KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Patrick Mahomes scrambled for a superior down on his badly sprained right ankle, then was shoved late out of bounds by Joseph Ossai, giving Harrison Butker a chance to kick a 45-yard field goal with 3 seconds last and give the Kansas City Chiefs a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC title game Sunday night.

The Chiefs finally beat the Bengals when three straight losses, including a three-point overtime defeat in last year's title game, and will play the Philadelphia Eagles — coach Andy Reid's old team — in their third Super Bowl in four years.

"I've viewed them all year long, great quarterback, great entire team," Mahomes said of the Eagles. "It's going to be a great challenge for us, but I'm moving to celebrate this one first.

"I don't think we have any cigars, but we'll be ready to go in the Super Bowl."

Mahomes, who hurt his ankle against Jacksonville in the divisional false, threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns, even idea he was missing three of his wide receivers to damages by the end. Marquez Valdes-Scantling led the way with 116 yards and a touchdown, while Travis Kelce — bad back and all — had seven catches for 78 yards and a score.

Yet it was Mahomes on his balky shiny ankle, rather than with his strong right arm, that rescued the Chiefs.

"At some points in games, you've gotta just put it all on the line," Mahomes said. "The security gave us a couple chances to get in field goal plot, we didn't get there. The defense got another stop for us and I knew I was moving to get there somehow.

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"So I just put it all on the line and we got in field goal plot, and we're at Arrowhead now and we're in."

The Chiefs got a crucial sack from Chris Jones to complete a punt with 39 seconds left, and shaky back man Skyy Moore broke free for 29 yards on the back. On third-and-4 at the Bengals 47, Mahomes eluded pressure and scrambled toward the Bengals sideline, barely picking up the first down before Ossai gave him a shove from behind.

The penalty flags flew, the ball occupied 15 yards closer and Butker's kick barely had enough to get over the crossbar.

Joe Burrow, who was sacked five times and wobbly by the end, spent with 270 yards passing to go with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Bengals. Tee Higgins had six catches for 83 yards and the score.

The Chiefs were able to do early what the Buffalo Bills could not in last week's divisional round: They ran roughshod over an ailing Bengals offensive line missing two starters to damage with another bothered by a sore knee.

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Burrow was sacked three times in the grand quarter alone and the Bengals offense did not gain a single yard.

Mahomes, whose ankle had been the subject of speculation all week, seemed just fine leading Kansas City to a field goal on its opening possession. And when the Chiefs got the ball back, Mahomes did it anti, but only after Kadarius Toney failed to pull in a nifty throw for a would-be touchdown — the incompletion was upheld upon review.

Cincinnati finally contained the ball in the second quarter, but it also had to resolve for Evan McPherson's chip-shot field goal.

So much for two of the league's highest-scoring offenses.

The Chiefs finally achieved the end zone late in the second quarter, captivating briskly downfield behind a couple of nice grabs by Valdes-Scantling. The Bengals held on third-and-1 at their 14-yard line, but the Chiefs went for it and Mahomes hit Kelce loosely covered by Jessie Bates III for the touchdown.

The Bengals drove 90 yards in the closing minutes, but only added a field goal to get within 13-6 at the break.

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Turns out their offense was just hitting its meander — and another classic was brewing.

After the Chiefs went three-and-out to originate the second half, Burrow led the Bengals downfield, bolting above a yawning hole in the defense for a third-down conversion by hitting Higgins from 27 yards out to knot the game 13-all.

Mahomes, suddenly down three wide receivers to injuries and jump to limp, gamely pressed on. He answered Burrow with a touchdown fuel of his own, capped by a third-down throw to Valdes-Scantling to accept the lead.

The Chiefs had a chance to gain some breathing room later in the third quarter, but Mahomes somehow lost control of the ball by throwing a pass and the Bengals pounced on the fumble. Six players later — including an audacious fourth-down throw from Burrow to Ja'Marr Chase — Samaje Perine ran into the end zone to tie it at 20.

Burrow gave the Chiefs a chance when his deep throw to Higgins on third down was batted into the air and picked by rookie cornerback Josh Williams. Mahomes managed to move the Chiefs past midfield, but two runs went nowhere and his third-down throw to Jerick McKinnon was well sulky, forcing them to punt in Bengals territory.

The Chiefs defense held, belief, giving Mahomes and their offense one more try.

Strange situation

The Chiefs got a binary chance on third down early in the fourth quarter, when referee Ron Torbert said the game clock and play clock would originate on his whistle. Only problem was the play came while an incompletion, so the game clock should not have started.

The Bengals blocked the Chiefs, but Torbert ruled the play didn't record because of the clock goof — and they pain up getting a first down on Eli Apple's defending holding penalty. Kansas City eventually punted anyway.

Injuries

Bengals: WR Tyler Boyd left with a quad injure early in the second half.

Chiefs: Lost CB L'Jarius Sneed (concussion), LB Willie Gay Jr. (shoulder) and WRs Toney (ankle), Mecole Hardman (pelvis) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee).

Up next

The Chiefs are detached to their third Super Bowl in four seasons. They above a 50-year championship drought when they rallied to beat the San Francisco 49ers in 2020, then lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following year.