Mahomes hot with either hand
DENVER — A suddenly ambidextrous Patrick Mahomes rallied the unbeaten Chiefs back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 27-23 win over the Broncos on Monday night.
Thanks in part to a lefthanded throw from the righthanded QB in the final minutes as he was about to get sacked on 3rd-and-5 at midfield, Kansas City (4-0) took a two-game lead over Denver (2-2) in the AFC West.
Down 23-13, Mahomes directed a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ate up more than six minutes and culminated with a 2-yard TD toss to tight end Travis Kelce, then added a 60-yard touchdown drive, handing the ball to Kareem Hunt for the 4-yard score with 1:39 remaining.
On that last drive, Mahomes was getting dragged down by Von Miller when he shifted the ball to his left hand and threw it to Tyreek Hill for a first down.
“I didn’t know he threw it with his left hand,” Miller said. “He’s a great quarterback.”
“Patrick worked real hard on that left-handed throw,” Kansas City head coach Andy Reid cracked. “Some amazing plays there. We’ve seen it in practice but not under those conditions.”
It was the first time since 2004 that the Broncos wasted a 10-point fourth-quarter lead at home.
In between Kansas City’s scoring drives, the Broncos, who had run roughshod over the Chiefs all night — a 7.2yard average per run — suddenly abandoned their ground game in favor of three-wide-receiver sets that resulted in a quick three-andout that sent Denver’s defense back on the field.
“We ran the ball to control the game,” Denver head coach Vance Joseph said, “but you throw the ball to score.”
After the three-and-out, struggling punter Marquette King shanked a 35-yarder out of bounds, giving the Chiefs the ball at their 40 with 4:35 left.
“He’s got to perform better,” Joseph said. “We’re at home and it’s his job to flip the field. It ain’t happening.”
Mahomes overcame a couple of flags that put Kansas City in a 2nd-and-30 hole from their 31 and completed a 35-yard pass to Demetrius Harris to the Broncos’ 11 at the two-minute warning.
“Second-and-30, I’m thinking there’s no way they’ll be able to get this,” Miller said, “and they did.”
The play should not have counted, however, because the play clock expired before the snap — but referee Craig Wrolstad’s crew missed it.