Chiefs vs. Titans score: Kansas City earns Super Bowl 2020 trip as Patrick Mahomes shines in AFC Championship

A close game in the first half turned into a convincing final as the Chiefs booked their ticket to Super Bowl LIV

The Kansas City Chiefs are headed to Super Bowl LIV in Miami. After a close first half left the home team with a four-point lead at the break, and after that lead stood heading into the final 15 minutes due to a scoreless third quarter, Patrick Mahomes and Co. turned on the jets in the fourth quarter, scoring twice in less than eight minutes to open up a lead the Tennessee Titans couldn't erase. When all was said and done, the Chiefs won the AFC Championship Game, 35-24, booking Andy Reid's second trip to the Super Bowl as an NFL head coach.

The Titans shot out to an early 10-0 lead and answered the Chiefs' first TD late in the first quarter with one of their own, but after what we saw from the Chiefs in their 51-31 win over the Texans last week, no one could have believed Tennessee was safe up 17-7 with less than seven minutes left in the first half. Sure enough, the Chiefs scored twice in the span of four minutes to take a 21-17 lead into halftime, with the last score coming on an incredible scramble by Mahomes to score from 27 yards out.

After the break, a third-quarter chess match led to a stalemate until the final frame commenced. That's when the Chiefs offense took off, following a touchdown 10 seconds into the fourth quarter with a big 60-yard TD pas to Sammy Watkins to push the lead to 35-17. Though the Titans would rally to score on the subsequent drive, just over four minutes remained following their score. Getting the ball back just prior to the two-minute warning, Tennessee's last chance at a rally fell flat.

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Patrick Mahomes threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead his team to the win. The Chiefs held Titans star Derrick Henry to just 69 yards on 19 carries, doing what their predecessors could not and neutralizing Tennessee's primary offensive weapon.

Let's take a deeper dive into how the Chiefs cruised past the Titans to advance to Super Bowl LIV:

Why the Chiefs won

The main reason Kansas City won on Sunday wears a jersey with No. 15 on it. Patrick Mahomes might not get this year's MVP honors like he did in 2018, but there was absolutely no denying his otherworldly presence in his most important game of the year. And that's an understatement. The gunslinger didn't just wow us with more beautifully lofted touch passes and perfectly placed bullets, but he also paced Kansas City's offense on the ground, consistently finding space on scrambles to lead the Chiefs in rushing yards. The latter damage was particularly important in the second half, with Mahomes' legs allowing K.C. to play ball control after touting its signature instant-score efficiency before halftime. It helped that Tyreek Hill was his blazing-fast self, scoring twice but, more importantly, picking up big chunks of yardage pretty much every time he touched the ball. Damien Williams, meanwhile, had a quietly crucial role despite the Chiefs all but playing without a designed run game for the first half of action, and Steve Spagnuolo's defense embraced physicality to slow both Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill after an undisciplined start. Tyrann Mathieu, in particular, was all over the place.

Why the Titans lost

It sounds so simple, but the main reason is they weren't built for this kind of matchup. Everyone was rightfully optimistic they could give the Chiefs a run for their money after Tennessee upset K.C. earlier in the year (and then knocked off two other legitimate playoff contenders), but the Titans were always going to have a tough time matching the explosiveness of Andy Reid's squad. Yes, they won some big games with their old-school, smash-mouth style, but that was only going to work for so long. You can dominate time of possession all you want, but when the other team is always capable of putting six on the board in a matter of seconds, well, you need things to fall your way. The Titans didn't make any grave mistakes or mental errors, but by the end of Sunday's contest, they couldn't even control the clock because of Mahomes' breakout. A little more passing-game oomph before the fourth quarter would've helped, but the truth is their heralded offensive line didn't always pave holes for Henry -- or protect Tannehill particularly well -- down the stretch. They were creative early on, we'll give them that. But they were always less talented.

Turning point

Down 17-7 in the second, the Chiefs looked in danger of falling way behind for the second straight week -- and, perhaps, out of the playoffs entirely. But then Mahomes turned it on. First came a couple of first-down ropes to Demarcus Robinson and Sammy Watkins. Then came the touchdown that confirmed K.C. was far from dead, a 20-yard precision lob from Mahomes to Hill that simply could not have been thrown better. The score put the Chiefs back within seven points, showcased their quick-strike ability to erase deficits and set up a string of 21 unanswered points from the home team.

Play of the game

Mahomes alone was responsible for a handful of highlight-reel plays, including the pass to Hill to pull Kansas City within one score, but none was more impressive than his 27-yard scramble down the sideline -- and then through a pair of Titans defenders -- right before halftime. No. 15 has wheels, too!

Quotable

"This is the best quarterback (Patrick Mahomes) in the National Football League and he shows it every time!"

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said while crashing Patrick Mahomes' postgame interview with CBS Sports' Tracy Wolfson following Kansas City's win over Tennessee.

What's next

The Titans are finished after an inspiring postseason run that included upsets of the Patriots and Ravens, left to answer some big-picture questions (is Tannehill the guy at QB?) in the offseason. The Chiefs, meanwhile, are headed to Miami for Super Bowl LIV, where they'll take on either the Green Bay Packers or San Francisco 49ers and have a chance to earn coach Andy Reid his long-awaited first Lombardi Trophy.

Relive all the action from Sunday's AFC Championship right here:

[Jan 19, 2020 at 6:15 pm ET · Jordan Dajani]

That was a fun matchup! Stay locked right here for more analysis from this AFC championship matchup. Thanks for joining us!

[Jan 19, 2020 at 6:14 pm ET · Jordan Dajani]

Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins had a huge day. Watkins had seven catches for 114 yards and a touchdown, while Hill had five catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns.

[Jan 19, 2020 at 6:13 pm ET · Jordan Dajani]

Derrick Henry was held to just 69 rushing yards and one touchdown on 19 carries. The Chiefs were able to shut him down.

[Jan 19, 2020 at 6:13 pm ET · Jordan Dajani]

Patrick Mahomes threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns and also led the Chiefs in rushing yards with 53 yards on eight carries. His ability to rush was the X-factor in this one.

[Jan 19, 2020 at 6:12 pm ET · Jordan Dajani]

Frank Clark sacks Tannehill to end game

The Titans had a chance to score some points with two minutes remaining down 11, but the Chiefs' defense stood firm. Frank Clark ended the game with a sack on Ryan Tannehill on 4th and 6, and Mahomes was able to take two kneel downs to end the game. The Chiefs are headed to Super Bowl LIV!

[Jan 19, 2020 at 6:09 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

https://twitter.com/AdamScheft...

[Jan 19, 2020 at 6:08 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Tyrann Mathieu has had a heck of a game in the Chiefs' secondary.

[Jan 19, 2020 at 6:04 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

https://twitter.com/seanjwagne...

[Jan 19, 2020 at 6:03 pm ET · Jordan Dajani]

Titans get stop with just over 2 minutes remaining

The Chiefs needed to do their best to run out the clock with an 11-point lead late in the fourth quarter, and they managed to run off about two minutes on their last drive. The big play came on 3rd and 10 on the Chiefs' 19-yard line, when the Titans were called for defensive pass interference deep down the field -- which turned into a 41-yard penalty. It allowed the Chiefs to run off a few more seconds, but they ultimately punted the ball away.

The Titans get possession back down 11 with two minutes remaining. 

[Jan 19, 2020 at 5:51 pm ET · Jordan Dajani]

Titans strike back quickly, Firkser scores long TD

Chiefs 35, Titans 24 (4:18 remaining in the fourth quarter)

The Titans appeared dead in the water when the punt team took the field on fourth down with Tennessee down 18 points late in the fourth. Brett Kern then instead faked the punt, and hit Amani Hooker for 28 yards and a first down. Tannehill then found tight end Anthony Firkser for a 22-yard touchdown a couple plays later to cut the deficit to just 11 points.

There isn't much time left in the game, and the result will now be in the hands of Tennessee's defense. The Titans' passing game looked great on the last drive, as Tannehill accounted for 57 yards on the last possession.

[Jan 19, 2020 at 5:46 pm ET · Jordan Dajani]

How did they not know this was a fake? I would have lined up in base defense! https://twitter.com/JordanDaja...

[Jan 19, 2020 at 5:46 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

You have to give the Titans credit for getting to this point. You really do. And they started well, with creative and aggressive play-calling. It's not like they turtled when the moment got big. But the Chiefs are something else when they're clicking -- or, more accurately, when No. 15 is clicking. And when they're clicking, you need more than a ground-and-pound, ball-control approach. This'll go down as an inspiring Titans season that ended mostly because they ran into the NFL's biggest bag of fireworks.

[Jan 19, 2020 at 5:43 pm ET · Jordan Dajani]

Mahomes hits Watkins for 60-yard bomb, Chiefs rolling

Chiefs 35, Titans 17 (7:33 remaining in the fourth quarter)

The Chiefs acquired a double-digit lead on their second drive of the second half, and the Titans then punted after picking up just one first down. The Chiefs had a chance to increase their already-large lead, and that's exactly what they did.

On 3rd and 6, Patrick Mahomes hit Sammy Watkins on a 60-yard bomb to increase the lead to 18. The huge score made it 28 unanswered points for the Chiefs, and they are now just over seven minutes from Super Bowl LIV.