NFL Research offers the best nuggets from NFL playoff games. Here are the most eye-popping statistical accomplishments from Championship Sunday.
» The Chiefs have advanced to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1969 season. Kansas City defeated the Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl IV and has not made an appearance since. The Chiefs hope to win their first Super Bowl in 50 years and break the second-longest active drought in the NFL by a team without a Super Bowl win (Jets won in 1968).
» With three passing touchdowns in the Chiefs‘ win over the Titans, Patrick Mahomes has thrown 87 career passing TDs, passing Hall of Famer Dan Marino (85) for the most all-time in a player’s first 35 career games, including playoffs.
» Only two players have at least 250 passing yards, at least three passing TDs and at least 50 rushing yards in multiple career playoff games: Patrick Mahomes (2019) and Hall of Famer Joe Montana (1984). Mahomes did so in the Divisional Round with 321 passing yards, five passing TDs, and 53 rushing yards and did so Sunday with 294 passing yards, 53 rushing yards, and three passing TDs.
» Andy Reid will be the seventh head coach to lead two different teams to a Super Bowl after leading the 2004 Eagles to Super Bowl XXXIX. Reid joins Hall of Famer Don Shula, Hall of Famer Bill Parcells, Dan Reeves, Dick Vermeil, Mike Holmgren and John Fox as the only head coaches to do so.
» With 35 pass attempts and three passing TDs Sunday, Patrick Mahomes now has the most pass attempts (142) without an interception to begin a playoff career since play-by-play data began being tracked in 1991. He has the most passing TDs (11) in the playoffs without an interception to begin a career since 1950.
» Damien Williams has nine scrimmage TDs in his first five career playoff games after scoring a rushing TD in the Chiefs‘ win. He tied Hall of Famer Terrell Davis and Larry Fitzgerald for the most scrimmage TDs (nine) in a player’s first five playoffs games in NFL history.
» Patrick Mahomes‘ 27-yard rushing TD was the longest such TD of his career. According to Next Gen Stats, Mahomes covered 64.0 yards of distance on his TD scramble, the most distance covered by a quarterback as a ball carrier on a TD run this season. He has more rushing TDs in the playoffs (two) than all other quarterbacks in Chiefs history combined (zero).
» Patrick Mahomes had 53 rushing yards in the Chiefs‘ Divisional Round win and 53 rushing yards on his way to claiming the Lamar Hunt Trophy. He is just the sixth quarterback since 1950 with multiple games with at least 50 rushing yards in a single postseason. He joined Hall of Famer Joe Montana, Hall of Famer Otto Graham, Steve McNair, Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson as the only quarterbacks to do so.
» After racking up more than 180 rushing yards in both the Wild Card Round and the Divisional Round, Derrick Henry was held to just 69 rushing yards in the AFC Championship Game. This is the first time Henry has had fewer than 70 rushing yards in a game since the Titans‘ Week 9 loss to the Panthers (63 rush yards) and just his fourth such game of the season, including playoffs. The Titans are 0-4 in such games.
» Dennis Kelly caught a one-yard receiving TD from Ryan Tannehill in the Titans‘ loss, making him the heaviest player (321 pounds) with a receiving TD in playoffs in NFL history. At 6 foot 8, Kelly is tied for the tallest player with a receiving TD in postseason history.