BALTIMORE — Hearing questions all week about the Baltimore Ravens defense he and the Kansas City Chiefs were about to face only fired up Travis Kelce — more than usual.
The result was Kelce delivering another monster performance to put the defending champion Chiefs back in the Super Bowl.
With pop star girlfriend Taylor Swift, brother Jason and mother Donna among those in attendance, Kelce had 11 catches for 116 yards and had a touchdown reception in Kansas City’s 17-10 AFC championship game victory at Baltimore on Sunday.
The Chiefs will face the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on Feb. 11.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has made a career out of throwing to Kelce, said his longtime teammate was motivated by the chance to show what he could do against the Ravens.
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“He’s one of those guys that he loves the challenge,” Mahomes said. “When the lights get brighter, he plays better. That’s the true mark of a champion, and that’s what he is.”
A four-time All-Pro tight end and already a two-time Super Bowl champion, Kelce in the process also broke Jerry Rice’s NFL career record for the most catches in the postseason. He now has 156 in 21 playoff games.
“Shout out to Jerry Rice, baby,” Kelce said immediately after the game. “And believe it. You’ve got to fight for your right to party!”
Party time is on in Kansas City, with the team making a fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years and standing one victory away from a third NFL title in that span. Kelce has been a huge part of this run, with three TDs after two in a divisional round victory at Buffalo last week.
“He’s amazing,” right tackle Jawaan Taylor said. “It just shows his grit, his toughness. (He is) an amazing leader, and the way he prepares every week is amazing. He’s a phenomenal player.”
Mahomes’ favorite playmaker, Kelce came in with 1,694 yards receiving in the playoffs, trailing only Rice’s 2,245 in the league’s record book.
Kelce also ranks second to Rice in playoff touchdown catches. Rice had 22, and Kelce picked up his 19th on a 19-yard catch from Mahomes in the first quarter.
Lions’ aggressiveness backfires
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The aggressiveness that characterized the turnaround for the Detroit Lions under coach Dan Campbell backfired at the worst possible time.
Detroit failed on two fourth-down tries in field-goal range in the second half, contributing to a blown 17-point halftime lead and a 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game Sunday.
The success-starved Lions (14-6) appeared poised to make their first Super Bowl in franchise history when they took a 24-7 halftime lead against the Niners — only to allow 27 straight points in a mistake-filled second half.
Kindle Vildor turned a potential interception into a 51-yard pass play when Brock Purdy’s long throw hit the Lions cornerback’s facemask and bounced to Brandon Aiyuk.
Rookie Jahmyr Gibbs lost a fumble to set up another touchdown. Josh Reynolds had two key drops on third and fourth down to stall drives.
The Lions botched downing a punt at the 1-yard line, leading to a touchback.
The result was just the fourth conference game loss for a team that held a lead of at least 17 points.
Leading by 14 early in the third quarter, Campbell opted to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the 28 but Reynolds couldn’t hold onto Jared Goff’s pass.
The Niners then drove for a touchdown to make it a one-score game.
Then with the Lions down three points midway through the fourth quarter, Campbell went for it again on fourth-and-3 from the 30. Goff threw another incompletion and San Francisco drove for the insurance touchdown.
Flowers’ key miscues help doom Ravens
BALTIMORE — Ravens rookie receiver Zay Flowers made a couple of major mistakes that cost his team points late in Sunday’s AFC championship game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The biggest came early in the fourth quarter with the Ravens down 17-7 when he reached the ball into the end zone, trying to score a touchdown that would have cut the deficit to three. Instead, he fumbled as cornerback L’Jarius Sneed knocked the ball out of his hands inside the 1-yard line and the Chiefs recovered.
A few plays earlier, Flowers was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for taunting after he spun the ball while standing directly above Sneed, who tackled him following a 54-yard reception from Lamar Jackson. The penalty on Flowers — one of many by the undisciplined Ravens throughout the game — backed up Baltimore 15 yards.
To add injury to the series of events, Flowers appeared to cut a finger on his left hand when he slammed it on a bench after the fumble.
Flowers, a first-round draft pick, led the Ravens in catches and receiving yards this season.
Swift could be headed for Super Bowl
BALTIMORE — Taylor Swift might be Super Bowl-bound.
The pop star could be on hand in Las Vegas to cheer on boyfriend Travis Kelce in two weeks after he and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in the AFC championship game on Sunday.
Swift and others in a suite in the corner of the stadium could be seen cheering and jumping up and down after Kelce caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes midway through the first quarter. It came in the end zone at the same end of the stadium as Swift, who was watching the game with his mother, Donna Kelce, and his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
Their celebrations were plentiful, as Kelce finished with 11 catches for 116 yards, in the process breaking Jerry Rice’s record for the most receptions in postseason play.
Swift’s “Eras Tour” schedule might be the only thing that endangers her being at Allegiant Stadium when the Chiefs face either the San Francisco 49ers or Detroit Lions in the Super Bowl on Feb. 11. Swift has concerts scheduled for Tokyo on Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10.
EARLY ODDS: The 49ers opened as 2 1/2-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
With Allen’s support, Bills keep Brady as OC
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Josh Allen’s vote of support, coupled with a desire to maintain continuity, led to Joe Brady taking over as the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator on a full-time basis.
The team announced the decision on Sunday, less than a week after Buffalo’s season ended with a 27-24 loss to Kansas City in the divisional playoff round.
Brady closed the season as the Bills’ interim coordinator after Ken Dorsey was fired in mid-November.
In the final seven regular-season and two playoff games under Brady, the Bills’ offense showed an increased level of balance, with an renewed emphasis placed on the running attack. Brady also opened up the passing attack by developing secondary receiving threats in rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid and second-year receiver Khalil Shakir.
The decision comes after the Bills held a short interview process, which included Brady last week. Brady also interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons for their head coaching vacancy, which has since been filled by Raheem Morris.
BRIEFLY
BROWNS: A person familiar with the team’s plans tells The Associated Press the Cleveland Browns have hired former quarterback Ken Dorsey as their new offensive coordinator. Dorsey was fired as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator earlier this season.
