A Chiefs Win and Memories That Will Last a Lifetime
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The day was Sunday, January 23, 2022. It all started early in the afternoon with a 16-12 overtime victory for the home team. This is in reference to my nine-year-old daughter’s recreational league basketball game.
It was back and forth battle that swung with late-game heroics and, ultimately, a win for her team. Not only were both of us amped to see the team come out on top but after the game, we were heading to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to watch the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs.
This would be her first experience witnessing a football game live, in person. She’d never been to a pee-wee league, high school, or college game to this point. Maybe that’s on me. I should have taken her to a game before this, but we can’t go back in time. This was going to be an experience both of us would never forget.
As we began the trek from the basketball arena, I asked her if she had any questions about the game. We went back and forth, talking about the “first down sticks,” some of the basic rules to watch for, and how amazing quarterback Patrick Mahomes is.
I warned her about the Buffalo Bills fans we may encounter. I let her know about their high-flying acrobatics and proclivities for jumping through tables in parking lots. I told her one of the greatest smells in the world is walking through the parking lot at the stadium on game day. We were almost there.
As we parked and started making our way to the stadium, our first encounter was with some Bills fans. One man wanted to take a picture with us, and another couple wanted to give us fist bumps. Friendly banter and general “good luck” chatter was exchanged.
As we continued through the parking lot, my daughter made a comment about smelling hot dogs and hoping that someone was making s'mores. We didn’t stop to look and continued our nearly 20-minute walk to the stadium.
As we arrived at the gates, the excitement was overwhelming. Walking through security wasn’t bad and we made our way to the Chiefs Hall of Fame. This was a moment to give my daughter some knowledge regarding the history of the team while seeing the Super Bowl trophies among other items that she genuinely seemed interested in.
After seeing some friends who were just a couple of sections over from where our seats were, we headed to section 109. We made our way down to the seats that looked over the southeast corner end zone and we were ready for the team introductions and special National Anthem featuring a flyover with a B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber.
Chiefs legend Neil Smith was set to bang the drum on the drum deck. He looked over the crowd, ripped off his jacket and revealed that he was wearing a Derrick Thomas jersey before he started his drumming. I had a feeling the Chiefs were going to win at that moment.
Finally, the game began. The Bills converted on a couple of fourth downs on the drive, including their run play to the left for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal. The Bills fan near our seats lightly mocked us. It was fine, the Chiefs were getting the ball and coming our way.
Mahomes ran the ball effectively on this drive that ultimately ended in a rushing touchdown from the former league and Super Bowl MVP. It was all tied up 7-7.
The second quarter didn’t feature any scoring until the final two minutes of the half. A beautiful pass from Mahomes to Byron Pringle and a Bills answer on a quick drive just before halftime highlighted that stretch. Mahomes used the 30 seconds Kansas City had left before halftime effectively, but kicker Harrison Butker ultimately missed a field goal as time expired in the half. It was all tied up 14-14 at halftime.
We made our way to get my daughter her first game certificate, get some food, and then head back to our seats. We heard Nelly faintly playing his hits in the background, but we were more than ready for the second half to start.
The Chiefs made a field goal and got a touchdown before the Bills were able to answer with a long touchdown late in the third quarter. It was 23-21 with one quarter to go. About halfway through the fourth quarter, an electrifying Tyreek Hill punt return set the Chiefs up for another field goal to extend the lead to 26-21.
Then the Bills took a lot of time off the clock, trying to set up for a game-winning touchdown while not leaving too much time for Mahomes and company.
We all know what happened after the two-minute warning. Bills converted a fourth-and-13 for a touchdown to take a 29-26 lead after capitalizing on a two-point conversion with 1:54 left in the game. Mahomes didn’t need that much time and answered with a strike to Hill at midfield, who then used his speed to take it the rest of the way. Chiefs lead 33-29.
The Bills answered back with a score of their own, wide receiver Gabriel Davis’ fourth touchdown of the day gave the Bills a 36-33 lead with 13 seconds left in the game. The stadium was in shock, but there was a sense that something magical could still happen.
Cue Mahomes, Hill, and tight end Travis Kelce. The trio only needed 10 seconds to get into Butker’s field goal range.
After shaking off the earlier missed field goal, Butker nailed the kick that sent the game to overtime. 36-36 was the score as time expired in regulation.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen called tails on the overtime coin flip and fortunately for Kansas City, the coin landed on heads. The Chiefs received the ball, and the rest is history. Mahomes calmly led the team down the field again and it resulted in a touchdown pass to Kelce for a walk-off win. Fireworks, music and celebrations on the field and throughout the crowd ensued.
The win for the Chiefs clinched a fourth straight AFC Championship Game appearance at Arrowhead. This is the first time in NFL history a team has hosted four straight conference championship games.
The walk back to the car was long, but enjoyable. My daughter and I talked about what we just witnessed, still trying to wrap our minds around everything and how it was quite literally one of the greatest games in NFL history. She kept asking me if the Chiefs were going to the Super Bowl. My answer? One game to go.
The Chiefs have to get through the Cincinnati Bengals, a team that recently defeated them less than a month ago in Week 17 of the regular season. Nevertheless, the revenge tour continues.
If the Chiefs' defense can adjust to some of the mistakes that were made in the first matchup — and if the offense continues to play at the high level it's been achieving of late — there should be a third straight Super Bowl trip.
For my daughter, she was able to not only experience her first Chiefs game, but also be part of one of the greatest games of all time. If she wasn't before, now she is a lifelong fan. For me, it was a delight to share those moments with her and experience the ups and downs in a game of such a large magnitude before ultimately basking in celebration at the end. Two overtime victories in the same day: These are memories that will last a lifetime.
