Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Patrick Mahomes conjured a trademark rescue act as the Kansas City Chiefs kept their playoff hopes alive with a come-from-behind 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.
“It’s extremely important, we just got to get back on that winning train,” a relieved Mahomes said afterwards. “We’ve got to start putting these wins together. It’s not going to be easy, and today wasn’t easy. But we’ve got to get back to winning. I’m just excited to get a win and get back on the train,” 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 a 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 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 with the defeat, 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. Two third quarter field goals from Michael Badgley put the Colts ahead 20-9 heading into the fourth quarter to leave the Chiefs staring down the barrel.
But after functioning smoothly for the first three quarters, the Colts offense stalled down the stretch with four straight punts as the Chiefs clawed their way back into contention. Mahomes led a 56-yard drive to set up a Kareem Hunt touchdown from close range before making the two-point conversion to make it 20-17, and then steered 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.
In other early NFL games on Sunday, 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 Pittsburgh Steelers, meanwhile, 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 in an impressive performance.
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.
© 2024 AFP
