KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Nearly one year to the day after losing the first AFC Championship Game in Arrowhead Stadium history, the Kansas City Chiefs trounced the upstart Tennessee Titans 35-24 to reach Super Bowl LIV.
It was expected to be a tough matchup for Kansas City, and it was for more than a quarter before quarterback Mahomes took control in powering a second-quarter comeback.
Our “4th & 1” podcast crew, expert Chiefs analyst Nick Jacobs and host Tod Palmer, break down the win and what comes next as KC preps for the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
It’s been 50 years since the Chiefs played in a Super Bowl, but the half-century wait is over.
Kansas City will play in Super Bowl for the first time since knocking off the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl IV on Jan. 11, 1970.
The Chiefs also played in Super Bowl I, dropping a 35-10 decision against Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers.
Technically, the Chiefs have never won the Lombardi Trophy, because it wasn’t renamed in his honor until later in 1970 before Super Bowl V.
The Chiefs had the fourth-longest Super Bowl drought before winning this season’s AFC Championship Game.
Only the Detroit Lions (54 years) and Cleveland Browns (51), who never reached a Super Bowl and the New York Jets (51), who last played in Super Bowl III, owned longer droughts.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid also ended a 15-year Super Bowl drought. He led the Philadelphia Eagles once, a 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX during the 2004 season.
