The couple that revolutionized the NFL has not been hiding for a long time
.
It is not about the partnership that
Travis Kelce
built with the star quarterback
Patrick Mahomes
, but about the celebration that the
Kansas City Chiefs receiver had with a pure kiss with Taylor Swift,
the most popular artist on the planet, after beating this Sunday on the court of the
Baltimore Ravens
(17-10) and reach their
fourth Super Bowl in the last five seasons
.
Travis and Taylor ❤️ pic.twitter.com/9FlGKczWd4
— NFL (@NFL) January 28, 2024
The current champions will face the San Francisco 49ers or the Detroit Lions, who also faced each other this Sunday in the National Conference final.
Encouraged in the stands by the singer, the Chiefs were far superior to the Ravens in the American Conference final with another masterful performance by Mahomes, who won the MVP 'quartebacks' duel against
Lamar Jackson
.
Baltimore, the best team in the regular season, started as the theoretical favorite in front of its fans to qualify for the first Super Bowl since its victory in 2012.
Jackson, who will probably win his second MVP award this year, finished with
272 yards
and a passing touchdown and 54 rushing yards, insufficient numbers to knock down Mahomes, who
dominated the pace of the game and recorded 241 yards and a passing touchdown
.
In the Super Bowl on February 11 in Las Vegas,
the Chiefs will try to be the first franchise to retain the title since Brady's New England Patriots did so between the 2003 and 2004 seasons
.
Photo: Patrick Smith / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
"God put a lot of adversity in our path this year and we accepted the challenge
," Mahomes said of an irregular season in which Kansas City finished third in the NL regular season.
"We have not been favorites in the last few games but we never feel inferior. We have many guys on this team who know how to win
," he stressed.
"Now we're in the Super Bowl and the job isn't done
," he added.
At 28 years old, Mahomes is set to conquer his third ring and continue in the race of Tom Brady
's records
, retired in 2023 with seven trophies in his cabinet.
Experienced coach
Andy Reid
, another of the key pieces of the Kansas City dynasty, also managed to make his team prevail in the defensive aspect, which this season had been the Ravens' great weapon.
Photo: AP / Alex Brandon
While Kansas City managed to contain the fearsome run of Lamar Jackson, Baltimore was unable to dismantle the
now historic connection between Mahomes and Kelce
, the quarterback and receiver pairing that
has scored the most touchdowns in the entire history of the playoffs
.
Kelce, 34, had 116 rushing yards and a touchdown and broke the record for playoff receptions held until now by Jerry Rice with 151
.
The atmosphere created by the 70,000 fans at M&T Bank Stadium tried to intimidate the Chiefs from the beginning, but Mahomes' team has shown in these playoffs that it also knows how to win away from home.
The quarterback led the way from the first ten-play, 86-yard offensive drive culminated in a Kelce touchdown that made Taylor Swift jump for joy in the box.
Baltimore responded with the best action of the game from Jackson, who slipped out of the hands of a defender and threw a fabulous 30-yard pass to Zay Flowers to tie the score.
Photo: Rob Carr / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
Mahomes then returned to the field to lead the Chiefs to another touchdown on their second series, which was scored by Puerto Rican running back Isiah Pacheco with a 2-yard run.
Kansas City then tied up Jackson on defense and extended the lead to 17-7 with a 52-yard field goal by Harrison Butker one second before halftime.
Jackson, who is always a formidable threat through the air and on the ground, still couldn't find any cracks in the Chiefs' defensive wall.
Baltimore missed its best opportunity with a dramatic fumble by Zay Flowers one yard from the end zone early in the fourth quarter.
A subsequent interception by Deon Bush of Jackson led the quarterback to throw his helmet to the ground in pure frustration.
Baltimore scored a field goal with two minutes left but could no longer cut any further ground on the reigning champions, who could now clash again with the powerful 49ers after the Super Bowl they beat four years ago.