Mahomes airs it out to lift K.C.
Youngster throws 6 TDs, Chiefs hold off Steelers 42-37
PITTSBURGH — Tyreek Hill turned to face the cameras when the hottest quarterback in the NFL looked up, saw a potential traffic jam and urged his Kansas City Chiefs teammate to conduct his business elsewhere.
“Don’t do that here,” Patrick Mahomes said with a laugh.
Hill responded by shuffling a few steps clear of Mahomes’ stall.
Good idea. There’s little doubt who is calling the shots now in Kansas City. It’s the first-year starter with the big arm.
Mahomes tied a franchise record with six touchdown passes and the Chiefs held off the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 42-37 victory Sunday that showcased why Kansas City traded away veteran Alex Smith in in the spring and put the team in the hands of a 22-year-old with all of one career start under his belt.
“He had a couple good plays you know,” coach Andy Reid said after Mahomes led Kansas City to its first win in Pittsburgh in 32 years. Maybe more than a couple. Mahomes, who turns 23 on Monday, finished 23 of 28 for 326 yards. His 10 touchdown passes through two weeks are the most ever by a quarterback through two games in NFL history. Heady stuff for a player who spent almost all of last season on the bench watching Smith guide the Chiefs to a fourth playoff berth in five years.
“You never expect to have 10 touchdowns at this point in the season,” Mahomes said. “But I knew with this offence and the weapons that we have and the scheme coach Reid has drawn up that we had a chance to be really, really good and the possibilities are endless.”