Chiefs finally break playoff hex to host AFC Championship Game

The Kansas City Chiefs won their first playoff game at home since Jan. 1994. Now, they host the AFC title game for the first time in team history.

The pain has been washed away. For years, the Chiefs have been a playoff punchline. Six consecutive losses at home in the postseason, many with nicknames. The Lin Elliott Game. The No Punt Game. The Eric Fisher Game.

For all the moments that culminated in Kansas City’s real-time exorcism, though, there was a single, seminal moment.

After Sammy Watkins lost a fumble at the Chiefs’ 20-yard line with a minute remaining in the third quarter, the stars were aligning for another memorable collapse. Two plays later, Dee Ford came screaming off the right edge with the winds of change at his back. Ford stripped Andrew Luck of the ball with a diving Justin Houston there to recover.

All the anguish, gone. Shockingly, the best offensive team in football was led by its much-maligned defense on Saturday, beating the Indianapolis Colts 31-13. The trio of Ford, Houston and Chris Jones were spectacular, combining for three sacks and four passes defensed to accompany the aforementioned forced and recovered fumble.

For the Chiefs, they will now host the AFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history. Kansas City will play for the Lamar Hunt Trophy, a piece of hardware named after its founder. To secure it, the defense will need to keep performing at this elevated level. Whether they can do it remains to be seen, but at least there’s reason for hope.

If you haven’t been a fan of Kansas City, it’s impossible to understand the importance of this victory. It’s more than winning a singular playoff game. It’s the shedding of an ugly skin, one that grows heavier by the second as the regular season wears on.

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For once in January, it was Kansas City which made the big plays. Perhaps more importantly, the Chiefs finally avoided the major ones that the Colts committed, such as five offsides penalties, a missed 23-yard field goal and a game-clinched running into the punter penalty.

The details are important and yet a waste of time in this instance. The grander picture is what matters. Kansas City has finally broke free of the shackles it’s worn for more than two decades, with a glorious game eclipsing what feels like a lifetime of losing.

Next Sunday, the Chiefs host the AFC Championship Game. Unreal.