(NEXSTAR) — The stage is nearly set in Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII, with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers ready to compete for the Lombardi Trophy.
After what started as a tight game Sunday afternoon, the Kansas City Chiefs were able to secure a fourth Super Bowl appearance in five seasons after a 17-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were at their magnificent best in the first half, and Kansas City’s defense delivered another masterpiece against Lamar Jackson and Baltimore, helping the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years with a 17-10 victory in the AFC championship game Sunday.
Kelce caught 11 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, and now the big question at next month’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas is whether his girlfriend Taylor Swift will be able to make it there in the middle of her tour. The pop star was on hand again Sunday, and the 34-year-old Kelce was at his best.
The Chiefs led 17-7 at halftime, and Justin Tucker’s 43-yard field goal with 2:34 to play was the only scoring of the second half.
In Santa Clara, California, the 49ers came back from a 24-7 deficit at halftime to defeat the Lions, 34-31. The Lions looked poised to make their first-ever Super Bowl appearance with that halftime lead, only to fail to score until the final minutes of the second half.
San Francisco mounted the fourth comeback ever from 17 points down or more in a conference title game thanks to some big plays by quarterback Brock Purdy and bad mistakes from the Lions, including two failed fourth downs in field-goal range.
After being questioned about whether he could lead a comeback, Purdy has now done it twice in as many weeks. He engineered a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter to beat Green Bay last week and then had an even bigger comeback against the Lions.
San Francisco will now make its eighth Super Bowl appearance. Their most recent trip to the big game was in 2020 when they fell to the Chiefs, 31-20, in Super Bowl LIV. Overall, the 49ers are 5-2 in the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs are making their sixth Super Bowl appearance and their second consecutive after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles last year in Arizona. The Chiefs are 3-2 overall in the Super Bowl, with one of those wins coming against the 49ers.
Super Bowl LVIII will be played on Sunday, February 11, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.