The Kansas City Chiefs dispatched the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game, punching their tickets to Super Bowl LVIII in the process.
Andy Reid's team may have let John Harbaugh's squad hang around longer than it should've, but experience and championship DNA prevailed in the end. Behind some clean offensive football in the first two quarters and more of the same from Steve Spagnuolo's defense, the Chiefs are going back to the big game for the fourth time in five seasons.
With that in mind, let's point out some of the Chiefs' biggest winners and losers from the third week of the NFL playoffs.
Winner: Travis Kelce
Kansas City's All-Pro tight end turned back the clock once again on Sunday, converting on all 11 of his targets. Kelce logged 116 yards and a touchdown in the conference title game, leading all Chiefs pass catchers in the most important game of the year thus far. It was a stellar performance for the 34-year-old, and one that served as a reminder of what he's capable of doing when it matters the most. His much-praised leadership also factored into the victory.
Loser: Trey Smith
It's unfortunate putting Smith here just to fill a spot, but his back-to-back holding penalties near halftime nullified a first-down scramble by Patrick Mahomes and a Rashee Rice receiving touchdown. Outside of that, however, Smith was very solid in pass protection and wasn't credited with a single pressure on the afternoon. He also brought an attitude in the run game. In an outing filled with winners, it's only natural to have some "losers" land in the gray area. That's Smith this week.
Winner: George Karlaftis
In three playoff games this year, George Karlaftis has 2.5 sacks and 14 combined tackles (three for loss). On Sunday, he had a sack on Lamar Jackson, a nice contain and also recovered a fumble forced by Charles Omenihu. Karlaftis' high motor and knack for being around the quarterback was alive and well in the AFC Championship Game. He's a tremendous complementary pass rusher to Chris Jones.
Loser: Nick Bolton
It's been a very hit-or-miss type of season for Nick Bolton, and the third-year linebacker missed in his third playoff game of 2024. Not only was he picked on in coverage, but he missed a couple of tackles and also failed to come down with an interception ball Jackson threw directly at him. It's hard to blame Bolton for the latter due to the hardware on his hand/wrist, but everything else is fair play. The former second-round pick will look to bounce back in the Super Bowl.
Winner: Patrick Mahomes
The two-time NFL MVP has elevated to an all-world level of play this postseason. Sunday's game was another clean one for Mahomes, as he completed 30 of 39 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown. Kansas City's superstar quarterback consistently made the right calls about where to put the football, especially on third downs. In a season featuring the best defense the Chiefs have had in quite some time, the team was always still going to go as far as Mahomes took them. By all indications, the Super Bowl should be another shining performance.
Loser: Clyde Edwards-Helaire
In fairness to Clyde Edwards-Helaire, he only got the ball three times on Sunday and two of them were in somewhat disadvantageous positions. With that said, he didn't make the most of his opportunities as he has down the stretch of the season. Baltimore's defense mostly lived up to its reputation, so that matters here, although the Chiefs would've liked to get more production from the running back spot. Their backup's effectiveness was completely minimized.
Winner: Justin Reid
Justin Reid, in a similar vein to Bolton, makes some splash plays and also has some pretty significant whiffs. The ceiling and floor with him are both quite different. Kansas City got a minor taste of that against the Ravens, as Reid missed a couple of tackles. Outside of that, though, he was fantastic. In the third quarter alone, the veteran safety had a huge stuff on first down and sacked Jackson to force a punt on the ensuing possession. If Reid continues to play with this level of confidence and aggressiveness, the Chiefs will live with the mixed outcomes because of the positives he brings.
Loser: Baltimore and the entire AFC
The Ravens had the MVP and, by all accounts, their best team in quite some time. Despite that, they came away empty-handed and will be going back to the drawing board. The Chiefs' excellent AFC playoff run is now complete, with only the opposite conference standing in the way. Their own conference has to be kicking itself for not dethroning Kansas City, expanded upon below.
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