The Kansas City Chiefs edged a thrilling contest with the Bengals to set up a Super Bowl meeting with Philadelphia, and their victory was in no small part thanks to the ever-fruitful on-field partnership between Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes.
Kansas will feature in their third Super Bowl in four seasons after claiming a three-point win over Cincinnati on Sunday, and there were some major standout performers included Kelce and Mahomes, with the former registering seven receptions for 78 yards and a score, while the latter persevered through injury concerns with 326 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Amidst the joyous scenes of claiming the AFC title once again, Kelce and Mahomes’ second quarter combination moved them into second for all-time touchdowns from a passer-catcher duo.
The pair moved level with legendary 49ers pair Joe Montana and Jerry Rice when Mahomes, who is favourites across NFL betting sites for a second MVP award, threw a 14-yard touchdown pass for Kelce.
The chemistry between Mahomes and Kelce is unreal. Their ability to improvise during huge plays makes them so hard to stop. pic.twitter.com/XlaV4UGOIK
— Matt Cassel (@M_Cassel16) January 30, 2023
In doing so, they also moved within two touchdowns of Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady, who combined for a record 15 scores during the New England Patriots’ two-decade dominance over the league.
The Chief’s tight-end also moved a step closer to holding an individual record of his own – should Kelce manage a receiving touchdown against the Eagles in little under two weeks, he could move level with Gronkowski for most scores by a tight end in postseason history.
To put that into context, Jerry Rice holds the most for any player regardless of position with 22 touchdowns.
Kelce, Mahomes and the rest of the Kansas roster will travel to Arizona for Super Bowl LVII on February 12th, and will be eager to make amends for their heavy 31-9 defeat at the hands of the Buccaneers back in 2021.
They go head-to-head with a Philly side who swept aside San Francisco with ease on Sunday afternoon, with a 31-7 win.
