Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes limped through the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, but the Chiefs are going to Super Bowl LVII because of a play that Mahomes made with his legs.

Kansas City defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 on a 45-yard field goal by Harrison Butker with three seconds to play.

On the snap before the game-deciding kick that ended the Bengals’ 10-game winning streak, Mahomes scrambled for 5 yards on a third-and-4 snap at the Cincinnati 47-yard line. On the play, Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai hit Mahomes after the quarterback had run out of bounds, and the 15 yards for the unnecessary-roughness penalty moved the Chiefs into field-goal range at the Cincinnati 27-yard line.

Last season, the Bengals defeated Kansas City 27-24 in overtime in the AFC Championship Game.

The Chiefs offense gained only 11 yards on the game-winning series. Skyy Moore’s 29-yard punt return put Kansas City on its 47-yard line with 30 seconds to play. Mahomes’ run and Ossai’s penalty came on the third snap of the possession.

Mahomes sustained an ankle injury in Kansas City’s 27-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Jan. 21. He still completed 29-of-43 passes for 326 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions against Cincinnati on Sunday.

Wide receiver Marquez Valdez-Scantling caught six of Mahomes’ passes for 116 yards and one touchdown. His score came on a third-and-10 snap at the Cincinnati 19-yard line with 4:15 left in the third quarter as the Chiefs took a 20-13 lead.

Cincinnati tied the score with 13:30 to play after quarterback Joe Burrow connected with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase for a 35-yard gain to the Kansas City 6-yard line on a fourth-and-2 snap.

Burrow completed 26-of-41 passes for 270 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. The Chiefs sacked Burrow five times.

Five players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the Cincinnati-Kansas City game:

· Bengals cornerback Allan George (Andalusia) played but did not record any stats.

· Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (Fort Payne) made all his kicks – connecting on field goals from 30 and 23 yards and making two extra-points.

· Chiefs running back La’Mical Perine (Theodore) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross (Central-Phenix City) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Cam Taylor-Britt (Park Crossing) started at cornerback for the Bengals. Taylor-Britt made three tackles and broke up one pass.

· Kadarius Toney (Blount) started at wide receiver for the Chiefs. Toney caught a 9-yard pass and had a 12-yard punt return before leaving the game because of an ankle injury.

· Chiefs offensive tackle Prince Tega Wanogho (Edgewood Academy, Auburn) played but did not record any stats.

· Bengals offensive tackle Jonah Williams (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive. A dislocated kneecap sidelined Williams for the second game in a row.

Kansas City will play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. The Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-7 in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday. This season’s NFL championship game is scheduled to kick off at 5:30 p.m. CST Feb. 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Kansas City has played in the Super Bowl four times. The Chiefs won Super Bowl IV over the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 on Jan. 11, 1970, and Super Bowl LIV over the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 on Feb. 2, 2020. Kansas City lost Super Bowl I to the Green Bay Packers 35-10 on Jan. 15, 1967, and Super Bowl LV to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-9 on Feb. 7, 2021.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.