Editorial

Chiefs’ Harrison Butker Nails 45-Yard Field Goal In Final Seconds To Advance To Super Bowl

AFC Championship - Cincinnati Bengals v Kansas City Chiefs

(Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

Seth Roy Contributor
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The Kansas City Chiefs are going to the Super Bowl.

Kansas City squeaked out a three-point win Sunday over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC title game to advance to their third Super Bowl in four seasons. Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker nailed a 45-yard field goal in the final seconds of the game to defeat Cincy, 23-20.

Butker’s kick gives the Chiefs sweet redemption after losing to this same Bengals squad a year ago on this same stage.

An unnecessary roughness penalty called on Bengals’ defensive lineman Joseph Ossai put the Chiefs in field goal position to kick the game winner. Ossai is seen pushing Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes to the ground as he was sprinting towards the sidelines in the final seconds of regulation.

Mahomes sells the push out of bounds with a bit of a flop to draw the penalty. This play turned out to be the most critical moment of the game.

In my opinion, ending the game on an unnecessary roughness penalty like that is weak. If the referees didn’t throw the flag, this game would have gone into overtime and the Bengals may have scraped out the win. It was just a bad way to end a great game of football.

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Besides being bailed out by a penalty late in the fourth quarter, Mahomes played outstanding football. He threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns, according to ESPN.

He relied heavily on wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling all game long. Valdes-Scantling tallied over 100 receiving yards during the AFC title game and led skill players from both teams in total yardage. He stepped up huge in the absence of Chiefs’ receivers Juju Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney, who both missed the majority of the game due to injuries.

With the win, the Chiefs will play against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57. I’m not sure who will win, but I know it will be a war. Hopefully the referees just keep their penalty flags tucked away down the stretch when these two juggernauts battle in the big game.