Looking Back: A History of the Chiefs in the Playoffs, Part 4
The Mahomes era begins, and the Chiefs finally get a Championship ring
Over the past two weeks, I’ve taken took a look at the origins of the Kansas City Chiefs’ and dove into their postseason successes in the early parts of the franchise history. The team found some early success with a Super Bowl IV win, but ultimately found themselves missing the playoffs more than they made it, and not coming up with wins in the big moments. As the early 2010’s came to a close, the Chiefs were sitting with an 8-14 postseason record. The hiring of Andy Reid finally saw the Chiefs win a playoff game, but ultimately kept coming up short in the big moments.
That lack of postseason success saw the Chiefs make a big move, trading up for Patrick Mahomes in 2017 in the hopes of finally getting over the hump of postseason success. It didn’t take long to realize how special the Mahomes and Reid connection would turn out to be, as we’ll see in today’s continuation of this series!
The Origins of Patrick Lavon Mahomes: The Chiefs Become Multi-Time Champs
After the 2017 season, the Chiefs moved on from Alex Smith and transitioned to Mahomes. In his first year as a starter, Mahomes won the NFL MVP and lit the league on fire with one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history. They easily qualified for the playoffs, and a 35-3 Week 17 victory clinched the AFC’s #1 overall seed and a first round bye. The hope was that Mahomes would help get the team into the Conference Championship after a bye week – something they were unable to do in 1995, 1997, 2003, and 2016. Their opponent wore a familiar face: Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts, who defeated the Chiefs in heartbreaking fashion in 2013.
This Divisional matchup would not go down that route, as the Chiefs dominated from the opening whistle, scoring 14 points in the first quarter that would prove to be enough on a cold, snowy day. The Chiefs gained 185 yards and converted nine first downs in the first quarter alone, while holding the Colts to just 12 total yards and no first downs. Running back Damien Williams and Tyreek Hill both scored early, Harrison Butker added a field goal, and after a blocked punt returned for a touchdown cut the score to 17-7, Mahomes ran one in to extend the lead to 24-7 at the half. The third and fourth quarter saw both teams trading punts before a Colts score with 5:30 left – and a missed extra point – saw Indianapolis pull within 11 points. However, Williams rushed 7 times for 50 yards, setting up Darrel Williams’ touchdown run to close out the game and bring the final score to 31-13 in favor of the Chiefs. Luck would go on to retire from football during the next offseason.
With a win in place and the Chiefs’ first Super Bowl appearance in 49 years on the line, hopes were high that the Chiefs’ young quarterback would get them to the promised land in the 2018-19 season. All that stood in their way was Tom Brady and the New England Patriots – no easy task. That proved to be the case early in the game, as Bill Belichick and the Patriots’ defense held the Chiefs scoreless in the first half and allowed just 32 total yards. Bob Sutton’s Chiefs defense (that led the league in sacks on the year) couldn’t get pressure on Brady nor stay ahead of the sticks as the Patriots marched down the field on their first two drives. The first ended in a 1-yard Sony Michel touchdown run, while the second resulted in a Reggie Ragland interception in the endzone on third down – keeping the Chiefs from going down multiple scores in the first quarter. Mahomes couldn’t get anything going on offense, and after trading punts, the Patriots put together a 90-yard touchdown drive with 27 seconds in the half to send the Chiefs into the locker room down 14-0.
The Chiefs needed some offensive firepower to turn the tides in the second half – and they got it. A 54-yard completion to Sammy Watkins on the opening drive of the half set up a 12-yard Travis Kelce touchdown to put the Chiefs back in the game. A Stephen Gostkowski field goal extended to 17-7, but the Chiefs quickly responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive capped off by a Damien Williams touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter. That just kickstarted a flurry of points between both teams, as they combined for 38 fourth quarter points in the game. A fourth-and-1 stop by Daniel Sorensen and the Chiefs defense led to a punt that was seemingly muffed by Julian Edelman – but was inexplicably overturned on review. Two plays later, Edelman popped a pass into the air that Sorensen would pick off, setting up another Damien Williams touchdown – and the Chiefs’ first lead of the game at 21-17.
The Patriots responded with a 75 yard touchdown drive to retake the lead – kept alive by a controversial roughing the passer call on Chris Jones in which he didn’t touch Brady’s helmet – but the Chiefs fought back through Watkins and Williams, with the latter scoring again to take the lead 28-24 with just over two minutes left in the game. The ensuing drive saw the Patriots reach midfield when a Charvarius Ward interception seemingly sealed the Chiefs’ trip to the Super Bowl. Alas, Dee Ford was aligned offsides before the play, eliminating the interception. After a 25-yard pass to Gronkowski, Rex Burkhead punched in a touchdown with 39 seconds left in the game. Mahomes still had some magic left in him, though. A 21-yard pass to Spencer Ware and a 27-yard completion to Demarcus Robinson got the Chiefs in field goal range. Butker drilled a 39-yard field goal with 6 seconds to spare, and the teams went to overtime.
The Patriots won the toss in overtime and drove 75 yards on 13 plays – including three converted third and longs – as Burkhead scored a 2-yard touchdown to send the Patriots to the Super Bowl and left Arrowhead deflated. New England totaled 524 yards of offense on the day and had one of the best offensive success rates in a postseason game in the modern era. It would be the first road playoff game the Patriots had won since 2006. The Chiefs fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton the week following the game and hired Steve Spagnuolo for the 2019 season.
The next season brought more than just Spagnuolo to the equation – it brought an entirely new coaching staff, new leaders on the defensive side of the ball in Tyrann Mathieu and Frank Clark, and a new intensity on the defensive side of the ball. The regular season saw Mahomes go down with a knee injury – that he miraculously recovered in a handful of weeks, rather than it being a season-ending injury – and the Chiefs securing the #2 seed in the AFC and another first round bye. After the Houston Texans tipped the Buffalo Bills in overtime, the Divisional round matchup was set – and it started horrifically for the Chiefs.
A 54-yard touchdown pass on a blown coverage saw the Texans go up on the game’s first drive, and the Chiefs’ ensuing three-and-out forced a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown, putting Houston up 14-0 with under 5 minutes of elapsed time. Another punt gave the ball back to the Texans, who themselves punted the ball away to Hill. However, he muffed the punt inside the Chiefs’ 10-yard line, giving the Texans a short touchdown on their next drive. Another punt from the Chiefs offense saw a 48-yard drive from Houston to the Chiefs’ 13-yard line where the defense buckled down and held the Texans to a field goal. The Chiefs trailed 24-0 with 10:54 left on the clock in the second quarter. It was the last thing that truly went “right” for Houston for the rest of the day.
A 58-yard Mecole Hardman kick return set up a short field for the Chiefs’ offense, and they were able to get into the endzone on a 17-yard pass to Williams. A three-and-out on the following drive by the Texans saw them attempt a fake punt to safety Justin Reid that Sorensen sniffed out, giving the Chiefs the ball at the Houston 33-yard line. A Kelce touchdown cut the lead to 24-14, and the ensuing kickoff was fumbled by the Texans, picked up by the Chiefs, and returned to the 6-yard line. Kelce caught another touchdown pass – Mahomes’ third in less than four minutes – and the Chiefs had closed the gap to three points. With 2:47 left in the half, the Chiefs received the ball after a Texans punt and went 90 yards down the field, culminating in a 5-yard touchdown pass to Kelce – his third of the second quarter. Mahomes tied an NFL postseason record of four touchdown passes in a quarter, and the Chiefs led 28-24 after going down 24-0.
The Chiefs received the ball out of the half and marched down the field in seven plays, with Williams rushing for a touchdown to cap off the drive. Another punt saw another Chiefs touchdown drive – again with Williams for his third touchdown of the day – extending their lead to 41-24. Houston would score a touchdown on the next drive, but it was matched by a Blake Bell touchdown catch, setting a new postseason record of seven straight touchdown drives. Butker would add a field goal, and the Chiefs would win in a blowout 51-31. Those 51 points are the most in franchise history for a playoff game, and the comeback was the fourth largest of all time in NFL postseason history.
After the Tennessee Titans defeated the #1 seed Baltimore Ravens, the Chiefs found themselves hosting the AFC Championship game for the second year in a row. Kansas City once again found themselves with an early deficit, falling behind 10-0 after a 30-yard Greg Joseph field goal and a 4-yard direct snap touchdown to Derrick Henry. The Chiefs didn’t wait as long as they did in their past two postseason appearances to respond, however, as Hill caught an 8-yard pass from Mahomes to end the first quarter down just 10-7. A 74-yard touchdown drive culminating in a Ryan Tannehill touchdown pass to eligible tackle Dennis Kelly extended the lead back to 10 points before the Chiefs were able to respond with another long drive – due to Robinson and Hill – culminating in a 20-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek. After a punt, the Chiefs had one final drive before the half, and it was a doozy. Mahomes completed 4 passes for 41 yards, had a small scramble for positive yardage, then took off on a back-breaking run through five Titans’ defenders, powering through the final two yards for a 27-yard touchdown run with 23 seconds remaining in the half. The Chiefs led 21-17 and would never relinquish the lead.
Another postseason touchdown run from Williams at the beginning of the fourth quarter extended the Chiefs’ lead to 11 points, and the Chiefs put the nail in the coffin with a late 60-yard touchdown pass to Watkins. The Titans would get on the board late in the fourth quarter with a drive extended by a fake punt, but the Chiefs were going to the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years with a 35-24 victory – and the San Francisco 49ers waiting.
After spotting multi-score leads to the opposition in their previous three playoff games, the Chiefs came out of the gate with a little more gusto in Super Bowl LIV. After allowing an early-drive field goal to Robbie Gould, the Chiefs drove the length of the field ending in a 1-yard touchdown run from Mahomes. The next drive saw the Chiefs ramp up their pass rush, forcing a mistake from 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in an interception by cornerback Bashaud Breeland that set the Chiefs up near midfield. They weren’t able to get into the endzone after a 43-yard drive, and Butker kicked a field goal to send the Chiefs up 10-3 early in the second quarter. The 49ers responded quickly, traveling 80 yards in just 7 plays, culminating in a 15-yard touchdown from Kyle Juszczyk, who made a contested catch and broke a tackle from Sorensen. A late San Francisco drive almost got the team into field goal range before the half, but an offensive pass interference penalty pushed the attempt too far out, and the game went to half tied 10-10.
Like all games in the 2019-2020 postseason, the Chiefs found a way to present themselves with a little bit of adversity to start the second half. The 49ers took the second half kickoff and drove 60 yards in 9 plays, leading to another Gould field goal and a 13-10 lead for San Francisco. On the next drive, Mahomes threw an interception to linebacker Fred Warner, setting up the opposition near midfield. After two long Garoppolo passes to Deebo Samuel and Kendrick Bourne, the 49ers were set up in the red zone – and punched the ball into the end zone via a Raheem Mostert touchdown run. The resulting Chiefs drive traveled deep into San Francisco territory, but a third and 6 pass from the 23-yard line bounced off of Hill’s arm and was intercepted by cornerback Tarvarius Moore. The Chiefs were down 20-10 with 11:57 left in the game after back-to-back turnovers and one of the best rushing attacks in the league on the other side of the field. Quite simply, their backs were against the wall.
After allowing just one first down – a 12-yard pass to George Kittle – the Chiefs were able to force a punt with 8:53 remaining. A false start penalty on the third set of downs by Laurent Duvernay-Tardif saw the Chiefs in a first and 15 situation. Two consecutive incomplete passes had the Chiefs in a third and 15 situation and a timeout was called with 7:13 left in the game. Mahomes walked to the sidelines in a now-famous quote, asking offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy if the Chiefs “had time to run wasp” – referring to the play “Jet Chip Wasp”, featuring a deep crossing route that cuts sharply toward the sideline (Hill), taking advantage of the space in zone coverage left by a deep dig route (Watkins) and a stutter-cross (Kelce). The execution of the play on third and fifteen not only converted the yardage, it went for 44 yards to the San Francisco 21-yard line, well within Butker’s field goal range.
However, the Chiefs wouldn’t settle for a field goal on the drive. After a two incompletions, the Moore committed defensive pass interference on Kelce, setting the Chiefs up at the 1-yard line. The resulting play was a touchdown pass to Kelce, bringing the score to 20-17 with 6:13 remaining. A superhero play by nose tackle Derrick Nnadi on the first play of the 49ers next drive kept a 5-yard Mosert run from turning into a massive gain, and Chris Jones swatted the second down pass. An incomplete pass on third and 5 saw the 49ers punt the ball back to the Chiefs with 5:10 left in the game. After converting one set of downs, Watkins torched cornerback Richard Sherman down the right sideline for a 38-yard catch to the 49ers 10 yard line – and a chance for the Chiefs to at least tie the game with under four minutes remaining.
A 6-yard scramble by Mahomes on first and goal and a 1-yard sack on second down saw the Chiefs at the 5-yard line with 2:50 to go in the fourth quarter. A dump-off to Williams in the flat saw him turn on the jets and get to the front pylon, just barely crossing the goalline for a touchdown. The play went to the booth for a review to see if Williams had crossed the goalline with possession of the ball, and the call was upheld. After the Butker extra point, the Chiefs took a 24-20 lead with 2:44 remaining. The ensuing possession saw the 49ers gain some momentum. After a 17-yard Mostert run, Garroppolo linked up with Kittle and Bourne on consecutive plays to get to the Chiefs’ 49-yard line just after the 2 minute warning. The defense would have to hold to prevent a touchdown that would leave the Chiefs with minimal time remaining to answer.
What occurred on the next four plays was a testament to some of the Chiefs’ best defensive players and their impact on the 2019-20 season. Chris Jones not only batted one, but two passes at the line of scrimmage on first and second down, putting the 49ers in a third and 10 scenario. A pressure up the middle by Tanoh Kpassagnon forced Garoppolo to sail a deep pass over the head of wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who had gotten behind Charvarius Ward and safety Kendall Fuller – and probably would have scored on the play. With one final chance remaining, Frank Clark closed out the game with a 9-yard sack on fourth and 10, giving the Chiefs offense the ball on the San Francisco 42-yard line with 1:25 remaining.
The 49ers still had all of their timeouts, so the Chiefs needed a first down to close out the game. After a 4-yard run on first down, Williams got the call again on second and 6. With an outside zone playcall, Williams hit the edge from the 38-yard line and ran past the entire 49ers defense to the endzone – putting the Chiefs up 31-20 and all but icing the game. On the 49ers next possession, Fuller picked off a deep Garoppolo pass intended for Samuel, and the Chiefs were able to kneel out the next possession as Super Bowl Champions. Exactly 50 years after winning Super Bowl IV, the Chiefs would get over the hump and win Super Bowl LIV.
Head coach Andy Reid won his first Super Bowl and Patrick Mahomes was crowned the Super Bowl MVP with 286 yards passing, two passing touchdowns, two interceptions, and a rushing touchdown. Hill accounted for nine receptions and 105 yards, while Watkins posted 5 catches for 98 yards. Williams led all rushers with 104 yards and a touchdown, and tacked on another score through the air. With the win, the Chiefs became the first NFL team to come back from a 10-point or more deficit in three playoff games in the same season.
Today is the fourth anniversary of that legendary night, making the Kansas City Chiefs two-time Super Bowl champs and cementing the legacy of Andy Reid. However, the success wasn’t over in the early part of Mahomes’ career and for the Chiefs’ franchise. They would enter the 2020 season with a 13-19 postseason record as a franchise, and by the end of the 2023-24 season, their postseason record would raise above .500 — and add another ring. Join me next week as we dive into more postseason success as we continue to look back!
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Another awesome read. Thanks Craig!
Love love love love love!