After an incompletion, Chiefs defensive back Charvarius Ward appeared to put the game away with an interception, only to see it overturned by a penalty against linebacker Dee Ford, who had lined up in the neutral zone before the ball was snapped.
(meta data) TITLE: Patriots-Chiefs, 2019 AFC Championship Game: All the ways New England could have lost. (meta data) AUTHOR: Nick Greene (meta data) PUBLISHER: https://www.facebook.com/Slate Skip to the content ## Notable topics #MeToo Amazon Fires Sean Spicer Impeach-O-Meter Slate Podcasts Slate Plus Slate homepage Enter query Sign In Log out News & Politics Human Interest Slate homepage Bracingly Fresh and Distressingly Familiar # Five Ways the Patriots Could Have Lost the AFC Championship Game ## But they weren't going to lose, obviously. Nick Greene Jan 20, 201911:46 PM There is an alternate dimension where Tom Brady is frowning here. Patrick Smith/Getty Images # Popular in Culture Spider-Man Exits the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Talks Between Marvel and Sony Collapse Here's What's Disappearing From Netflix in September Midsommar's Director's Cut Draws More (Metaphorical) Blood A Brief History of Peeing in Video Games Sunday's AFC Championship game was either an exhilarating evening of football or a torturous spell of televised déjà vu, depending on where your loyalties lie. The New England Patriots beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 37-31, and they did it thanks to an extremely impressive and predictable Tom Brady touchdown drive in overtime. Patrick Mahomes was electric in leading the Chiefs on multiple comebacks, but he was denied a chance to touch the ball in the extra period as Brady's ruthless march sent Kansas City tumbling out of the postseason. Try to act surprised, but the Patriots are going to their 2,000th Super Bowl in a row. This time, they will play the Los Angeles Rams. Most NFL games come down to a couple important plays, but this contest was on a particularly sharp knife's edge. New England scored a go-ahead touchdown with 39 seconds left in regulation, but Mahomes and the Chiefs manufactured a miracle push of their own to tie the game at 31 points apiece. Some viewers may have believed this to be a sign of a tidal change—the momentum swing that would transfer the powers of one dynasty to a new host. Those viewers should have known better. You can't kill that which does not bleed, and the Patriots are a machine made from steel, carbon fiber, and cut-up hoodies. Even though they were never going to lose this game, the Patriots gave us a few moments that made the naïve believe. Were it not for the dark laws of the netherworld that power their success, any one of these five plays could have sent Kansas City to the Super Bowl in the Patriots' stead. Dee Ford doesn't line up offsides. With one minute left in the fourth quarter and the Patriots down by 4 points, Tom Brady had his pass tipped and intercepted. It was game over! … until it wasn't. The officials flagged Chiefs defensive end Dee Ford for lining up in the neutral zone and penalized Kansas City 5 yards. The drive continued, and the Patriots scored a go-ahead touchdown. Mahomes would lead a last-gasp drive of his own to send the game into overtime, but we already know what happens there. Chris Hogan lets this ball slip just slightly. IT'S A CATCH 😱 pic.twitter.com/CaVaSSPN8E — The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) January 21, 2019 Look at this foolishness. The ruling on the field stood after the Chiefs challenged the call on the field, and it remained yet another third-down conversion for Brady. Thanks to the adhesive crook of Hogan's arm, the Patriots continued a late drive that gave them a 24-21 lead. Would they have been able to recover had they punted the ball back to Mahomes and the Chiefs? Who cares; it didn't happen. Matthew Slater calls "tails." The Patriots special teams captain called "heads" during the coin toss to determine possession in overtime. He got it right, New England got the ball, and they walked through the Chiefs' defense and into the Super Bowl. Given that the teams combined to score 38 points in the fourth quarter (24 for Kansas City, 14 for New England), it was pretty likely that the winner would be whoever had the ball last. Tony Romo predicts the Chiefs make this stop … CBS's color commentator isn't just a lively presence in the booth—he's a football Svengali who can predict plays before they happen. Romo was so impressive on Sunday that it went beyond clairvoyance. There was but one explanation for his gift: He wasn't predicting anything, he was making the plays happen with his mind. This Sony Michel run on fourth down is proof, and it's a shame for Kansas City that Romo didn't conjure up something for the defense. "Oh, they're killing it. Usually means a motion and a run out wide to the right." - Tony Romo before Patriots' playBrady motions; Sony Michel runs ball to right, scores touchdown. pic.twitter.com/PzxyrV2JoO — NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) January 21, 2019 … or Romo predicts a third-down incompletion here. Romo knows exactly what's going to happen every time 🔊 pic.twitter.com/8A8Sv5uZUM — The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) January 21, 2019 Nope. A dart to Julian Edelman, just as Romo foretold. There were some other moments—a phantom roughing the passer call here, a botched Chiefs coverage there—but none of them actually mattered. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick haven't missed out on a Super Bowl since Moses threw for 5 touchdowns against them at Mount Sinai Arena. They'll play the Rams in Super LIII on Feb. 3. But you didn't need Tony Romo to tell you that. Nick Greene is a Slate contributing writer. # We Need to Talk About Your Ad Blocker Slate relies on advertising to support our journalism. 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2018–19 NFL playoffs
Conference championships.:AFC: New England Patriots 37, Kansas City Chiefs 31 (OT).
Following an incompletion, Mahomes threw a short pass to Williams, who raced down the left sideline for a 23-yard touchdown completion, giving Kansas City their first lead at 21–17, with 7:45 left in regulation. New England then drove 75 yards in 10 plays to retake the lead, the longest a 14-yard run by Burkhead. Michel's 10-yard touchdown run made the score 24–21. The Patriots' touchdown drive was kept alive by a controversial roughing the passer call against Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones. Instead of third-and-long, the Patriots got 15 yards and a first down. Following the Patriots' touchdown, Kansas City quickly took advantage of a lost fumble that was eliminated due to a holding penalty on Patriots defensive back J. C. Jackson, and a later pass interference penalty on Jackson that gained them 23 yards. Mahomes then threw a 38-yard completion to Watkins on the 2-yard line, and Williams ran the ball in for a touchdown on the next play; Kansas City led 28–24 with just over two minutes left in regulation. 
 Cordarrelle Patterson returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the 35-yard line. Then Brady threw passes to Edelman and Chris Hogan for gains of 20 and 11 yards; Hogan's one-handed catch was upheld on review.