Mahomes’ theatrics highlight Chiefs’ win over Saints
NEW ORLEANS » Patrick Mahomes had his full repertoire of side-arm throws, basketball- style push passes and underhanded flips on display while passing for 254 yards and three touchdowns, and the Kansas City Chiefs extended their winning streak to nine games with a 32-29 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
The Kansas City defense did its part to spoil Drew Brees’ return from rib fractures and a punctured lung that had kept the recordsetting passer out four games.
While Brees passed for 234 yards and three TDs, he completed less than half of his passes and was intercepted for just the fourth time this season.
The victory kept the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (13-1) in pole position to capture the AFC’s lone playoff bye as a No. 1 seed. The Saints (104), meanwhile, missed a chance to clinch the NFC South for a second straight week and now are longshots to capture the NFC’s top seed.
Mahomes’ scor ing passes went for 5 yards each to Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman, the latter coming as the Chiefs’ agile QB back-peddled toward the left sideline to avoid pressure and released a throw to the back corner of the end zone, where Hardman was able to snag it in traffic while narrowly getting two feet inbounds.
Mahomes’ second TD toss looked more like a basketball assist, a chest-pass to tight end Travis Kelce cutting behind blockers for a 1-yard score.
Mahomes later used an underhanded forward flip to Kelce for a 2-point conversion after a 12-yard touchdown run by Le’Veon Bell to make it 29-15 in the fourth quarter.
Bell’s TD came one play after Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan was flagged for a personal foul and ejected for punching right guard Andrew Wylie following an incomplete pass.
The Saints pulled to 2922 when Trey Hendrickson stripped Mahomes while making his second sack of the game, setting up Alvin Kamara’s 14-yard score on a short catch and run through a swarm of players along the right sideline.
Kansas City responded with a field goal with 4:18 left, but Brees pulled New Orleans within a field goal with his 17-yard scoring pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey with 2:06 to go.
With two timeouts remaining, the Saints kicked deep, but could not prevent Mahomes and Co. from running out the clock.
Just 3,000 tickets were sold for this marquee matchup between playoff contenders in the Superdome, but those in attendance got a first-hand look at Mahomes’ mesmerizing and unconventional theatrics.