The Kansas City Chiefs are heading back to the Super Bowl and a couple of HBCU rookies made a great play that helped get them there.
With the AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills tied at 20 late in the fourth quarter, Chiefs rookie defenseman Bryan Cook tipped a pass from Joe Burrow into the hands of Joshua Williams. The interception stopped a potential go-ahead for the Bills and gave the ball back to the Chiefs.
The Chiefs would not score on that possession, but would win the game on a 46-yard field goal by Harrison Butker after a late hit off quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
That gave the Chiefs a 23-20 lead with three seconds left. The Bills got the ball on the ensuing kickoff with little time left, and Williams made the tackle that officially ended the game.
This sends the Kansas City Chiefs back to the Super Bowl. It will obviously be the first trip for Cook and Joshua Williams.
Cooke finished his career at the University of Cincinnati but started at Howard University. He recorded 93 tackles, five tackles for a loss and five interceptions in two seasons. He eventually moved on and was drafted in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He has recorded 21 tackles and one sack during the regular season.
Williams was a fourth-round pick in 2022, becoming the highest of four HBCU players drafted in the NFL. She did so after a stellar career at Fayetteville State in which she helped them win four consecutive CIAA Southern Division championships. A part-time starter during the 2022 season, Williams put together 27 tackles and one interception.
Now both men will go to the Super Bowl as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 12.
Kansas City Chiefs heading to the Super Bowl get a big game from rookies HBCU
