KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 177 yards and a touchdown, most of it going to best buddy Travis Kelce, as Kansas City beat the Houston Texans 23-14 on Saturday to advance to the AFC championship game for the seventh consecutive season.
With girlfriend Taylor Swift watching alongside WNBA star Caitlin Clark from a suite, Kelce had seven catches for 117 yards and a score, helping Kansas City (16-2) keep alive its dream of winning an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title.
Kansas City is the fourth team in NFL history to follow back-to-back Lombardi Trophies by advancing to the conference title game, and the three previous lost. They will try to change that trend at Arrowhead Stadium next weekend against the Bills or Ravens, who play on Sunday in Buffalo for a shot at dethroning the defending champs.
Mahomes improved 16-3 in the playoffs, tying Joe Montana for the second-most wins in NFL history behind Tom Brady, and he is 7-0 in the divisional round. Mahomes also helped Andy Reid become the fourth NFL coach with 300 career wins.
Meanwhile, the Texans (11-8) still have never won in six divisional games. Twice they have lost to Kansas City.
Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 245 yards but was sacked eight times. Joe Mixon, who had been questionable to play with an ankle injury, caught a couple of passes while running for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Texans kicker Kai’imi Fairbairn missed a 55-yard field goal attempt, an extra-point try and had another field goal attempt blocked with 1:46 left, which would have kept Houston’s comeback hopes alive by making it a one-possession game.
