The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Carolina Panthers, 30-27, on Sunday in another thriller that came down to the final seconds of regulation.
All tied up at 27 points apiece and with under two minutes remaining in the game, quarterback Patrick Mahomes engineered a seven-play, 57-yard drive that set up a potential game-winning, 31-yard field goal attempt by rookie kicker Spencer Shrader with mere seconds remaining on the clock.
Shrader, who only joined the Chiefs last week in relief of the injured Harrison Butker, nailed the kick as time expired, and despite a rollercoaster of a fourth quarter, the Chiefs escaped with their 10th victory of the season.
"It ended up being a heck of a game," said Head Coach Andy Reid. "That's a whole lot of pressure for a new guy, and he's in here replacing a future Hall of Famer, so that's not easy to do. He did a great job."
Shrader's kick secured a victory that looked assured when Kansas City took a two-score lead late in the third quarter. The Chiefs tallied points on each of their first five possessions on Sunday, and while the Panthers narrowed the deficit on numerous occasions, Kansas City consistently provided an answer that kept the lead intact.
Tight end Noah Gray was responsible for each of the Chiefs' first two touchdowns – both of which took place on third down – before wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins hauled in Mahomes' third touchdown pass of the day in the closing minutes of the third quarter.
To Carolina's credit, however, the Panthers refused to go away. Carolina rattled off 11 unanswered points to begin the fourth quarter, culminating in a 1-yard touchdown plunge – and subsequent, game-tying two-point conversion – by tailback Chuba Hubbard.
Hubbard's efforts meant that Kansas City didn't possess the lead for the first time since early in the first quarter, but as they've done so many times over the last several years, the Chiefs didn't blink.
Mahomes found Hopkins to move the chains on third down early in the possession, and just one snap later, Mahomes broke free for a 33-yard scramble down the sideline that moved Kansas City into field goal range.
"It's not like I pre-plan that stuff," said Mahomes when asked about his scramble, which matched the longest of his career. "It's just whenever it comes down to it, and you have to make a play, I feel like I try to go out there and make the play."
Mahomes found wide receiver Xavier Worthy for a 10-yard completion soon after, setting up a makeable field goal opportunity that Shrader didn't waste.
"I tried to prepare myself before [the kick]. You know the talent of the guys on the team. You know who your quarterback is, and you know who your offensive weapons are, so I knew I'd be getting an opportunity," Shrader said. "I just tried to stay calm, knowing that it was going to [happen] at some point, and when it did, I was ready."
The win marked the Chiefs' 10th victory of the season, securing a 10th straight campaign with double-digit victories. It's the third-longest streak of its kind for any team since 1970.
In some additional good news, Coach Reid had no injuries to report following the game.
The Chiefs will now turn the page quickly for a matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday afternoon. The game will air locally on KSHB 41, and nationally on Prime Video. In order to watch on Prime Video, only a free Amazon account is required. No purchase is necessary.
