KANSAS CITY, Mo. — You simply knew they have been going to win. The Chiefs knew they have been going to win. The followers inside Arrowhead Stadium knew it. Maybe a lot of the hundreds of thousands of individuals watching “Sunday Evening Soccer” on NBC did, too.
Whether or not you like them or hate them — or are simply uninterested in them — the Chiefs received, but once more, in one other shut recreation that left their opponent, this time the Los Angeles Chargers, shaking their heads.
The Chiefs are a high-wire circus act. They don’t simply execute the trick of profitable one-score recreation after one-score recreation. No. They need to improve the hazard, lower their odds of a profitable touchdown and discover a new option to escape embarrassment.
“So long as we now have an opportunity to go on the market and have the ball and make a play occur, I really feel like we’re going to make it occur,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes stated.
As a substitute of a cushty, dominant win over a divisional rival, the Chiefs blew a 13-point lead within the second half earlier than Mahomes grew to become a magician within the recreation’s most important moments to as soon as once more lead his teammates to a dramatic comeback win, 19-17 over the Chargers.
Mahomes, although, didn’t rating the game-winning factors. Coach Andy Reid determined to have Mahomes, as soon as he drove the offense into the purple zone, kneel twice earlier than calling a timeout with one second left on the clock to arrange a game-winning area purpose for Matthew Wright, the Chiefs’ third-string kicker. Then Reid determined to not watch Wright try his 31-yard kick. Reid stored his face ahead as if staring right into a void. The joke was on Reid, who needed to be instructed that the ball hit the within of the left upright earlier than going via. The second led beginning kicker Harrison Butker — out with a left knee harm — to smile and snigger.
“I wished it to go proper down the center, clearly,” Wright stated. “I’m simply comfortable it went in. … I don’t like to consider hitting the upright.”
Unreal 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Wx4a3YhaR1
— NFL (@NFL) December 9, 2024
Inside minutes of his game-winning doink, Wright was on the sphere for NBC’s postgame interview subsequent to Mahomes and move rusher Chris Jones. Wright, who joined the Chiefs two weeks in the past, was one of many first gamers to don a crisp new black ballcap, the commemorative merchandise in honor of the group being topped as champion of the AFC West for the ninth consecutive season.
The Chiefs entered Sunday with 14 consecutive victories in video games determined by one rating, the longest streak in NFL historical past.
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However because the Chiefs purpose to seize an unprecedented third straight Tremendous Bowl victory, this season has been concerning the group’s last-second victories, each seemingly weirder than the final. Together with Sunday, half of the Chiefs’ 12 victories this season have been selected the ultimate play — Ravens tight finish Isaiah Possible’s proper huge toe being out of bounds as an alternative of a landing as time expired, Butker’s game-winning kick over the Bengals, working again Kareem Hunt’s landing in time beyond regulation over the Buccaneers, linebacker Leo Chenal’s diving block within the win over the Broncos and kicker Spencer Shrader’s area purpose over the Panthers.
“I’d a lot reasonably or not it’s like this — and win video games and discover new methods to win — than to be shedding them,” tight finish Travis Kelce stated. “Taking a look at it from final yr, one of many greatest issues was having the ability to calm the storm that’s round us and deal with us and preserve getting higher. That is simply one other model of that, looking for methods to win and preserve discovering methods to get higher, so on the finish of the season we’re enjoying our greatest ball.”
This “How ‘bout these Chiefs!” means much more 🏆 pic.twitter.com/huqt8s9QKh
— Kansas Metropolis Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 9, 2024
The Chiefs offense nonetheless isn’t buzzing. For the second consecutive week, the Chiefs scored just one landing. Inserting veteran D.J. Humphries at left sort out didn’t repair the offensive points. Humphries did his greatest to assist stabilize the offensive line, however Mahomes was hit a season-high 13 instances by the Chargers. Given the circumstances, Mahomes was nonetheless sensible when crucial, particularly when he was hit or about to get hit.
“We’ve performed plenty of good defenses,” Mahomes stated. “That’s the one dangerous factor whenever you win the Tremendous Bowl: You play the most effective schedule. We’ve performed plenty of good defensive ends, defensive linemen. For myself, it’s simply discovering the gentle spot within the pocket. On among the early third downs, I used to be form of working into (strain). I assumed I did higher as the sport went on.”
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The Chiefs’ last drive started with lower than 5 minutes left. Mahomes was put at an obstacle: He can be compelled to move the ball over and over and the Chargers knew they’d have loads of alternatives to hurry him in hopes of producing a detrimental participant or a game-winning turnover.
Then Mahomes was at his slippery greatest. On third-and-10 from the Chiefs’ 4o-yard line, Mahomes evaded three defenders within the pocket, moved to his left and jumped to finish a 14-yard move to rookie Xavier Worthy.
Mahomes issues 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/fFF1YhaamM
— NFL (@NFL) December 9, 2024
On third- and fourth-down performs this season, Mahomes has generated 50 whole anticipated factors added, based on TruMedia. No different quarterback has greater than 33 whole anticipated factors added (Buffalo’s Josh Allen).
However after the following snap, the problem elevated for Mahomes: Humphries left the sport with a hamstring harm. He was changed by Wanya Morris, a second-year participant who allowed 11 pressures on 48 pass-blocking snaps the earlier week within the Chiefs’ win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
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“I wished to indicate why I used to be there within the first place and why this group trusted me,” Morris stated. “It’s undoubtedly good to place final week behind me, however to not neglect that embarrassment that I felt. I really feel that’s very important to me rising.”
Mahomes’ last third-down snap started on the Chargers’ 20-yard line after the two-minute warning. With the Chargers having exhausted their timeouts, some groups would’ve elected to run the ball to maintain the clock working. Earlier than the Chiefs’ third-and-7 snap, Mahomes stated one sentence to Reid to assist persuade him to name a move play.
“I’ll make one thing occur,” Mahomes instructed Reid.
When the play must be made, 1️⃣5️⃣ makes the play. pic.twitter.com/TIEKFwmPgk
— NFL (@NFL) December 9, 2024
Mahomes made positive the Chargers by no means bought the ball once more. He rolled to his proper and waited lengthy sufficient — and avoiding linebacker Daiyan Henley — to search out Kelce for a 9-yard completion.
“I assumed the Chargers did a pleasant job,” Reid stated. “They zoned us off. That’s extra of a (play towards man-to-man protection). They’d been enjoying man as much as that time. If they’d’ve accomplished that, it could’ve been an important name.”
Not surprisingly, Mahomes was assisted by his wild card of a teammate in Kelce, who improvised his route.
“He’s purported to run a nook route,” Mahomes stated of Kelce with a clean expression. “It’s what it’s. I went via my reads. As I went to get able to run, I simply noticed (No.) 87 simply sitting proper there in the course of the sphere.”
Kelce didn’t reveal what led him to vary his route or how he did it to shock the Chargers. Kelce did share that, in contrast to Reid, he watched Wright make the profitable kick.
“Oh, yeah, I noticed it hit the upright,” Kelce stated. “The financial institution is open on Sundays, man.”
(Photograph of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce: Jamie Squire / Getty Photographs)