Patrick Mahomes leads Kansas back to the Super Bowl, where Philadelphia awaits

Patrick Mahomes throws a pass in the fourth quarter of the conference finals against the Bengals. DAVID EULITT (Getty Images via AFP)

The Chiefs return to the Super Bowl.

They do it after a night of revenge in which they eliminated the Cincinnati Bengals in what was an exciting clash resolved at the last minute with a 45-yard field goal (20-23).

A year ago, the team led by Patrick Mahomes missed the most important game in the NFL due to a tremendous performance by the

Joe Burrow.

He has come close to repeating the feat on the road at Arrowhead, showing that he continues to rack up an incredible career in just his third year as a professional.

The Chiefs will meet in the final, on February 12 in Arizona, with the Philadelphia Eagles, who beat some rough San Francisco 49's with little resistance (7-31).

The National Champions are old acquaintances from the final.

They will play it again after having won the first title in their history in 2018.

In a sport known for arm power, today all eyes were on one ankle.

Mahomes sprained his right hand last week against Jacksonville, but he fueled his reputation as an unstoppable athlete by playing tonight in what was his fifth straight AFC final.

His audacity led him to risk further injury with a final run in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, when the game was tied 20-20.

The yardage he ran was necessary to get kicker Harrison Butker into a scoring area of ​​the field.

A penalty committed by the Bengals gave 15 more yards to the Chiefs, who will play their third Super Bowl in four years.

Although Mahomes visibly limped at times, his performance in the first half of the game was a demonstration of the offensive power of Kansas City, the team that dominated the AL since the start of the league.

The star leaned on tight end Travis Kelce, receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling and rookie Isaiah Pacheco.

The three had 18 receptions for 253 yards.

Not everything was bright for the 27-year-old star, who is playing in his sixth year.

veteran

, gave up his first fumble in a postseason game.

The change of possession gave a boost to Burrow and his team, who fought to get into the game.

When they did, after halftime, they showed they were once again willing to fight dog-faced in one of the toughest stadiums in the league.

Burrow, 26, entered the Arrowhead pitch on a 10-game unbeaten streak.

Kansas City's defense had a very difficult start in store for him.

He sacked it four times in the first half and gave up two interceptions.

For the second half, Burrow led the comeback by carrying the ball about 30 yards and throwing a touchdown pass to Tee Higgins.

Este and Ja'Marr Chase each had six receptions.

Chiefs tackle Chris Jones was one of the stars of the night, scoring two sacks on the Bengals' quarterback.

The second was vital.

It came with 40 seconds left on the clock and Cincinnati was advancing in search of the points needed to break the tie and thus sneak into its second straight Super Bowl.

In Arizona, Mahomes will collide with another pitcher who has been a fixture of the season.

Jalen Hurts has shown this Sunday how he has turned Philadelphia into an offensive machine that can sweep the ground.

Just this Sunday, Hurts rushed for 39 yards and passed for 121 for an impressive show of superiority against San Francisco.

Hurts also had a

, his 15th of the season, breaking the record set by Cam Newton in 2011 with the Carolina Panthers and becoming the top-scoring pitcher.

During the National conference final, the Eagles also broke another record, that of rushing scores (37 in a season), which went half a century without breaking in the hands of Vince Lombardi's legendary Packers.

Jalen Hurts, the quarterback of the Eagles, runs with the ball during the final of the National Conference in Philadelphia. JASON SZENES (EFE)

In Philadelphia, Brock Purdy, the San Francisco

, couldn't beat the Eagles' defense.

It was a rough afternoon for San Francisco, whose quarterback had become a staple of the NL since coming off the bench in early December to replace Jimmy Garoppolo, who broke his left foot in Week 13 against Miami. .

That injury made many of the fans think that they should say goodbye to any desire to win a Super Bowl, something they haven't achieved since 1995. Rookie Purdy showed them they were wrong.

Purdy, in his first postseason, gave up his first

early in the game as San Francisco tried to warm up its offense on the field at Lincoln Financial.

It's all been uphill since Purdy fumbled off a sack by Philadelphia defender Haason Reedick.

The blow to his right arm caused an injury to his elbow.

Purdy left the game and San Francisco was left in the hands of Josh Johnson, the team's fourth quarterback, who had played only two games this season.

At 36, Johnson made his playoff debut.

The premiere was not as expected.

In an offensive he fumbled the ball in another

that gave the Eagles the opportunity to extend their margin thanks to Miles Sanders, who scored a second

in the second room.

Minutes after his error, Johnson left the game after a hit to the never.

Faced with a list of substitutes in the bones, San Francisco returned Purdy to the field of play despite the fact that his arm was unable to throw long passes.

It was already too late.

The 49ers had left the game mentally.

Their defense, with Fred Warner and Nick Bosa as generally reliable mainstays, committed 11 fouls that gave opponents 80-plus yards, more than double the number committed by Philadelphia.

The frustration was manifested in a brawl towards the end of the game that resulted in the expulsion of two players from each team.

You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on