Chiefs survivemistakes to clinch spot in playoffs
TheKansas KANSASCITY,MO.— CityChiefsaresodynamic offensively they sometimes don’t even know when they’ve scored a touchdown.
Theywere fortunateoneof those casesdidn’tcomeback to bite them Sunday night.
PatrickMahomesthrewfor 318 yards and a score, Harrison Butker was perfect on five field-goal attempts, and theunderratedChiefsdefense bailed out an offense that struggled once again in the red zone — and made two big mistakes that cost them touchdowns — in a 22-16 victoryovertheDenverBroncos.
Travis Kelce had eight receptions for 136 yards along with the go-ahead TD grab late in the third quarter, and Tyrann Mathieu twice picked off Broncos quarterback Drew Lock — the second with 24 seconds left to seal the win — as the Chiefs clinched a playoff berth by improving to 11-1 for the secondtime infranchise history.
“It’s obviously a big deal — youwant to find away to get in the playoffs,” Mahomes said, “but we have bigger goals.”
Likedefending their Super Bowl title.
It might help their cause if the Chiefs actually count the touchdowns they score.
The play everyone was left talking about came on third-and-10 at the Denver 40 early in the second quarter. Mahomes found a wideopen Tyreek Hill downfield, onlyforhimtoappeartodrop the certain touchdown. But replays clearly showed the ball trappedbetweenHilland a defender, never touching the ground, forwhat should have been a score.
Hill never argued when it was called incomplete, though, nor did Chiefs coach AndyReid throwhis redchallenge flag.
Instead, he quickly sent his punt team out and tried to pin the Broncos deep in their own territory.
“I checked with Tyreek,” Reidsaidafterward.“Hecame off, and normally you can tell with a receiver whether he had it or not — especially Tyreek — and he was surprised as any of us he ended up with the football.”
Hill also had a 48-yard touchdownreception wiped out by holding late in the game,whichgavetheBroncos (4-8) a chance to march for the go-ahead score. Denver managedtomove tomidfield before stalling, but rather than going for it on fourthand-3 with 6 minutes to go, coach Vic Fangio elected to punt the ball away.
The Chiefs melted most of the clock before Butker kicked a 48-yard field goal with 1:06 left, and the Kansas City defense forced Lock intoawildfourth-downthrow that Tyrann Mathieu intercepted to put thegameaway.
“I gave it strong consideration,” Fangio said of his fourth-down call, “but you know, at some point in the game, we’ve got to get a stop, and we weren’t able to. We held them to a field goal but that made it a touchdown game and burned off some of the time there, so in retrospect, should have probably gone for it.”
Lock returned after missing lastweek’s game against NewOrleans, along with the restofDenver’squarterbacks, because of COVID-19 positive tests and contact tracing. The local boy finished with 151 yards passing and two touchdown throws to Tim Patrick, while Melvin Gordon ran for 131 yards on just 15 carries.
“There’s no feel-good losses in this league,” Lock said.“Wedidplaythemcloser than we have before, but I mean, what does that get you? Nothing. It gets you an upset locker room. It gets you a sad flight home.”