Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Patrick Mahomes conjured a trademark rescue act as the Kansas City Chiefs kept their playoff hopes alive with a 23-20 overtime defeat of the in-form Indianapolis Colts in the NFL on Sunday. Mahomes steered the Chiefs back from a 20-9 fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime before leading the decisive drive that culminated with Harrison Butker slotting a 27-yard field goal to clinch victory.
“This is exactly what we needed against a really good football team when the game’s not going your way,” Mahomes said. “We could have folded in that situation (but) the guys responded and found a way to win. We needed a win like this — now let’s try and build off it,” added Mahomes, who finished with 352 passing yards with no touchdowns and an interception.
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The Chiefs went into Sunday’s game at Arrowhead Stadium knowing that defeat could effectively mark the end of a dynasty, with the team outside of playoff contention with only six games remaining. Instead, the four-time Super Bowl champions improved to 6-5 and now have a fighting chance of reaching the postseason for an 11th straight year — a remarkable run that has included five trips to the Super Bowl since the 2019-2020 campaign.
The Colts, who fell to 8-3, had looked poised to deal the Chiefs’ season a terminal blow after controlling the game for long periods with quarterback Daniel Jones throwing two touchdowns before a pair of Michael Badgley field goals in the third quarter made it 20-9 to the visitors. Once again, though, Mahomes answered the call when his team needed him most, orchestrating a 56-yard drive to set up a Kareem Hunt touchdown before making the two-point conversion to make it 20-17, and then moving his team 87 yards upfield for a game-tying Butker field goal as time ran out. After the Colts were forced to punt in overtime, Mahomes then led an 81-yard drive for the winning field goal.
– Cowboys stun Eagles –
The Dallas Cowboys pulled off an improbable comeback of their own in a thrilling 24-21 defeat of the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in Texas. The latest instalment of one of the NFL’s most ferocious rivalries served up a classic which saw Dallas recover from a 21-0 deficit to snatch victory with Brandon Aubrey’s game-winning 42-yard field goal on the final play of the game.
The Cowboys’ win saw them improve to 5-5-1 for the season and left the Texas club second in the NFC East behind the Eagles, who fell to 8-3. The resurgent New England Patriots improved to 10-2 with a 26-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on the road to move closer to a return to the playoffs. The Los Angeles Rams improved to 9-2, best in the NFC, with a 34-7 home rout of Tampa Bay. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Davante Adams. Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield suffered a left shoulder injury in the first half and was replaced by Teddy Bridgewater.
The Pittsburgh Steelers slumped to a 31-28 defeat against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The Bears improved to 8-3 thanks to Caleb Williams throwing three touchdowns. The Detroit Lions moved to 7-4 but were given a scare by the New York Giants before clinching a 37-24 win, while the Green Bay Packers downed the Minnesota Vikings 23-6.
The Seattle Seahawks remain top of the NFC West after bagging a 30-24 road win over the Tennessee Titans, while the Baltimore Ravens continued their return to form, clinching a fifth straight win in a 23-10 defeat of the New York Jets. Cleveland Browns’ rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders won his first NFL start in a 24-10 defeat of the Las Vegas Raiders, while the Jacksonville Jaguars pipped the Arizona Cardinals 27-24 with an overtime field goal to improve to 7-4.
© 2024 AFP
