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Chiefs head to another Super Bowl after beating Bills
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the second half in the AFC Championship Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Denny Medley-Imagn Images

AFC Championship takeaways: Chiefs head to third straight Super Bowl

The Kansas City Chiefs are going back to the Super Bowl for a third year in a row and will have a chance to become the first team to ever win three in a row. 

They punched their ticket to their latest Super Bowl on Sunday with a 32-29 win over the Buffalo Bills.

They will play the Philadelphia Eagles in two weeks. 

Here are some takeaways from their latest AFC Championship Game win.

Knee-jerk reaction: The Chiefs are inevitable 

It does not matter what flaws the roster has or how many question marks you might have about them. It does not matter how many close games they play or how many close calls they have. It does not matter how vulnerable they might look early in a season, early in a game, or at any point.

The Chiefs just simply will not lose. They do not lose. 

They are nearly flawless in big moments, can beat any team by any means necessary and have the biggest difference-maker in the league in quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 

Add it all up and you have the makings of what might be an historic run and what could be shaping up to be the greatest dynasty in the Super Bowl era. 

Their win on Sunday not only puts them in the Super Bowl for the third year in a row, but it also puts them in for the fifth time in six years and is their 17th consecutive win in a one-score game.

It should not be surprising at this point. It should just be expected. 

Game MVP: Patrick Mahomes, quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs

Mahomes did not have the biggest numbers in this game. He only threw for 245 yards, he only threw one touchdown pass and he lost a fumble in the red zone early in the game that could have swung momentum in Buffalo's favor.

But in classic Mahomes fashion, he made every single play the Chiefs needed exactly when he needed them to make it.

He ran for two touchdowns, including a go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter, and then completed a huge pass on 3rd-and-9 with just over a minute to play to put the game away. 

When you look at the Chiefs roster, and especially on offense, it is not hard to spot some flaws and potential concerns. Especially at the wide receiver position. But as long as they have Mahomes they are simply going to be the team to beat.

Their win on Sunday was already his 17th career postseason win, moving him into second place on the NFL's all-time list for quarterbacks behind only Tom Brady.

Play of the game: Chiefs fourth-down stop

With 12 minutes to play in the fourth quarter and Buffalo clinging to a one-point lead, the Bills went for a 4th-and-inches in Chiefs territory to try and extend a drive that could potentially extend their lead.

Josh Allen's quarterback sneak ended up getting stuffed, with the call upheld after a lengthy review.

That is going to be the play where this is some controversy as the replay angles made it look like Allen may have just gotten the football across the 40-yard line for a first down. But there was not enough evidence to overturn it, giving the Chiefs the ball.

They ended up going right down the field and scoring a go-ahead touchdown in what was a massive momentum swing.

Even though the Bills responded with a touchdown of their own on the ensuing drive, that was still one of the most impactful and game-deciding plays of the day. 

Where was James Cook on Bills' final drive?

That might be the question Bills fans are asking all offseason.

Trailing by three points with just under four minutes to play, Buffalo got the football back with a chance to drive down the field on a series that could have defined the legacies for Allen and everybody else on the roster.

The Bills ended up turning the ball over on downs on six plays in what turned out to be an underwhelming series.

The most baffling thing about the series is that Cook, the Bills' best offensive player on Sunday, did not touch the football a single time. He finished the game with 134 total yards on 16 touches (over eight yards per touch) and was not called on a single time with the game and season on the line. 

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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