From the FanPosts -- JD

If you felt like the AFC Championship game was out OF the Buffalo Bills' reach after the Kansas City Chiefs started their second-quarter comeback on Sunday evening, there was a good reason for that.

Once Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs come back from a two-possession deficit to take the lead (as they did against Buffalo), they rarely lose.

In Mahomes’ 53 starts (regular season and postseason), he is 44-9. In games in which the Chiefs had a two-possession deficit (nine points or greater) and came back to take or regain the lead, the Mahomes-led Chiefs are 10-2. The only two games Mahomes and the Chiefs have lost after overcoming a two-possession deficit were against the 2018 New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams -- the two teams that met in the Super Bowl that season. Both were high-scoring shootouts; the pre-Steve Spagnuolo defense allowed powerful offenses their second chances.

But since Spagnuolo took over as Kansas City's defensive coordinator -- and as long as Mahomes is on the field -- opposing teams don’t get a second chance. In the past two seasons, Mahomes is 9-0 when the Chiefs have overcome a two-possession deficit..

In 2018, there were lots of games where the Chiefs maintained momentum throughout the game; the rest of the NFL was trying to figure out Kansas City's new quarterback.

• @ Denver Broncos (won 27-23)
• @ New England Patriots (lost 43-40)
• @ Los Angeles Rams (lost 54-51)

The following year, there was a meme showing a medical team with the caption, "Ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for Chiefs football."

• @ Oakland Raiders (won 28-10)
• @ Detroit Lions (won 34-30)
• vs. Houston Texans (Divisional round; won 51-31 )
• vs. Tennessee Titans (AFC Championship; won 35-24)
• vs. San Francisco 49ers (Super Bowl; won 31-20)

That 2019 playoff win against the Texans may become the most memorable comeback of Mahomes’ career. The Chiefs trailed by 24 in the first half, but led 28-24 at halftime.

Then in 2020, every team was giving Kansas City its best shot.

• @ Los Angeles Chargers (won 23-20)
• vs. Carolina Panthers (won 33-31)
• @ Miami Dolphins (won 33-27)
  
• vs. Buffalo Bills (AFC Championship; won 38-24)

So if Kansas City is down by two possessions against Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl -- and then regains the lead -- there’s a good chance their momentum (and team chemistry) will carry them to a win. Whether it’s a close game or they need to make a comeback, the Chiefs rise to the occasion.

And then there's this:

Patrick Mahomes is 23-5 (.821) when the Chiefs score first and 21-4 (.840) when they DON'T.

NFL averages since 2018 are .608 and .392 respectively.

How is this dude even real?

— Scott Kacsmar (@ScottKacsmar) January 26, 2021

Critics may complain that the Chiefs play to the level of their opponents -- or are "bored" and need adversity to spark something in a game. Maybe there’s some of truth in these criticisms; it's true that in 2020, the team outscored opponents by seven points -- compared to nine in 2019. Or maybe it's that the Chiefs simply don’t spark until the second quarter.

But here's the bottom line: the Chiefs win close games. That bodes well for them in Tampa -- and should they win, it will bode well for next season, too. They'll be attempting to make history by doing what no team has ever done: win three consecutive Super Bowls.