-pointer with 2:25 left in the third quarter. But the Celtics extended their lead back to double digits entering the fourth when Brown sank a floater and White drilled a step-back 3-pointer with 31.9 seconds left in the third.

Back-to-back Porzingis threes provided the Celtics with their first double-digit lead at 18-8 with 5:52 remaining in the first quarter.

Porzingis tallied 15 points in the first period to help Boston grab a 35-25 advantage, but Houston kept clawing despite its short-handed rotation. Jalen Green followed his circus layup with another bucket in the paint to pull the Rockets within 44-39 with 7:39 remaining in the second quarter.

But the Celtics surged to a 17-point lead behind triples from Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Porzingis. White, meanwhile, scored in the paint four times down the stretch of the first half, and his 12-foot floater with 2.4 seconds left extended the Boston lead to 70-55 at intermission.

Porzingis and White combined for 36 first-half points, and Boston did additional damage on the offensive glass by converting nine offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance points.

–Field Level Media

WIDE RIGHT (Again)

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BUFFALO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – KC Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes to Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the sixth consecutive season with a 27-24 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night.

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Buffalo had a chance to tie the score but Tyler Bass was way wide right on a 44-yard field-goal attempt with 1:43 remaining. Pacheco then rushed for a first down on Kansas City’s second play as the Chiefs ran out the clock.

Isiah Pacheco rushed for 97 yards and the go-ahead touchdown on 15 carries for third-seeded Kansas City. Mahomes completed 17 of 23 passes for 215 yards in his first career road postseason game and Kelce had five receptions for 75 yards for the Chiefs. Kansas City will visit the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens next Sunday for a Super Bowl berth.

Josh Allen rushed for two touchdowns and passed for one for Buffalo. Allen completed 26 of 39 passes for 186 yards and rushed for 72 yards on 12 carries and Khalil Shakir caught a touchdown pass for the second-seeded Bills.

Buffalo had a 16-play, 54-yard drive stall at the Kansas City 26-yard line before Bass’ wide right boot brought back memories of Scott Norwood’s 47-yard miss in the loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV nearly 33 years ago.

Mahomes and Kelce set a record for combining on 16 postseason touchdown passes. The former New England Patriots duo of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski held the old mark of 15.

Buffalo possessed the ball for 37:03 and ran 78 plays to Kansas City’s 47.

The three touchdown drives of the second half were all 75 yards long.

Kansas City took a 20-17 lead on Mahomes’ 3-yard scoring pass to Kelce with 11:48 left in the third.

Allen connected with Shakir on a 13-yard throw to give Buffalo a four-point lead with 3:23 left in the third quarter.

The Chiefs regained the lead at 27-24 on Pacheco’s 4-yard run 40 seconds into the final quarter.

Allen’s 2-yard scoring run with 26 seconds left in the first half gave the Bills a 17-13 lead at the break. Buffalo had a 41-21 edge in offensive plays and a 235-167 advantage in total offense.

The teams traded field goals in the first quarter, beginning with Bass’ 27-yarder for the Bills and followed by Harrison Butker’s 47-yarder for the Chiefs.

Allen scored on a 5-yard run to give Buffalo a 10-3 lead with 13:32 left in the first half. Butker kicked a 29-yard field goal to bring Kansas City within four with 9:12 remaining.

The Chiefs took a 13-10 lead when Mahomes tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Kelce with 3:33 to go.

–Field Level Media

Detroit Advances to NFC Championship

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DETROIT – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff passed for 287 yards and two touchdowns and the Detroit Lions advanced to the NFC championship game with a 31-23 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon.

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Seeking their first Super Bowl berth, the Lions will travel to California to face the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday. Detroit will be playing in the conference title game for the first time since the 1991 season.

Jahymr Gibbs rushed for 74 yards, including the go-ahead 31-yard score in the fourth quarter. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught eight passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, while Sam LaPorta had nine receptions for 65 yards for Detroit.

Baker Mayfield passed for 349 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions for the Bucs. Mike Evans caught eight passes for 147 yards and a touchdown.

Derrick Barnes’ interception of Mayfield with 1:33 remaining clinched Detroit’s victory.

The game was tied at 10 at halftime.

Detroit struck first on Michael Badgley’s 23-yard field goal. Tampa Bay answered with Chase McLaughlin’s 43-yard field goal.

The Lions regained the lead early in the second quarter on Goff’s 9-yard scoring pass to Josh Reynolds.

McLaughlin banged a 50-yard field goal attempt off the left upright with 2:24 remaining in the half.

The Bucs tied it with 15 seconds left on a 92-yard drive that took just 1:13. Evans’ diving 29-yard reception set up Mayfield’s 2-yard scoring pass to Cade Otton.

Detroit regained the lead with 3:48 left in the third quarter. Craig Reynolds scored on a 1-yard plunge on fourth-and-goal.

Tampa Bay answered again as Rachaad White scored on a 12-yard screen pass from Mayfield with 10 seconds left in the third.

The Lions struck back quickly, as Gibbs burst through a hole and scored from 31 yards out with 13:13 left to make it 24-17.

After Detroit forced a punt, its offense drove 89 yards to increase the lead. Goff hooked up with St. Brown on a 9-yard pass play to finish it off.

Mayfield completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Evans with 4:37 left. Evans had a 24-yard reception on fourth-and-14 earlier in the drive. The Bucs attempted a two-point conversion but the pass was broken up.

–Field Level Media

NFL Playoffs: Sunday Night Preview

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Sunday Night Game – January 21

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Kansas City Chiefs (12-6) at Buffalo Bills (12-6)

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are in the unfamiliar position of playing on the road in January. Mahomes, 12-3 for his career in the playoffs, can reach the conference championship for a record-tying sixth consecutive season by knocking off Josh Allen and the Bills. Their previous playoff matchup was an epic, back-and-forth fight the Chiefs won (42-36) in overtime in the 2021 AFC Divisional Playoffs on Jan. 23, 2022. Mahomes’ lone visit to play the Bills occurred during the 2020 season when stadiums were empty due to COVID-19. Kansas City won 26-17. Since that contest, the Chiefs and Bills have met five times, all in Kansas City over a span of 34-plus months. The Chiefs twice eliminated the Bills from the playoffs — 38-24 in the 2020 season AFC title game and the OT victory the following season. But Buffalo’s 20-17 win this season at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 10 proved big, eventually leading to the Bills being the No. 2 seed and relegating Kansas City to No. 3. A critical matchup in that game and this one: Chiefs CB L’Jarius Snead against Bills WR Stefon Diggs. Diggs caught only one of his three passes in the December game with Snead in coverage and it went for 3 yards. If Bills QB Allen gets to meet Mahomes postgame wearing a smile Sunday night, he’ll likely have a lot to do with the outcome. Allen has thrived in the postseason with three-plus TD passes and a passer rating of at least 90 in four of his past five playoff games. He’s no slouch facing Mahomes, either. Allen has 17 TDs (15 passing) and three INTs in six career games against the Chiefs. Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo expects the Bills to focus on mismatches they can create with a pair of talented tight ends, Dawson Knox and rookie Dalton Kincaid. Both had TDs in the wild-card win over the Steelers last week. Buffalo won’t be able to count on Chiefs-killer Gabe Davis, the wide receiver who caught four TDs in the 2021 playoffs at Arrowhead Stadium. He was ruled out with a knee injury.

–Field Level Media

Niners Turn Back the Pack

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SANTA CLARA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – SF 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey rushed for two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 1:07 left, and San Francisco held on to beat the Green Bay Packers 24-21 in an NFC divisional round playoff matchup on Saturday night in California.

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SF QB Brock Purdy completed 23 of 39 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown for the 49ers, who advanced to the NFC Championship for the third consecutive season. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw picked off two passes, including one in the final minute to seal the win.

San Francisco will host the winner of Sunday’s showdown between the host Detroit Lions and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the opportunity to advance to the Super Bowl.

Jordan Love completed 21 of 34 passes for 194 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for Green Bay. Aaron Jones had 18 carries for 108 yards.
The high-stakes contest featured three lead changes in the third quarter.

The Packers grabbed a 13-7 lead on a 19-yard pass from Love to Bo Melton with 9:27 to go in the quarter.

Less than two minutes later, the 49ers answered to grab a 14-13 lead. McCaffrey took a handoff, evaded a would-be tackler and sprinted up the middle of the field for a 39-yard touchdown.

The back-and-forth battle continued as the Packers scored on the next possession. Eric Wilson recovered a fumble on a 73-yard kickoff return by Keisan Nixon, setting the Packers up at the Niners’ 20.

Four plays later, Love found Tucker Kraft open near the front right pylon for a 2-yard touchdown. Love then connected with Jones for a two-point conversion for a 21-14 Packers lead with 5:23 left in the third.

The 49ers pulled within 21-17 on a 52-yard field goal by Jake Moody with 14:56 remaining in the game.

The Packers tried to grab a seven-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, but Anders Carlson missed a 41-yard field goal attempt with 6:18 to go.

Green Bay had the only score of the first quarter with a 29-yard field goal by Carlson.

The 49ers grabbed a 7-3 lead with 8:42 remaining in the second when Purdy connected with George Kittle for a 32-yard touchdown.
Carlson hit again from 29 yards to pull Green Bay within 7-6 before halftime.

San Francisco star wideout Deebo Samuel exited in the first half because of a shoulder injury and was later ruled out. Samuel, who finished with two catches for 24 yards, was evaluated after a helmet-to-helmet hit in the first half.

–Field Level Media