Washington (AFP) – Patrick Mahomes threw for one touchdown and ran for another as the Kansas City Chiefs improved to an NFL-best 14-1 on Saturday while the Baltimore Ravens beat Pittsburgh to secure a playoff berth. The two-time reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs defeated Houston 27-19 and need only another win or loss by the Buffalo Bills (11-3) to clinch a top seed and home-field edge throughout the AFC playoffs.
Mahomes completed 28-of-41 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown and ran five times for 33 yards and a touchdown, quickly serving notice he had recovered from a high left ankle sprain suffered in a victory over Cleveland last weekend. “To go out there and find a way to win with everybody was a good moment for us,” Mahomes said. “Our offensive line did a great job accepting the challenge.”
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Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson threw for 207 yards and three touchdowns and Derrick Henry ran for 162 yards as the Ravens ripped the Steelers 34-17 to clinch an NFL playoff berth. “We knew what type of game this would be,” Jackson said. “I feel like we played a better game against those guys and we got it done. It feels good.” After four losses in his five prior games with Pittsburgh, Jackson was happy he “got the little monkey off my back for the time being right now.” The Steelers and Ravens, both 10-5 and sharing the AFC North division lead, are with the Chiefs, Bills, and Texans in having clinched AFC playoff berths. Detroit, Minnesota, and Philadelphia have secured NFC playoff spots. “We’ve just got to keep going,” Jackson said. “We’ve got to stay dialed in.”
All four teams in action Saturday will play again on Christmas with Baltimore at Houston and the Chiefs at Pittsburgh next Wednesday, their third game in 11 days. “I’ll get off my feet a little bit and watch some film,” Mahomes said. Singer Taylor Swift, the girlfriend of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, was among those watching the team complete a perfect 8-0 home mark for the first time since 2003. The Chiefs won their 11th game this season by eight points or fewer, a stunning success rate in one-score margin contests.
Kansas City safety Jaden Hicks intercepted a C.J. Stroud pass to set up an 11-play, 66-yard Chiefs touchdown drive that was capped when Mahomes ran 15 yards to the end zone. Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 33-yard field goal and Stroud’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Stroud gave Houston a 10-7 lead, but Kareem Hunt’s 3-yard touchdown run and Harrison Butker’s 44-yard field goal put the Chiefs ahead 17-10 at halftime.
Only 3:20 into the second half, Stroud tossed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Tank Dell, but the third-year wide receiver suffered a severe left leg injury as he was struck by teammate Jared Wayne in the back of the end zone as he fell to the turf. The game was stopped for several minutes with Texans players in tears as Dell, his leg in an air cast, was put onto a stretcher and taken off the field in a cart and to a nearby hospital. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said after the game Dell suffered a “significant” injury and would be hospitalized overnight, adding, “It hurts to see him go down like that.”
After the emotional delay, Fairbairn missed the extra point kick on Dell’s touchdown, leaving the Chiefs ahead 17-16. Mahomes connected with Xavier Worthy on an 8-yard touchdown pass, and Fairbairn and Butker exchanged late field goals for the last points.
At Baltimore, Jackson’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely put the Ravens ahead, but MyCole Pruitt caught a 1-yard touchdown toss from Russell Wilson as Pittsburgh pulled level at 7-7. Jackson threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman, and Baltimore’s Justin Tucker and Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell traded 51-yard field goals to leave the Ravens ahead 17-10 at halftime. They exchanged third-quarter touchdown passes, Wilson connecting from 12 yards to Cordarrelle Patterson and Jackson answering with a 7-yard toss to Mark Andrews. Baltimore’s Marlon Humphrey returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown, and Tucker added a late 23-yard field goal to seal the win.
© 2024 AFP
