Believe the hype
Gerald Everett of the Los Angeles Rams catches a 7-yard touchdown pass ahead of Daniel Sorensen of the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth quarter Monday in Los Angeles. Everett later scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 40-yard pass to help the Rams win 54-51. It was the third-highest scoring game in NFL history.
LOS ANGELES — Jared Goff threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Gerald Everett for the go-ahead score with 1:49 to play, and the Los Angeles Rams outlasted the Kansas City Chiefs for a 54-51 victory on Monday night in a high-octane NFL offensive showdown that somehow surpassed the hype.
Patrick Mahomes threw six touchdown passes in his latest jaw-dropping performance for the Chiefs (9-2), but he also threw two interceptions in the final 1:18 as the Rams (10-1) won the third-highest scoring game in NFL history and the first with two 50-point performances.
Goff passed for 413 yards and four touchdowns, while Marcus Peters and Lamarcus Joyner came up with late interceptions as the Rams hung on.The game featured 1,001 combined yards and ingenious scheming from mastermind coaches Andy Reid and Sean McVay — along with three defensive touchdowns and 21 combined penalties.
“It was a whirlwind,” McVay said. “I feel like I might need a couple of beverages to relax tonight, but it was great. This is what you love so much about the game.
“It was one of the most competitive games I’ve been a part of. It was just a competitive game with a lot of high-caliber football in all three phases.”
Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam returned a fumble and an interception for the first two touchdowns of his NFL career, while Kansas City’s Allen Bailey returned Goff’s fumble for a go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
The second half was an extended thriller featuring 59 combined points, but the Rams made slightly more big plays down the stretch.
After Goff led a 75-yard scoring drive in 89 seconds for the go-ahead TD to Everett, former Kansas City cornerback Peters intercepted Mahomes’ underthrown ball near midfield with 1:18 to play.
The Rams only managed to get 14 seconds off the clock on their next three plays, and the Coliseum roiled in anticipation of a big finish by Mahomes. But the Chiefs were pushed back to their 13 with 50 seconds left thanks to a booming punt by Johnny Hekker, and Joyner intercepted Mahomes’ final desperation heave with 13 seconds left.
Mahomes was 33-of-46 passing for 478 yards, 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions for the Chiefs. Tyreek Hill had 10 catches for 215 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown reception. Travis Kelce caught 10 passes for 127 yards and 1 touchdown.
For the Rams, Goff finished 31 of 49 for 413 yards with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. Brandin Cooks led the receivers with eight catches for 107 yards.