Chiefs, 49ers Poised for Super Bowl Collision

Kansas City and San Francisco set course for a monumental Super Bowl collision in Miami after standout performances on Championship Sunday.

The Chiefs claimed the AFC Championship after coming from behind to overwhelm underdogs Tennessee at Arrowhead Stadium, before the 49ers crushed Green Bay thanks in part to Raheem Mostert's historic 220-yard game.

Mahomes ends half-a-century of pain for Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs 35-24 Tennessee Titans

The Kansas City Chiefs ended an agonising 50-year wait in style as Patrick Mahomes' outstanding QB display booked their long-awaited spot in the Super Bowl.

Image: Star Tribune

Ryan Tannehill was picking up from where he left off in what had so far been a magical postseason run for Tennessee. A promising opening drive from the visiting team stalled in the red zone leading to a 30-yard conversion by Greg Joseph to get them off the mark. Patrick Mahomes was sacked in Kansas' answering drive and with the blink of an eye Titans were on offense once again. Derrick Henry jockeyed through the traffic for an impressive gain of 11 against a defense that were looking a little sluggish in the opening quarter, with a couple of flags due to encroachment. The Titans went for it on a 4th & 2 and it paid off as Smith's big gain set up an easy pass for Henry in the next play to put the underdogs 10 points up. Kansas City found themselves trailing in the AFC Championship game but that didn't mean too much after their performance last week - and Mahomes got to work with the help of Travis Kelce's receptions.

The Titans were lucky to have not surrendered possession earlier in the second quarter after defensive penalties bought them some yards. Derrick Henry was surging, throwing caution to the wind to open up an easy play for Tannehill to find Dennis Kelly for a touchdown. The heat was on and Mahomes knew that his Chiefs had their work cut out - but that appeared to be no problem. A big gain on the return from Hardman set the tone for a quarter where the hosts' QB took over. He found Tyreek Hill in the end zone for the first TD, and after the defence thwarted Henry and the Titans' drive, Mahomes pulled off one of the plays of the postseason: with plenty of space he evaded a tackle and just as it appeared he would run to the sidelines, he went for the touchdown and managed to stumble into the end zone to send Arrowhead into a frenzy.

After halftime the Chiefs engaged on a long drive that took most of the third quarter - nothing was scored in the third but a few moments into the final stanza and it was Damian Williams striding for the TD to extend Kansas' lead. Tannehill was sacked in a huge defensive play that set up for Mahomes to find Watkins all the way down the field for a massive TD to all but secure Kansas' spot in the biggest game in football. The Titans went for a fake punt on their fourth down later and that drive still gave them a lifeline - Firkser scored off his QB's pass to perhaps produce some late nerves, but Kansas kept their cool and then the defence sacked Tannehill on a fourth down after the 2 minute warning to punch those tickets to Miami for Super Bowl LIV. A wait of a half-century came to an end, thanks to a monumental performance from a quarter-back who is already building a legacy in the Arrowhead Stadium.

Magical Mostert dismantles Packers 
San Francisco 49ers 37-20 Green Bay Packers

Raheem Mostert torched Green Bay with a historic 220-yard game that featured four touchdowns as the 49ers devastated Aaron Rodgers and the Packers' hope of a Super Bowl berth.

Image: Tony Avelar / AP

After an early exchange of possessions with both defences remaining firm, the 49ers running game methodically picked apart Green Bay. Deebo Samuel got it going with a big gain, before Mostert embarked on one of many runs, this one ending in the end zone as San Francisco took the lead. Aaron Rodgers found the mark with a pass to Allen Lazard but that drive ended when the quarter-back was the recipient of a demoralising sack towards the end of the first quarter. Richie James returned the punt leaving Packers' defence bystanders as he made another huge gain.
Things would only get worse for Green Pay who lost 15 yards after a penalty, and that soon lead to a 54-yard kick at the start of the second quarter to put the 49ers 10 points up. They were tearing up the field with their runs and the defence was a living nightmare for Rodgers, who just couldn't get a run of passes togther. Mostert graced through traffic when 49ers were back on offense for an all-too-easy touchdown, and he was gaining yards for fun at this point. Robbie Gould stepped up for another kick to put San Francisco 20 up towards the end of the half, but that wouldn't be the end of it. Rodgers and Co. desparately tried to cobble one last drive before the end of the half but it ended in an interception, and Garropolo's hand-off to Mostert was all to familiar as the running back saw off any tackle attempts and cruised into the end zone.

Green Bay needed something special to salvage a spot in the Super Bowl and went about it the right way through Davante Adams' run in their best drive of the game so far. Rodgers picked out Jones in space to finally get the visitors on the scoreboard, but Raheem Mostert needed only a couple of minutes to deliver a firm rebuttal to those comeback hopes. Another carry and another touchdown - it was routine at this point.

Chasing a big deficit as the fourth quarter began, Rodgers' delivered in the red zone for his team's second touchdown of the game, but the 2-point attmept was incomplete as they trailed 34-13. Later Rodgers found Adams again with a massive gain into the 25, and Sternberger finished the play with the TD. There was hope as it became a two possession game but Garropolo got his passing game going to wind down the clock, and after another gain from Mostert in his historic performance, Gould's kick proved to be the final score of the game - Rodgers would be intercepted in his huge throw by Richard Sherman spelling an end to the NFC Championship game.