San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is not worrying about personal reputations as he prepares for Sunday’s Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Shanahan, the son of two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Shanahan, has been here before, facing the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV four years ago, but came out on the wrong end of that one in a 31-20 defeat.

In each of the previous two seasons, the 44-year-old saw his 49ers lose in the NFC Championship game.

While he boasts a strong overall record in his seven seasons as a head coach, Shanahan faced questions in Las Vegas this week about whether another loss would feed a narrative that he could not win ‘the big one’.

“I’d deal with that the same as if we win,” Shanahan said. “I’d celebrate with my team, my family and then move on with the rest of my life, which is being a father, a son, coaching and working. A narrative, good or bad, is just a narrative.

“When you go into these games, what makes you prepare is you don’t want regrets. You want to do everything that makes sense to myself and to the team.

“When you do that, no matter how hard something is or how good something is, you keep perspective. If you want your perspective to be someone else’s narrative, good luck.”

Shanahan has a 72-54 overall record with the 49ers since they gave him his first head coaching job in 2017. But he acknowledged that now, only a Super Bowl win would represent a good season.

“That’s how it boils down for everybody in the NFL,” he said. “The only time in a season you’re satisfied without a Super Bowl is maybe the first year if you exceed expectations – that’s the only time if you don’t make the play-offs you don’t feel you’ve completely failed.

“Other than that, if you don’t make the play-offs in this league, no-one is happy. If you make the play-offs and lose your last game, no-one’s happy. If you get to the Super Bowl and lose the Super Bowl, you’re not happy.

“Only one team is happy at the end of the year. Whether it comes down to the Super Bowl or a play-off game, it’s the same. When you go for the big one it hurts when you get that close because it’s that hard to get there.

“We’re fortunate our team has been able to get here twice. The last one was a tough one.

“We have every opportunity but they made the plays and we didn’t. I think it will be a real tight game this weekend. We’ll see how it unfolds, but I like our chances.”

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been named the NFL’s most valuable player for the second time.

Jackson, 27, who missed out on a place in Sunday’s Super Bowl when the Ravens lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game, was the pick of 49 of the 50-strong panel.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was the only other player to receive a first-place vote from the panel of media, ex-players and coaches.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was a clear winner of the offensive player of the year award, having finished third in the MVP vote behind Jackson and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

Myles Garrett was voted defensive player of the year, one of four awards for the Cleveland Browns – Joe Flacco winning comeback player of the year with Kevin Stefanski named coach of the year and defensive co-ordinator Jim Schwartz assistant coach of the year.

Houston Texans players collected both rookie of the year titles, quarterback CJ Stroud clearly winning the offensive crown with Will Anderson Jr picking up the defensive award.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson won his second Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award on Thursday.

Jackson, who won his first league MVP in 2019, was a near-unanimous winner, receiving 49 of 50 first-place votes. Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen got the only other first-place vote.

An overwhelming favourite to win the NFL's top award, Jackson led the Ravens to the AFC North title with a 13-4 record and the conference's top seed.

He accounted for 29 offensive touchdowns and led Baltimore in passing yards and rushing yards for the fifth straight season, throwing for 3,678 and running for 821 to become just the second player to pass for 3,500+ yards and rush for 800+ yards in a season, joining Kyler Murray in 2020.

The 27-year-old is now part of an exclusive group, becoming just the fourth player to win two MVPs before turning 28 years old, joining Patrick Mahomes (27) and Hall of Famers Brett Favre (27) and Jim Brown (22).

The MVP was one of eight AP awards handed out at the "NFL Honors" awards show on Thursday in Las Vegas - the site of Sunday's Super Bowl.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey won the AP Offensive Player of the Year.

McCaffrey, whose 49ers are facing the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, led the league with 1,459 rushing yards, 2,023 scrimmage yards and 21 total touchdowns. 

The Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett took home the AP Defensive Player of the Year award.

The All-Pro edge rusher had 14 sacks, 30 quarterback hits and 17 tackles for loss, and was the focal point of a Cleveland defence that allowed a league-low 270.2 yards per game.

Garrett was one of four Browns to win an award, as quarterback Joe Flacco won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, narrowly beating out the Bills' Damar Hamlin.

Signed in November after being out of football, Flacco led the Browns to a 4-1 record down the stretch to help the franchise reach the playoffs.

Kevin Stefanski of the Browns won AP Coach of the Year, edging out the Houston Texans' DeMeco Ryans by one first-place vote.

Stefanski's defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, won the AP Assistant Coach of the Year award after directing the NFL's top-ranked defence.

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in a runaway, receiving 48 of 50 first-place votes. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua got the other two.

Stroud, the No. 2 pick in the draft, led the Texans to the AFC South crown one year after the team won just three games. He finished eighth in passing yards with 4,108 - the third-most yards passing by a rookie in NFL history behind Andrew Luck (4,374 in 2012) and Justin Herbert (4,336 in 2020).

His teammate, Will Anderson, won Defensive Rookie of the Year after registering seven sacks, 22 QB hits and 10 tackles for loss.

Head coach Andy Reid says he can understand the Kansas City Chiefs being viewed as the underdog for this weekend’s Super Bowl but stressed he never approaches a game feeling like one.

Sunday’s NFL championship match in Las Vegas sees defending champions the Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers.

Reid’s side – who he has guided to three of the last four Super Bowls, triumphing against the 49ers in 2020 and the Philadelphia Eagles last year – suffered four defeats in six towards the end of the regular season before finding form in the play-offs.

And the 65-year-old told a press conference: “I understand why we’re the underdog, I get that – we had some ups and downs during the season.

“I never feel like an underdog going into a game. I understand why it’s been situated that way. It is what it is.”

Reid, whose experienced stars include quarter back Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, said his message to players tasting the showpiece for the first time to help calm nerves they might have was: “When you get through all of this, this stuff here, it’s a game.”

He added: “It’s faster than most games. It’s crazy how in the play-offs every game is a little faster the higher you go up. So it’s fast. But it’s still a game. You’re professionals, so you go play and do your job.”

Reid was asked about the likelihood of him considering retirement if the Chiefs complete back-to-back successes this weekend.

And he said: “I haven’t gone there, I don’t think about that. I’m tied up in the game and trying to take care of that. I’m sure somewhere I’ll know when that time is. It’s not today or Sunday.”

Kelce described Super Bowl week as having been “chaos and a lot of fun” with “a lot of energy at practices”.

He said: “I’m not even going to lie, things got a little chippy – I’m not going to say between who, but the offensive and defensive lines are trying to get their work in, trying to make sure everybody’s ready for the game.

“It just got me fired up yesterday, seeing everybody locked in and wanting to get their work in, making sure that everybody’s ready for the task in hand on Sunday. I just love the focus and the energy of the team right now.”

There has been considerable attention in the build-up to the contest on the fact Kelce is in a relationship with pop star Taylor Swift.

Asked if the buzz over his personal life was a distraction for him, Kelce said: “I love this game and I love coming into work.

“I think everybody has things in their lives that can take away from their focus in their work life, and you’ve just got to be able to compartmentalise that.

“It might be on a national media scale so it seems like it’s a lot harder, but in the reality of things, when I step on that field I’m focused on championship football and being a Kansas City Chief.”

Kelce was also asked why he thought there was such fascination with him and Swift, and said: “I think the values we stand for, and just who we are as people.

“We love to shine light on others, shine light around the people who help and support us, and on top of that I feel like we both have just a love for life.”

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is determined to stay focused on the job as he prepares for his first Super Bowl experience.

Purdy has gone from being last pick of the 2022 draft to taking centre stage in Las Vegas on Sunday when he goes up against Kansas City Chiefs main man Patrick Mahomes, who is preparing for his fourth NFL title match in the space of five years .

The 24-year-old, though, intends to play the game rather than get swept up in the occasion.

“There’s a fine line of it for sure,” Purdy said.

“Obviously studying and being prepared for every little situation and circumstance and being able to answer those questions right, but also, being able to enjoy the game.

“We are in the Super Bowl. You dream of this as a kid growing up, every kid dreamed of playing in this game.”

Purdy told a press conference: “It is a fine line, but man, at the end of the day this is something that we have all dream of growing up. You have to be grateful for it and have fun with it.”

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan feels Purdy’s humility is one of his greatest strengths.

“I think that’s the most special thing about Brock – he doesn’t really have to change much because that’s really who he is,” Shanahan said.

“He’s one of the most humble people I’ve ever met. I’ve talked about the solid foundation he has for who he is.

“When he came into the league, being the third quarterback, being the starter, what he has done this year, he is still the same guy he was on day one.”

The 49ers started a three-day practise week at their University of Nevada Las Vegas base, with tight end George Kittle and defensive lineman Arik Armstead back in the fold following their injury lay-offs.

Cornerback Ambry Thomas and linebacker Oren Burks also did limited work as they continue their own recovery.

Tackle Trent Williams was the only player to not train because of his normal veteran rest day.

Since reaching the 2019 Super Bowl, where they were beaten 31-20 by the Chiefs, the 49ers have continued to be regulars in the play-offs, but had came up short in their two previous NFC Championship Game appearances.

Having taken the extra step again this season, Shanahan is determined to go out on a high.

“Everything is trying to get to the last week, and we did get to this last week,” Shanahan said.

“Friday will be our last practice and Sunday will be our last game.

“You are always hoping you are the team that wins that last game, so that is our goal this week.”

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes insists he is humbled by his latest Super Bowl appearance.

Mahomes is preparing for his fourth NFL title match in the space of five years on Sunday as the Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas.

Having won two of them, Mahomes’ success by the age of 28 has led to predictions that he could go on to emulate Tom Brady’s record of seven Super Bowl triumphs.

Yet Mahomes is not looking beyond this weekend.

“It’s humbling because I never thought I would be in this many Super Bowl games, honestly,” he told reporters at a media conference.

“You strive to be great but you understand how hard it is to even be in this game, and for us to be in my fourth one in my sixth year of starting truly is remarkable.

“I don’t take it for granted because you never know if you’re going to be able to be back in this game.”

Brady won six of his Super Bowls with the New England Patriots in what was considered one of the game’s greatest dynasties, but Mahomes is reluctant to discuss the Chiefs in such terms.

He said: “I think the biggest thing about the dynasty is consistency. Trying to be consistently great every single year, not getting too big-headed or satisfied with where they’re at.

“You have to continue to do it year in and year out and I don’t think you can really say that you’re a dynasty until it’s over and people will look back at your career and how you did it.”

Mahomes’ first Super Bowl triumph came against the 49ers four years ago but he will be up against a different quarterback in this weekend’s rematch in 24-year-old Brock Purdy.

Purdy has come a long way since being labelled ‘Mr Irrelevant’ after being drafted 262nd and last in 2022, breaking into the team last season and being first choice throughout the current campaign.

Mahomes said: “He’s a great football player. He makes all the right plays. He’s a guy that goes out there and just competes, and he finds a way to win football games. That’s what you have to do in this league.”

The 49ers have not won the Super Bowl since their fifth triumph in 1995 but Purdy is drawing inspiration from their past great quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young.

Purdy said: “I’m not going to compare myself to them or anything but they’ve set the standard for winning in this organisation.

“When you look at the 49ers logo, you think of success in Super Bowls because of those guys.

“They’ve been so great to me, supporting me, and when you talk to them you’re obviously in the presence of greatness.

“They got the job done and so it definitely makes you think, ‘all right, let’s step it up and live up to the standard that they set’.”

The Philadelphia Eagles will play in Brazil on the opening weekend of next season as South America hosts its first-ever NFL regular season game.

As well as three games in London and one in Munich in 2024, the league announced in December that it would be breaking new ground by taking another to the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo.

The Eagles, last year’s Super Bowl runners-up, have been confirmed as the designated team for the historic occasion in Brazil in September.

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The NFL has confirmed that the game would be played on the Friday night of opening weekend – the first time a fixture has been in that slot since 1970.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said: “This landmark first international game in South America demonstrates the ongoing expansion of our global footprint.

“Playing on Friday night of week one is a unique way to highlight our international growth and ambitions.”

The opponent, like with the other International Games, will be announced shortly before the 2024 schedule release in the spring.

A recent vote by teams means the NFL will have the ability to schedule up to eight international games per season from 2025.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce wants to make sure his girlfriend Taylor Swift is not the only person in their relationship to bring silverware home this week.

Pop star Swift created history on Sunday by becoming the first artist to win a fourth Grammy for Album of the Year for her Midnights release.

It is Kelce’s turn to shine this week as he is part of the Chiefs’ squad who are gunning for back-to-back Super Bowl glory against the San Francisco 49ers.

The 34-year-old, who has won NFL’s biggest match twice before, is keen to contribute to the trophies on the mantelpiece.

“She’s unbelievable,” the Chiefs star tight end said at the Super Bowl’s ‘opening night’ in Las Vegas.

“She’s rewriting the history books herself. I told her I’ll have to hold up my end of the bargain and come home with some hardware, too.”

Kelce’s relationship with Swift has brought more attention to the NFL in recent months and Kelce is embracing it.

“She’s definitely brought a lot of new faces to the game, and it’s been fun to experience that,” he said.

“Taylor has an unbelievable fanbase that follows her and supports her throughout her life.

“It’s been fun to kind of gather the Swifties into Chiefs Kingdom and open them up to the football world and sports world. It’s been cool to experience that.”

Kelce and the Chiefs, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, are appearing in their fourth Super Bowl in five years and are looking to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Tom Brady’s New England Patriots in 2005.

Brady ended his career with a record seven Super Bowl rings, but Mahomes is not thinking about matching history.

“I’m not even close to halfway, so I haven’t put a lot of thought into it,” Mahomes told ESPN.

“So right now it’s do whatever I can to beat a great 49ers team and try to get that third ring.

“Then if you ask me that question in 15 years, I’ll see if I can get close to seven, but seven seems like a long ways away still.”

Tom Brady won a record sixth Super Bowl as he led the New England Patriots to a 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on this day in 2019.

Veteran quarterback Brady, playing in his ninth championship game, and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick masterminded victory in the 53rd edition of the NFL showdown at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to add another Vince Lombardi Trophy to their successes in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014 and 2016.

The 41-year-old threw for 262 yards and engineered the game’s only touchdown drive as Sony Michel punched the ball in to give New England the lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Starting at their own 31, Brady found Rob Gronkowski with a short pass for 19 yards, then out of the gun, hit MVP Julian Edelman for a 13-yard completion.

Now at the Rams’ 38-yard line, Brady found Rex Burkhead with a short seven-yard pass before picking out Gronkowski again and watching him beat two defenders to finish two yards shy.

From the only redzone visit of the night, Michel took advantage of good blocking to score his sixth post-season touchdown.

Speaking afterwards, Brady had no intention of calling it a day after helping the Patriots tie the Pittsburgh Steelers’ record for the most championships.

He told CBS: “It doesn’t change anything. It’s been a great year. I’m so happy for my team-mates. This is a dream come true for all of us.”

Brady’s 20-year stay in New England came to a close when he announced his departure in March 2020, but his love affair with the Super Bowl did not.

In February 2021, he steered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at the age of 43, throwing three touchdown passes in the process.

Two years later, Brady announced his retirement and insisted he would not change his mind as he had done 12 months earlier.

His sporting career took an unexpected and sideways turn in August of the same year when he became a minority owner at Sky Bet Championship club Birmingham.

The Washington Commanders have reached an agreement with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to become their new head coach, multiple outlets reported Thursday.

Quinn will get a second opportunity to run a team after previously serving six seasons as the Atlanta Falcons' head coach from 2015-20. He led the Falcons to a Super Bowl in his second season in charge in 2016, but was fired after an 0-5 start in 2020 that followed up two consecutive losing campaigns.

The 53-year-old takes over for another coach who previously guided a team to a Super Bowl in Ron Rivera, who was let go at the conclusion of this past season after Washington struggled to a 4-13 record. Rivera was the head coach during the Carolina Panthers' NFC championship season of 2015. 

Quinn becomes the latest addition to a franchise that has undergone a slew of changes in the past year, beginning with long-time owner Daniel Snyder selling the team to an investment group headed by Josh Harris, the managing partner of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils, in July. 

The Commanders also have a new general manager in place after hiring Adam Peters from the San Francisco 49ers' front office in January.

Quinn gets to stay in the NFC's East Division after restoring his head coaching credentials with a successful stint orchestrating a defence that helped Dallas reach the playoffs in all three of his seasons there. The Cowboys ranked fifth in the NFL in both points and total yards allowed in 2023, while their 93 takeaways during Quinn's tenure are the most in the league over that three-year stretch.

The veteran assistant also had an excellent run as the Seattle Seahawks' defensive coordinator from 2013-14, helping that team win a Super Bowl in the first of those seasons.

Quinn compiled a 43-42 overall record in Atlanta and led the Falcons to two play-off appearances, the first of which nearly culminated in the franchise's first NFL title. In one of the most memorable games in recent NFL history, Atlanta infamously blew a 28-3 third-quarter lead in Super Bowl LI as the New England Patriots rallied for a stunning 34-28 overtime win.

He now joins a franchise that has gone 18 consecutive seasons since its last play-off victory in 2005, the third-longest active streak in the NFL, and has reached the post-season only once in the past eight seasons. 

Despite that recent lack of success, the Commanders' vacancy was considered an attractive job due to the team's newfound stability in ownership and the front office and a wealth of available salary cap space to work with this offseason.

Washington also owns the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft and is in position to select one of the three quarterbacks viewed as potential franchise players, Heisman Trophy winners Caleb Williams (USC) and Jayden Daniels (LSU) and North Carolina's Drake Maye.

The Seattle Seahawks have appointed Mike Macdonald as the youngest head coach in the NFL.

The 36-year-old, who has been defensive co-ordinator at the Baltimore Ravens for the past two seasons, replaces Pete Carroll who steered the Seahawks to their only Super Bowl victory during his 14 years in charge.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun, we’re going to work our tails off, and it’s going to be an incredible ride,” Macdonald told the team’s website, describing his appointment as “an honour”.

“We’re going to be here for a long time and we’re going to win a lot of football games.”

He said he was drawn to Seattle by the people and “to bring a championship back to Seattle”.

Macdonald started coaching at the University of Georgia while still a student, starting as an intern at the Ravens and working his way up before spending a season as defensive co-ordinator at the University of Michigan in 2021.

He returned in the same role for the Ravens, shaping the dominant defence which took them to the top seed in the AFC and within one game of the Super Bowl.

Carroll, who was moved to an advisory role with the Seahawks at the end of the season, was the oldest active coach in the NFL at 72.

The Seattle Seahawks have reached an agreement with Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to become the team's next head coach, NFL.com reported Wednesday.

Macdonald, who helped the Ravens to an NFL-best 13-4 record during the regular season and an appearance in the AFC championship game, will reportedly receive a six-year contract to take over a Seattle team that went 9-8 in 2023 but just missed the playoffs over long-time predecessor Pete Carroll. 

The Seahawks parted ways with Carroll earlier this month, which marked the end of an outstanding 14-year run that included 10 post-season appearances and the franchise's only Super Bowl title during the 2013 season.

Macdonald, 36, becomes the youngest current active head coach and will be replacing the oldest one in Carroll, who turned 72 in September.

The Seahawks' decision culminates a meteoric rise through the coaching ranks for Macdonald, who spent two seasons as the Ravens' defensive coordinator under John Harbaugh after serving one year in the same role at the University of Michigan for Harbaugh's brother, Jim. 

Macdonald quickly assembled one of the league's fiercest defences in Baltimore, where he previously spent six seasons as an assistant from 2014-20 before joining the recently named Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh at Michigan.

The Ravens allowed the third-fewest points in the NFL in 2022 and were even better this past season, as Macdonald's unit yielded a league-low 16.5 points per game and topped the NFL with 60 sacks. 

Defence was a problem for the 2023 Seahawks, who ranked 30th of the NFL's 32 teams in total yards allowed and 25th in points allowed. Seattle was 8-2 when surrendering 27 points or fewer but went 1-6 when permitting 28 or more.

The Seahawks were one of two teams - along with the Washington Commanders - that had not filled a head coaching vacancy when conference championship games were taking place this past weekend.

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was considered a top candidate for the jobs in Seattle and Washington, which has yet to complete its search, before informing both teams on Tuesday that he will remain in his current position. 

The San Francisco 49ers overturned a 17-point half-time deficit to book a Super Bowl clash with the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.

The 49ers scored 27 unanswered points as they beat the Detroit Lions 34-31 in the NFC Championship game to book a trip to Las Vegas.

It is their second Super Bowl appearance in five seasons having lost to the Chiefs four years ago.

Victory – and the chance to win a Super Bowl for the first time in 29 years – looked a long way off when Jameson Williams ended the opening drive with a 42-yard touchdown run and David Montgomery went in from close range to give the Lions a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

Christian McCaffrey cut the gap from two yards early in the second quarter, but Jahmyr Gibbs ran in from 15 yards and Michael Badgley added a field goal to stretch the Lions’ cushion.

The game swung after the interval as the 49ers scored 17 points in eight minutes.

Jake Moody landed a field goal before Brandon Aiyuk caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Brock Purdy – after the pair had connected on a 51-yard throw via the face mask of the Lions’ Kindle Vildor – and McCaffrey went in again to level the scores.

Moody kicked them ahead for the first time before Elijah Mitchell’s three-yard run stretched the advantage, Williams’ late score leaving the Lions too little time to create another chance and ruing two failed fourth down attempts in kickable range.

“We played as bad of a first half as we could,” coach Kyle Shanahan told Fox. “It’s been a long year to get to this point and we got it done today.

“It was hard at the beginning, but the character we have in our team, the type of guys we have, we can’t wait to get to Vegas, man.”

The Chiefs will defend their Super Bowl title after beating the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship game.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed his first 11 pass attempts and threw for 241 yards and a touchdown, but it was the Chiefs defence which was largely responsible for securing a fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years.

The Ravens were restricted to just 10 points on home soil and quarterback Lamar Jackson was intercepted in the end zone in the fourth quarter as he attempted to round off what would have been a 99-yard drive.

Mahomes told CBS: “God put a lot of adversity in our way this year and we accepted the challenge and we’re better for it.

“It’s been a heck of a year, we’re not done yet, but this is the way to get there.”

The Chiefs had reached the AFC Championship game for a sixth straight season, but did so by winning on the road for the first time with victory at the Buffalo Bills last week.

“We’ve been underdogs for the last few games but we never feel like underdogs,” Mahomes added.

“We’ve got a lot of guys in this team that know how to win and when the play-offs came around I knew we were going to make it happen.

“Now we’re in the Super Bowl and the job’s not done. We’ve got to go out there to Vegas and play a great team and see if we can get the Super Bowl.”

Kansas City, who will bid to become the NFL’s first back-to-back champions since the New England Patriots in the 2003 and 2004 seasons, signalled their attacking intent from the off against the Ravens, refusing to punt on fourth and two on their opening drive.

That allowed Mahomes to keep the drive alive with a 13-yard completion to Travis Kelce – who was watched from the stands once more by girlfriend Taylor Swift – and the same pair combined on a 19-yard touchdown throw to give the Chiefs an early 7-0 lead.

The Ravens responded in kind as Jackson ran for 21 yards on fourth and one from his own 34 and three plays later Jackson hit Zay Flowers from 30 yards to level the scores, only for the Chiefs to compile a 16-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a two-yard touchdown run from Isiah Pacheco.

A frenetic start also included Jackson recording a 13-yard completion to himself after reacting quickest to catch his own pass after it was tipped at the line of scrimmage, but the only other score in the first half – a 52-yard field goal from Harrison Butker – gave the Chiefs a 17-7 lead.

The contest was arguably decided on two key plays at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth, with Flowers squandering the momentum of a 54-yard reception by taunting cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and incurring a 15-yard penalty.

Sneed had the last laugh in the first play of the fourth quarter, punching the ball loose as Flowers dived for the end zone, and when Deon Bush intercepted Jackson on the Ravens’ next drive, the game was effectively over.

The Kansas City Chiefs will defend their Super Bowl title in Las Vegas after beating the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship game.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed his first 11 pass attempts and threw for 241 yards and a touchdown, but it was the Chiefs defence which was largely responsible for securing a fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years.

The Ravens were restricted to just 10 points on home soil and quarterback Lamar Jackson was intercepted in the end zone in the fourth quarter as he attempted to round off what would have been a 99-yard drive.

Mahomes told CBS: “God put a lot of adversity in our way this year and we accepted the challenge and we’re better for it.

“It’s been a heck of a year, we’re not done yet, but this is the way to get there.”

The Chiefs had reached the AFC Championship game for a sixth straight season, but did so by winning on the road for the first time with victory at the Buffalo Bills last week.

“We’ve been underdogs for the last few games but we never feel like underdogs,” Mahomes added.

“We’ve got a lot of guys in this team that know how to win and when the play-offs came around I knew we were going to make it happen.

“Now we’re in the Super Bowl and the job’s not done. We’ve got to go out there to Vegas and play a great team and see if we can get the Super Bowl.”

Kansas City, who will bid to become the NFL’s first back-to-back champions since the New England Patriots in the 2003 and 2004 seasons, signalled their attacking intent from the off against the Ravens, refusing to punt on fourth and two on their opening drive.

That allowed Mahomes to keep the drive alive with a 13-yard completion to Travis Kelce – who was watched from the stands once more by girlfriend Taylor Swift – and the same pair combined on a 19-yard touchdown throw to give the Chiefs an early 7-0 lead.

The Ravens responded in kind as Jackson ran for 21 yards on fourth and one from his own 34 and three plays later Jackson hit Zay Flowers from 30 yards to level the scores, only for the Chiefs to compile a 16-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a two-yard touchdown run from Isiah Pacheco.

A frenetic start also included Jackson recording a 13-yard completion to himself after reacting quickest to catch his own pass after it was tipped at the line of scrimmage, but the only other score in the first half – a 52-yard field goal from Harrison Butker – gave the Chiefs a 17-7 lead.

The contest was arguably decided on two key plays at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth, with Flowers squandering the momentum of a 54-yard reception by taunting cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and incurring a 15-yard penalty.

Sneed had the last laugh in the first play of the fourth quarter, punching the ball loose as Flowers dived for the end zone, and when Deon Bush intercepted Jackson on the Ravens’ next drive, the game was effectively over.

The Atlanta Falcons have named Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their new head coach ahead of six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick.

Morris is the first full-time black head coach in the franchise’s history after he filled the same role on an interim basis in 2020.

“This is a historic day for the Atlanta Falcons. Raheem emerged from a field of excellent candidates and is the right leader to take our team into the future,” owner Arthur Blank said.

Belichick left the Patriots after finishing the AFC East season with a 4-13 record, bringing an end to his 24-season reign.