LATE MAGIC WINS FOR MAHOMES AND CHIEFS
KANSAS CITY NEVER LED UNTIL FOURTH QUARTER BUT PERSEVERED OVER BROWNS
Patrick Mahomes passed for 337 yards and three touchdowns Sunday, all in the second half, as the Kansas City Chiefs did not lead until the fourth quarter but edged the Cleveland Browns 33-29 at Kansas City, Mo.
Cleveland punter Jamie Gillan failed to handle a snap and the Chiefs tackled him for a fourth-down loss at the Browns 15. Mahomes connected with Travis Kelce three plays later for an eightyard touchdown and a 33-29 lead with 7:04 remaining.
The rally gave the Chiefs their 15th consecutive September victory as they begin their quest for a third straight AFC title. Mahomes finished 27 of 36, while also throwing an 11-yard TD to Kelce and a 75-yard scoring bomb to Tyreek Hill.
Baker Mayfield played brilliantly, passing for 321 yards while going 21 of 28 to fuel the Browns, who lost at Kansas City in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs last season.
But the botched punt (the first time the Browns attempted one) and another second-half turnover proved costly before Mayfield threw an interception to end Cleveland’s final drive.
Two straight three-andouts in the fourth quarter enabled the Chiefs defence to atone for a 457-yard output by the Browns. Mike Hughes snagged the interception that sealed the outcome with 1:07 left and the Browns at midfield.
The Browns’ Nick Chubb added a game-high 83 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
Cleveland scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions to grab a 22-10 halftime lead with a 9.9-yard average per snap. Nick Chubb produced scores off carries of four and 18 yards.
The Browns converted a fourth-and-three from the Kansas City 15 on their first drive. After Chubb’s TD, Cleveland added a two-point conversion leap by Kareem Hunt to go up 8-0.
That was only the beginning, as the Browns amassed 318 first-half yards and even gained 45 on their last snap with a series of laterals trying to tack on another score. Mayfield completed nine straight passes during one stretch and fired for 186 first-half yards.
Browns safety Ronnie Harrison Jr. was ejected after he shoved a Chiefs assistant during a first-quarter sideline scuffle that led to personal fouls on both teams.
STEELERS SCORE 20 STRAIGHT, BEAT BILLS
Dominant defence and a special teams score helped the Pittsburgh Steelers overcome a sleepy first half and knock off the Buffalo Bills 23-16 in Orchard Park, N.Y. on Sunday.
The Steelers’ special teams crashed a defensive struggle with 9:45 left on the game clock. Safety Miles Killebrew blocked Matt Haack’s punt at the Buffalo 10-yard line and Ulysees Gilbert III scooped up the ball for Pittsburgh’s 20th unanswered point, all in the second half.
Wide receiver Diontae Johnson made a juggling catch in the back corner of the end zone to give the Steelers their first lead, 13-10, with 11:19 to play.
Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt had two sacks and Bills quarterback Josh Allen completed 30 of 51 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown.
Ben Roethlisberger rarely attacked downfield and completed 18 of 32 passes for 188 yards behind the Steelers’ new-look offensive line, which has four new starters. Rookie first-round pick Najee Harris had 45 yards on 16 carries.
Chris Boswell netted a 45-yard field goal to push the Steelers ahead 23-13 with 2:42 remaining in the game.
Tyler Bass knocked in a chip shot field goal with 5:23 left, trimming the Bills’ deficit to 20-13.
Pittsburgh grabbed momentum on defensive back Cameron Sutton’s stop on a fourth-down attempt by the Bills near midfield with 13:42 left in the game. Sutton didn’t fall for a fake run up the middle from a power formation and tripped up Matt Breida for a seven-yard loss.
On successive plays, Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool drew a pass interference flag — 26 yards on cornerback Levi Mitchell — and Harris burst up the middle for 18 yards on a draw play before Johnson’s circus catch.
The Bills lost a regular-season game for the first time since Nov. 15, 2020 at Arizona.
The Steelers were shut out in the first half but cut it to 10-6 on Boswell’s pair of field goals in the third quarter, including a 20-yarder after a spoiled first-and-goal situation.
With 22 seconds left in the first half, Allen floated a three-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Gabriel Davis for a 10-0 Bills lead. The TD capped a 13-play, 91-yard drive for the Bills. Allen took a jarring blow to the back from Watt as he let the pass go and Sutton heavily contested the reception.
Watt closed from behind to strip the ball from Allen for the first take-away of the game midway through the second quarter, but Pittsburgh lost 10 yards on three plays and punted the ball back to the Bills.