Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl set after more heartbreak for Bills; Commanders have brutal day

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Good morning to all, but especially to …

THE SUPER BOWL-BOUND KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AND PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

It’s always the Chiefs. It’s always, always, always the Chiefs. Kansas City’s quest for the first Super Bowl three-peat is alive and well after a 32-29 win over the Bills, and it happened the way it so often does: in clutch, nail-biting fashion, powered by Patrick Mahomes.

Kansas City will face a familiar foe in Super Bowl: The Eagles are also heading to the big game after a 55-23 blowout of the Commanders that saw Philadelphia set one record after another.

Let’s start in Kansas City, though, where Mahomes was superb again.

• Trailing by one early in the fourth quarter, Mahomes rumbled in from 10 yards out for a touchdown and threw the two-point conversion to Justin Watson for a 29-22 Chiefs lead.
• After Josh Allen answered with a touchdown drive of his own, Mahomes led a quick field goal drive, making it 32-29 Chiefs.
• And there it would stay. After Allen failed to convert on fourth down, Mahomes threw first-down passes to Kareem Hunt and Samaje Perine to seal the win.

Say what you will about the Chiefs’ close-game performance — they’ve won 16 straight single-possession games — the reason they win so many of them is they’re so good at those narrow margins despite their imperfections.

Mahomes is a stone-cold killer with his legs (two rushing touchdowns for the first time in his career) and his arm, and Andy Reid knows how to use both aspects. With Travis Kelce blanketed, Mahomes relied on other options; Xavier Worthy, whom the Bills passed on in the draft, had 101 total yards and a touchdown.

You might be tired of the Chiefs. You might think they’re lucky or favored by the refs or annoying or whatever. But this is an unprecedented run headed by an all-time great quarterback and an all-time great coaching staff, a team that makes big play after big play and never blinks when every other team closes its eyes and hopes. It’s unreal.

The Eagles, on the other hand, had no need to bite their nails. They were too busy running around, over and through an overwhelmed Washington defense. Saquon Barkley scored a 60-yard touchdown on Philadelphia’s first play, and that was just the start.

• The 55 points are a conference championship record. The seven rushing touchdowns — three from Barkley (who fulfilled a promise), three from Jalen Hurts and one from Will Shipley — tied a playoff record.
• The ground game was so overpowering the officials nearly gave Philadelphia points before it actually scored, a wild, little-known rule.
• The Eagles also forced four turnovers, none bigger than one late in the third quarter: Washington, trailing 34-23, was driving when Oren Burks punched the ball out from Austin Ekeler. Zack Baun recovered, and the visitors never threatened again.

Philadelphia was simply superior in nearly every aspect, and it showed. We’ll get to the Commanders in a bit, but this looked like a finished product taking on a hopeful upstart ahead of schedule. The Eagles’ biggest concern coming in may have been Hurts, but he answered in record-setting fashion. I was impressed by his sack avoidance (a big issue last week) and his downfield accuracy, which helped ignite the air attack. Jeff Kerr wrote on Hurts silencing the doubters.

And as if you had to ask, the Eagles’ faithful celebrated appropriately.

Honorable mentions

• Sunday marked five years since Kobe Bryant‘s death. Bill Reiter explained how Bryant’s legacy lives on in Los Angeles.
• Don’t look now, but Bronny James is impressing in the G League.
• Could the Jets retain Aaron Rodgers?
• Ben Johnson is filling out his staff.
• Here’s why Shedeur Sanders thinks he should be the No. 1 pick.
• The Cubs acquired Ryan Pressly from the Astros.
• Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said Ryan Day will be the “Buckeye coach for years to come.”
• Day will have a lot of work to do: Penn State hired his defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles, and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly is getting NFL interest.
• The Nets retired Vince Carter‘s jersey.
• Harris English won the Farmers Insurance Open.

And not such a good morning for …

THE BUFFALO BILLS AND THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

It’s always the Chiefs. It’s always, always, always the Chiefs. This is the fourth time in the last five seasons Buffalo’s season has ended at the hands of Kansas City. In three of those four games, the Bills led in the fourth quarter.

What more can we say?

• On Buffalo’s third-to-last drive, Allen came up inches short on a fourth-down quarterback sneak, a scenario he had been nine-for-nine on this season.
• On Buffalo’s final drive, Steve Spagnuolo sent a perfectly timed blitz, and Allen still managed to nearly complete the pass, only for Dalton Kincaid to be unable to reel it in.
• Then, the Bills defense had multiple opportunities to get the ball back to their offense, only for Mahomes to deliver the final daggers.

How much heartache can one team take? Allen was crushed. The Bills will, assuredly, keep coming back. Allen is a superstar, James Cook is ascending, the offensive line is terrific, and the defense is well-coached. But it’s just not enough, or at least it hasn’t been enough. Another long offseason awaits.

The Commanders’ dreamlike season is over, too. Maybe not in heartbreaking fashion, but absolutely in disappointing fashion. Many of the lumps Jayden Daniels helped cover all season were on full display against an opponent that was simply better.

• The four turnovers were probably the most disappointing aspect considering Washington had zero turnovers in its first two postseason games. Teams that lose the turnover battle are 1-8 this postseason.
• The inability to stop the run was nothing new, though. Washington allowed the fifth-most yards per carry this regular season and the second-most in the playoffs.
• Washington also struggled to run the ball down the stretch. Washington’s non-quarterbacks averaged 3.4 yards per carry over the Commanders’ final seven games (including playoffs). Sunday, they averaged 2.1.

Unlike the Bills, the Commanders are new to playoff heartbreak. This was their first conference championship game since 1991. With Daniels leading the way, Washington produced an incredible one-year turnaround. One can say the Commanders “arrived early,” but the NFL cares not for timelines. They’ll have to continue to hit on draft picks, adding to the trenches, the defensive secondary and Daniels’ weapons.

Still, Washington has its quarterback after a decades-long hunt, and that, inarguably, is a massive step.

Not so honorable mentions

• Back on Friday, the Cowboys hired Brian Schottenheimer as head coach. It’s another my-way-or-the-highway move by Jerry Jones, Garett Podell writes, and Michael Irvin was none too happy. Bryant McFadden, meanwhile, was simply confused.
• Dan Snyder “hated” seeing the Commanders do well. Washington fans can delight in that.
• Steve Cohen is “exhausted” by Pete Alonso negotiations. Here’s where the Mets could turn.
• David Rubenstein wants a salary cap in baseball.
• Marlon Humphrey lost nearly his entire game check to a fine for an unflagged hit on Allen.
• The NFL also fined Will Anderson Jr. for criticizing officials.
• Jusuf Nurkic says he has no relationship with Mike Budenholzer.

Early Super Bowl preview, odds:

All right, so it’s set! Chiefs-Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, a rematch of their meeting two years ago, when Kansas City won a 38-35 thriller. Let’s set the scene:

• Early odds
• Early storylines
• How to watch
• Where’s the game?
• 10 reasons they’re here: Chiefs | Eagles
• Bold predictions

No. 1 Auburn holds off No. 6 Tennessee, Cooper Flagg rescues No. 2 Duke

With no more college football and only one NFL game left, I hope you’re paying attention to college basketball, because there are barnburners all across the country.

The very best on the men’s side is happening in the SEC. This weekend, that meant No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 6 Tennessee. The Tigers squeaked out a 53-51 home win over the Volunteers, with Miles Kelly nailing a go-ahead 3-pointer with 33 seconds left and Zakai Zeigler missing a potential go-ahead 3 shortly thereafter. Johni Broome returned from an ankle injury to post 16 points and 13 rebounds, a rugged effort emblematic of a rugged game.

There were plenty more dramatics across the southeast (and wherever the SEC extends to nowadays) …

• Vanderbilt upset No. 9 Kentucky, 74-69, the upstart Commodores’ second straight top-10 home win.
• Mark Pope‘s Wildcats are facing some adversity for the first time, Kyle Boone writes.
• Mark Sears got benched for the second half of Alabama‘s win over LSU.
• Auburn freshman Jahki Howard tweeted and deleted some things at halftime. He was dismissed for the second half.

But the most drama belonged in the Big 12, where No. 12 Kansas blew a six-point lead in the last eight seconds of overtime in an eventual 92-86 double-overtime loss to No. 7 Houston. The Jayhawks also blew a six-point lead with just over a minute left in regulation.

The regulation collapse was bad. The overtime collapse was stunning. Kyle broke down how it happened, and the Jayhawks were an easy pick for the “loser” side of our weekend winners and losers.

Here’s more:

• Cooper Flagg starred again to lead No. 2 Duke over Wake Forest.
• North Carolina rallied past Boston College, 102-96, in overtime, potentially saving its NCAA Tournament hopes.
• No. 8 Michigan State beat Rutgers, 81-74, extending its winning streak to 12.
• Here’s our projection for today’s top 25.
• On the women’s side, No. 2 South Carolina handed No. 5 LSU its first loss.
• Lauren Betts scored a career-high 33 points (on 14 of 15 shooting) to lead No. 1 UCLA over No. 8 Maryland.

Kelsey Plum to Sparks, Jewell Loyd to Aces in WNBA blockbuster

Speaking of basketball drama, we got a blockbuster WNBA trade Sunday. Here are the details:

• Sparks get: Kelsey Plum, 2025 No. 9 pick, 2026 2nd-round pick
• Aces get: Jewell Loyd, 2025 No. 13 pick
• Storm get: No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, 2026 1st-round pick, Li Yueru

Loyd, a six-time All-Star and one of the league’s most prolific scorers, requested a trade back in December after an investigation found no wrongdoing by the Seattle staff. Loyd accused Noelle Quinn and her staff of harassment and bullying. Now, she has a new home alongside A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, among others.

Plum, a three-time All-Star, was a free agent this offseason, but Las Vegas designated her as a core player, meaning the only way she could depart was via a trade she agreed to. Now, she joins a Sparks squad that went 8-32 in 2024 but has talent in youngsters Rickea Jackson and Cameron Brink (returning from a torn ACL) and just got a breakout year from Dearica Hamby.

The Storm went 25-15 last year but lost in the first round. They’ll have plenty of intriguing options in the draft.

Jannik Sinner, Madison Keys win Australian Open men’s, women’s titles

For Jannik Sinner, it’s more of the same. For Madison Keys, it’s the breakthrough of a lifetime. Sinner, the world No. 1, defeated No. 2 Alexander Zverev, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, for his second straight Australian Open men’s title, one day after No. 19 Keys upset No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, for her first major.

• Sinner, 23, is 80-6 since the start of 2024, with three majors and nine ATP trophies. His three slams equal the total of all other Italian men combined.
• Keys, 29, was in just her second career slam final, and her first since 2017. She’s the fourth-oldest first-time women’s Grand Slam winner.
• Keys became the first player to defeat the top two players in the final two rounds of a slam since Venus Williams did it at Wimbledon in 2005.

What we’re watching Monday

Pistons at Cavaliers, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
No. 2 South Carolina at No. 17 Tennessee (W), 7 p.m. on ESPN2
Unrivaled, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
NC State at No. 2 Duke (M), 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
Clippers at Suns, 9:30 p.m. on NBA TV
No. 3 Iowa State at Arizona (M), 10:30 p.m. on ESPN