ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The words "wide right" have haunted Buffalo Bills fans since Scott Norwood missed a 47-yard game-winning field goal in Super Bowl XXV.
On Sunday, those same words surfaced again to haunt another generation of Bills fans.
A potential game-tying 44-yard field goal by kicker Tyler Bass sailed wide right to allow the Kansas City Chiefs to hang for a 27-24 win in the AFC divisional round.
The Chiefs advanced to their sixth-straight AFC title game, where they will face the top-seeded Ravens in Baltimore next Sunday for chance to reach the Super Bowl.
The biggest question coming into the game was if Patrick Mahomes could win a playoff game on the road. Prior to Sunday, the two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback had yet to play a game on the road in the playoffs.
“There’s no weakness there,” Mahomes said of the Ravens. “It’s going to take our best effort. Defense, offense, special teams, they do it all. It’s always a great challenge and that stadium’s going to be rocking, so we’re excited for the challenge.”
Mahomes went 17 of 23 for 215 yards, and threw both touchdown passes to tight end Travis Kelce for the 15th and 16th time of their playoff careers. Kelce caught 5 balls for 75 yards to go along with his two scores.
The game was a back-and-forth one all night, with neither team leading by more than seven points.
Kansas City's offense was efficient all game, scoring on five of their first six possessions, not including a kneeldown at halftime. The Chiefs went ahead for good on Isiah Pacheco's 4-yard touchdown run 40 seconds into the fourth quarter.
Buffalo made a questionable decision on their ensuing drive, running a fake punt on their own 30. Damar Hamlin was tackled well short of the line to gain, giving the ball back to the Chiefs at the Buffalo 33.
But Mecole Hardman Jr. fumbled the ball on a jet sweep on first-and-goal, and the ball rolled out of the end zone, giving the ball back to Buffalo and keep it a one score game.
Bills quarterback Jared Allen mounted one final drive to either win or tie. But the drive stalled out at the Chiefs 26 following two incompletions by Allen — who overlooked underneath routes on both plays.
Things only got worse, as Bass' attempt missed with 1:47 remaining and the Chiefs ran the clock out to preserve the win.
Allen completed 26 of 39 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for two scores in the losing effort.
Detroit 31, Tampa Bay 23
DETROIT — For the first time since 1992, the Detroit Lions will be playing in the NFC championship after hanging on to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23 on Sunday in the divisional round.
This will be only the second time in franchise history that the Lions (14-5) have reached the title game. Much like 1991 playoffs, the Lions will have to go on the road to make it to the Super Bowl. They will travel to San Francisco to face the top-seeded 49ers next Sunday.
“I envisioned that we would have a chance to compete with the big boys, and that’s where we’re at,” said coach Dan Campbell.
The game was a back-and-forth affair, with the teams battling to a 10-10 tie at the half.
The teams traded scores in the third quarter, with a Craig Reynolds touchdown run on fourth-and-goal from the 1 and Baker Mayfield hitting hitting Rachaad White on a 12-yard touchdown pass.
In the fourth quarter, Jahmyr Gibbs put Detroit ahead for good on a 31-yard burst with a cutback at the line of scrimmage and was never touched on his way into the end zone. Michael Badgley added the extra point to make it 24-17.
The Lions extended their lead even further to 14 on an over-the-shoulder 9-yard touchdown pass by Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown with 6:22 left in the game.
Goff finished the game completing 30 of 43 passes for 287 yards and directed an efficient second-half offense for the Lions, who had long touchdown drives on three consecutive possessions.
St. Brown caught eight balls for 77 yards, and his lone touchdown catch capped a masterful 10-play, 89-yard drive. Gibbs had 74 yards rushing on nine carries and four catches for 40 yards.
Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes for Tampa Bay (10-9), including a 16-yard strike to Mike Evans that got the Bucs within one score with 4:37 left. But Mayfield's fade pass was under thrown on the two-point conversion attempt to keep the score 31-23.
Tampa Bay got one last chance after Detroit failed to run the clock out, but Mayfield's pass over the middle was intercepted by linebacker Derrick Barnes to seal the win.
Mayfield went 26 of 41 for 349 yards. Mayfield threw another interception early in the game that went off Mike Evans' hands.
Evans finished with eight receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown.
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