On Sunday, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs as soon as once more did what they’ve performed so many different instances because the stretch run of the 2023 season: discover a technique to win the sport. The Chiefs led the Carolina Panthers from the sport’s second minute all the way in which to the sport’s 58th minute — when the Panthers tied the sport at 27 with a two-point conversion.
However within the sport’s last two seconds, Kansas Metropolis’s substitute placekicker Spencer Shrader’s 31-yard area objective sealed Kansas Metropolis’s 30-27 victory — it’s tenth of the season.
Chatting with reporters after the sport, head coach Andy Reid acknowledged there are many issues that the crew wants to enhance on each offense and protection. However not less than one factor went exactly how offensive coordinator Matt Nagy needed it: the offense scored a landing on the opening drive.
“Offensively, the fellows began quick,” famous Reid. “That they had made some extent [of] that; Matt had made that a large emphasis this week. The blokes adopted with it — and did some good issues there. However we bought to maintain constructing on it. We are able to’t take performs away from ourselves; it’s an excessive amount of.”
There was one other brilliant spot: for the second straight sport, tight finish Noah Grey scored two touchdowns. On the primary one — the third offensive play of the sport — he discovered himself on their lonesome within the secondary. On the second, he needed to make a contested catch in the back of the tip zone.
Photograph by Matt Kelley/Getty Photographs
“Pat made an excellent throw,” stated Reid, “and [Gray] made a pleasant transfer on the high of it; [he’s got a] large physique. Pat put it up the place solely he may get it. And I believed Noah used his physique effectively to guard the ball.”
However finally, the play labored as a result of quarterback Patrick Mahomes was well-prepared.
“I used to be capable of see by the way in which they lined up [that] they have been stepping into their Cowl 0 look,” stated Mahomes of the landing play. “[I] simply alerted the fellows — to ensure they noticed what I noticed — and gave the ‘verify’ on the line of scrimmage. You then [have to] belief your man to go on the market and make a play — and simply put it up there.”
That landing gave the Chiefs a 20-6 lead with 44 seconds left within the first half. However Carolina stored preventing — after which with 48 seconds left within the sport, Mahomes took it upon himself to make the play that mattered essentially the most: a superb 33-yard scramble down the left sideline that put Kansas Metropolis effectively inside area objective vary.
Mahomes is glad that his ankle is feeling higher.
“I feel I at all times say adrenaline will get you thru it,” he stated, “however it’s serving to lots while you get just a little bit more healthy and you may type of get your physique again into it. A credit score to the coaching workers: they stayed on high of me about being in there as a lot as attainable. I lastly was capable of get off [the injury] record this final week — and type of get again to simply my regular routine. And we went on the market and made one thing occur.”
Photograph by Grant Halverson/Getty Photographs
Many anticipated that towards the Panthers — who got here into the matchup with a 3-7 file — the Chiefs would dominate Sunday’s sport. However Mahomes believes that video games like it should finally assist the crew within the season’s most essential contests.
“You at all times need to have some blowouts; you need to be just a little calmer within the fourth quarter,” he defined. “However I’ve at all times stated it may be a great factor as you get to the playoffs and later within the season, simply figuring out that you simply’ve been in these moments earlier than and figuring out find out how to type of assault it play-by-play — and never making it too large of a second.
“However I might [also] say I might like to win a sport not by the final play.”
The Chiefs perceive how essential it’s to peak on the proper time.
“It’s all about getting higher,” declared Mahomes. “That’s the very best factor about enjoying within the NFL. It’s by no means the crew that’s enjoying the start of the season the very best — [it’s the team] enjoying the very best on the finish of the season. It’s about simply consistently getting higher.
“It’s going to be a grind — and I feel we’ve performed an excellent job with that. Coach Reid does an excellent job of planning it in order that we’re enjoying our greatest soccer on the finish of the yr.
“And there’s lots to study from at present; there’s good [and] there’s unhealthy. We’ve bought to simply return and study from that. After which know that we have now a brief week [to prepare for] a hungry soccer crew — the Raiders — coming to our home.”
