Chiefs return to NFL Conference Finals, Commanders surprise Lions

Led by Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans 23-14 on Saturday in the NFL Divisional Round, while the Washington Commanders pulled off the biggest upset of the playoffs by eliminating the Detroit Lions.

Kansas City, the defending champion, will play in the AFC Championship for the seventh consecutive year, facing either the Buffalo Bills or the Baltimore Ravens. The Divisional Round began with the Chiefs, who were exempt from the first round, marking the return of Mahomes and Kelce after 24 days of rest.

Swift enjoys the game from the stands

About 76,000 fans — including pop superstar Taylor Swift — packed Arrowhead Stadium to support a team chasing an unprecedented third straight title.

Mahomes, who has never been eliminated in a Divisional Round, finished with 177 yards and one passing touchdown. As often happens in the playoffs, the quarterback connected on key drives with Kelce, who totaled 117 yards on seven receptions.

Reid reaches 300 career wins

"You know 87 (Kelce) was gonna show up whenever it's a big time moment and he did that," Mahomes said. Coach Andy Reid, another cornerstone of the Chiefs' dynasty, earned his 300th career victory, becoming just the fourth coach to reach that milestone.

The Texans, who have yet to reach a conference final, helped the defending champions' cause with several giveaways, starting with a penalty on Kris Boyd for throwing his helmet, which allowed the Chiefs to begin their first offensive drive at the 13-yard line.

The Mahomes-Kelce duo, unstoppable

The hosts couldn't convert and settled for an opening field goal by Harrison Butker. Ka'imi Fairbairn of the Texans and Butker added more field goals before Mahomes connected with Kelce for a spectacular 49-yard play, bringing them to the edge of the end zone.

Kareem Hunt caught the game’s first touchdown, giving the home side a 13-3 lead. Houston responded with a field goal by Fairbairn before halftime, but after a subsequent touchdown by Joe Mixon, Fairbairn missed an extra point that would have tied the game.

Arrowhead Stadium erupted when Mahomes, on the verge of being sacked, threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Kelce that sealed the game. Taylor Swift celebrated the moment by jumping for joy alongside Caitlin Clark.

Washington confirmed as big surprise after defeating top seed

Washington solidified its place as the season's biggest surprise, led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, with a road victory over Detroit, the top seed in the NFC. The fourth-seeded Commanders triumphed 45-31 and will now face the winner of Sunday’s matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams.

With this victory, the Washington Commanders ended the Lions' hopes of reaching their first-ever Super Bowl. The Lions, who reached the conference finals last year, had dominated the Commanders in the regular season but faltered in their first playoff appearance against a Washington team masterfully led by the young Jayden Daniels.

Spectacular appearance by rookie Jayden Daniels

The quarterback finished with 299 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with an additional 52 rushing yards. At just 24 years old, he led Washington to its first conference final since the 1991 title.

The home team took an early lead with touchdowns from Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta, but the Commanders quickly turned the game around with two almost consecutive touchdown drives.

Terry McLaurin opened the scoring with a spectacular 58-yard touchdown run, and Quan Martin, after intercepting a pass from Jared Goff, added another with a 40-yard return to give Washington a 24-14 lead.

Commanders' overwhelming second quarter

The Commanders held a 10-point lead (31-21) at the end of a high-scoring second quarter that featured six touchdowns.

Although another touchdown from Gibbs brought Detroit within three points, Washington didn’t let up, sealing the win with two more touchdowns from Brian Robinson Jr. and Jeremy McNichols in the final quarter, much to the frustration of the Ford Field crowd.