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Story of the game
It means that the Chiefs finally overcame the Bengals at the fourth time of asking after suffering three-straight losses to Cincinnati, including a three-point overtime defeat in last year's AFC title game.
They will now play the Philadelphia Eagles - their head coach Andy Reid's old team - in Super Bowl LVII in Arizona on Sunday, February 12 after the Eagles comfortably took care of the San Francisco 49ers 31-7 in the NFC Championship game.
Despite suffering from a high ankle sprain, Patrick Mahomes threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns in the contest and the Chiefs star QB also helped set up the game-winning kick on a crucial five-yard scramble for a first down with 12 seconds left.
As he crossed the sideline, Mahomes was shoved when already out of bounds by Bengals defender Joseph Ossai, resulting in a 15-yard penalty to further aid Butker's game-winning kick.
In a 20-20 tie, Joe Burrow and the Bengals took over at their own 12-yard line with two and a half minutes to play and the chance to themselves edge ahead in the final moments, but defensive tackle Chris Jones' second sack (and Kansas City's fifth) forced Cincinnati to punt.
Burrow was sacked as many as three times in the first quarter alone, with the Cincinnati offense failing to gain a single yard. Mahomes, meanwhile, looked just fine on his injured ankle early on, leading Kansas City down the field to set up field goals on their opening two possessions.
Cincinnati finally moved the ball in the second quarter, but also had to settle for a chip-shot field goal from Evan McPherson to get on the scoreboard.
The Chiefs then jumped into a 13-3 lead as superstar tight end Travis Kelce caught his 15th career postseason TD - tying him for second all-time with Rob Gronkowski - but a second successful McPherson kick as time expired in the first half reduced the deficit to seven points.
That was erased when Tee Higgins hauled in 27-yard touchdown from Burrow to the tie the game at 13 apiece in the third quarter, only for an increasingly hobbled Mahomes to answer right back on the ensuing drive, finding Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the end zone for a 19-yard TD to again nudge the Chiefs ahead.
Cincinnati would come back to level the contest once more, after forcing a Mahomes fumble on Kansas City's next possession. The subsequent drive appeared to stall quickly but the Bengals boldly went for it on fourth-and-6, and Burrow connected on a deep ball to Ja'Marr Chase to set things up for Samaje Perine to score from the two-yard line two plays later.
Both teams struggled on offense for much of the remainder of the fourth quarter, until Chiefs rookie Skyy Moore helped blow open the game with a superb punt return in the final minute that set Kansas City up just shy of midfield... and Mahomes and Butker did the rest to seal a Super Bowl spot.
Stats leaders
Bengals
- Passing: Joe Burrow, 26/41, 270 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
- Rushing: Samaje Perine, 5 carries, 22 yards, 1 TD
- Receiving: Tee Higgins, 6 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD
Chiefs
- Passing: Patrick Mahomes, 29/43, 326 yards, 2 TDs
- Rushing: Isiah Pacheco, 10 carries, 26 yards
- Receiving: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, 6 catches, 116 yards, 1 TD
- Travis Kelce, 7 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD
What's next?
It's the Super Bowl!
The Chiefs are headed to Arizona for Super Bowl LVII, where they will face the Philadelphia Eagles from the NFC.
It will be Kansas City's fourth trip to the Super Bowl in the space of four years, having firstly beaten the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV to cap the 2019 season, before losing to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a year later.
You can watch Super Bowl LVII live on Sky Sports NFL, with kick-off from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, from 11.30pm on Sunday, February 12.
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