NFL Four Downs: Kansas City Chiefs seal Super Bowl berth with late field goal as Philadelphia Eagles cruise in

What ankle sprain? Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes went into the AFC title game against the Bengals under a huge injury cloud, after suffering a high ankle sprain in his team’s win over Jacksonville last week in the Divisional Round. At times visibly hobbled, there was absolutely nothing wrong with that ankle in the final seconds of the game, with the scores tied 20-20, when Mahomes escaped the pocket and scrambled for a first down that was still short of kicker Harrison Butker’s field goal range. But the gutsy play by Mahomes was rewarded when Bengals defender Joseph Ossai got a rush of blood to the head and gave the Chiefs gunslinger a little push after he was out of bounds, drawing a flag (and associated 15-yard penalty) for unnecessary roughness. That placed the ball well within Butker’s range, and the kicker was true from 45 yards, effectively earning Kansas City a trip to their third Super Bowl in the Mahomes era. It’s a tough way for the season to end for the Bengals, and Ossai was inconsolable after the game for his role in the loss, but Cincinnati will rue not being able to take advantage of the Chiefs losing key offensive pieces during the game. For a team that has played with a massive chip on their shoulder this season, the Bengals ran into a team with an even bigger chip, with the Chiefs clearly stung by pre-game rhetoric around Cinci QB Joe Burrow having Mahomes’ number in their previous three meetings, and that Kansas’ Arrowhead Stadium should be renamed “Burrowhead”. “Burrowhead, my ass,” Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce said in a post-game interview. Not so Purdy The Niners have been left wondering what might have been, after an incredible season that saw the franchise overcome crippling injuries come to an inauspicious end, rather ironically, because of injuries. It was always going to be a tall task to travel to Philadelphia, one of the most inhospitable stadiums in the league for visiting teams, to face a very good Eagles team with the NFC title on the line. But that task quickly became Everest-sized, when San Francisco lost QB Brock Purdy to injury on the sixth offensive snap of the game. Purdy had been one of the greatest stories in the NFL this year, having gone undefeated since entering the line-up mid-season, following an injury to starter Jimmy Garoppolo, who was himself filling in for preferred starter Trey Lance, who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2. The fairy tale came to a crashing end, and then turned into a nightmare when Niners back-up QB Josh Johnson suffered a concussion, forcing an injured Purdy back onto the field in the second half, despite essentially being unable to throw the ball. Maybe the Eagles would’ve won anyway, but it was a foregone conclusion after Purdy went down, and the 31-7 score line was a sad way for the Niners to go out, considering how amazing they’ve been on both sides of the ball. As for Philly, it was a workmanlike performance from a very complete team. Super Bowl preview With a week off before Super Bowl LVII in Arizona, the Chiefs will use every second of that time to nurse their playmakers back to full health, with Mahomes being No.1 on the nurse’s treatment list. Beyond that, there are many storylines to follow. Travis Kelce and brother Jason, the Eagles superstar centre, will become the first bros to face off in a Super Bowl Philly left tackle Jordan Mailata can become just the second Aussie to ever win a Super Bowl if the Eagles get up. Chiefs coach Andy Reid will be coaching against his old team, who fired him after a lengthy stint because he couldn’t get Philly a Super Bowl. The game will feature two QBs in Jalen Hurts and Mahomes with the youngest combined age in Super Bowl history. Is that enough for now? Panic index MEDIUM: There’s an old saying in the NFL that if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one. Well, the Niners now have three with the emergence of Brock Purdy, and some huge questions under centre to answer before next season. LOW: Despite falling agonisingly short, the Bengals loss to the Chiefs in the AFC title game proved last year’s Super Bowl appearance was not a fluke. Burrow is about to get PAID.