By ROB MAADDI
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills will take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game for their fourth playoff matchup in five years.
Allen ran for two touchdowns and the Bills beat Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens 27-25 in a divisional game on Sunday. Mark Andrews dropped a pass from Jackson on a 2-point conversion that would’ve tied it with 1:33 remaining and Buffalo held on for the victory.
The Chiefs have defeated the Bills three straight times in the playoffs, including the conference title game four years ago in Kansas City. But Buffalo was the only team to beat Kansas City’s starters this season, a 30-21 victory at home in Week 11.
It’ll be Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles hosting Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game.
The Eagles advanced with a 28-22 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. They’ll be home next week because the sixth-seeded Commanders upset the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions 45-31 on Saturday night.
Barkley ran for 205 yards, including touchdown runs of 62 and 78 yards and Philadelphia’s defense held on the final drive with Jalen Carter sacking Matthew Stafford for a 9-yard loss to the 22. Stafford then fired an incomplete pass on fourth-and-11.
The NFC East rival Eagles and Commanders will meet for the third time this season with each team winning at home. The Eagles beat Washington 26-18 in a Thursday night game on Nov. 14. The Commanders rallied for a 36-33 victory on Dec. 22 in a game where Hurts sustained a concussion in the first quarter.
Backup quarterback Kenny Pickett had Philadelphia in position to win that game, but DeVonta Smith dropped a third-down pass that would’ve allowed the Eagles to run out the clock. Instead, Jake Elliott kicked a field goal for a 33-28 lead and Daniels led another impressive comeback in the final two minutes, tossing a 9-yard TD pass to Jamison Crowder with 6 seconds remaining.
The Eagles (16-3) are going to the NFC title game for the second time in three years and ninth time in franchise history. They’re 4-4 and won the Super Bowl once.
The Commanders (14-5) are in the conference championship game for the first time in 33 years and seventh time in franchise history. Washington is 5-1 in the NFC title game and has won three Super Bowls. Rookie QBs are 0-5 in conference championship games, so Daniels will try to break that streak.
The Chiefs (16-2) advanced on Saturday with a 23-14 victory over the Houston Texans. Mahomes threw for 177 yards and a touchdown to Travis Kelce, who had seven catches for 117 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching alongside WNBA star Caitlin Clark from a suite.
It’ll be the seventh straight AFC championship game for Mahomes, Andy Reid and the Chiefs. They’ve gone 4-2 and have won three Super Bowls, including two in a row. Kansas City is aiming to become the first team in NFL history to three-peat in the Super Bowl era.
The Bills (15-4) are 4-2 in AFC title games, but 0-4 in the Super Bowl, losing four in a row from the 1990-93 seasons.
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