For the third consecutive season, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the AFC championship.

The Chiefs outlasted the Cleveland Browns 22-17 Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium  even after star quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a game-ending concussion on an option play halfway through the third quarter of the divisional-round contest.

The final period was a rollercoaster, the Browns scoring and subsequently intercepting and then blowing their attempt to take a lead. Browns defensive end Myles Garrett sacked backup quarterback Chad Henne with 2:33 to play but Henne avenged the sack and turnover when he barreled for a 13 yards to set up fourth-and-1. He capped off the victory by rolling out to find Tyreek Hill for a pass on fourth-and-inches on a play seemed to surprise everyone.

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Mahomes had helped his team to a 9-point lead before his neck snapped backward when tackled on a keeper. Mahomes subsequently rolled over, then wobbled in an attempt to stand. His eyes appeared out of focus just before he was escorted off the field.

But two-and-a-half quarters of a crisp Mahomes performance carried. He completed 21-of-30 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown in addition to rushing three times for 14 yards and another score.

Henne finished  6-of-8 for 66 yards and an interception, in addition to rushing twice for 12 yards.

The Browns’ AFC Championship drought, which dates to 1989, continues. But their first postseason appearance in 18 years nonetheless represents a dramatic turnaround in head coach Kevin Stefanski’s first season.

Cleveland fell into a hole as it struggled to engineer a first-half running game, further hurt by an injury to left tackle Jedrick Wills on his first snap of the game.

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was mostly sharp – 23 of 37 for 204 yards, a touchdown and an interception – but a few key mistakes and futile drives were too much to overcome.

The Browns marched down the field, threatening to enter halftime trailing by just one possession as Mayfield sailed a 23-yard pass to receiver Rashard Higgins, who dove 3 yards from the end zone as he reached for the pylon. Instead, Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen dipped his right shoulder and blasted Higgins just in time to force a touchback, the Browns losing not only the ball but also their points and possession. The touchback rule – and Sorensen’s seemingly helmet-first contact – drew criticism. “That appears to me in real time” to be head-first, CBS rules analyst and former NFL official Gene Steratore explained on the broadcast. Mayfield bowed his head, his hands on his knees in dismay.

Matters worsened for the Browns on their first possession of the second half, Chiefs Pro Bowl safety Tyrann Mathieu anticipating Mayfield’s intention just in time to jump the pass intended for Jarvis Landry. Fortunately for Cleveland, the Chiefs whiffed after a 33-yard field goal from Harrison Butker (9 for 9 from 30-39 in regular season) hit the left upright on a windy Kansas City afternoon.

But Kansas City’s early lead would never falter.

The Chiefs will host the Buffalo Bills in the AFC title game at Arrowhead Stadium with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. A win would give the Chiefs a chance to be the first team since New England in 2003-04 to repeat as champs. A win for Buffalo puts the Bills in for the first time since after the 1993 season.