Patrick Mahomes’ collection of side-arm tosses, b-ball style push passes, mischievous flips and prestigious impromptu creation lowered one more exceptionally respected guard.
Mahomes passed for 254 yards and three scores, and the Kansas City Chiefs stretched out their series of wins to nine games with a 32-29 triumph over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
“Patrick is more impressive than I could imagine,” said running back Le’Veon Bell, who joined the Chiefs in mid-October and scored a 12-yard score on a choice pitch from Mahomes. “He’s even more impressive in person. … I’m fortunate to be his teammate.”
The Kansas City guard did its part to ruin Drew Brees’ get back from rib cracks and a penetrated lung that had kept the record-setting passer out four games.
While Brees passed for 234 yards and three TDs, he finished less than half of his passes and was caught for simply the fourth time this season.
“I wasn’t real efficient, obviously, in the passing game,” Brees said. “I’d say that was a combination of forcing some things down the field instead of just taking a completion underneath. There were some miscues.”
The triumph kept the safeguarding Super Bowl champion Chiefs (13-1) in shaft position to catch the AFC’s solitary season finisher bye as a No. 1 seed. The Saints (10-4), then, botched an opportunity to secure the NFC South for a second consecutive week and now are longshots to catch the NFC’s favorite.
Mahomes’ scoring passes went for 5 yards each to Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman, the last coming as the Chiefs’ spry QB retreated toward the left sideline to maintain a strategic distance from pressure and delivered a toss to the back corner of the end zone, where Hardman had the option to catch it in rush hour gridlock while barely getting two feet inbounds.
“The biggest challenge is when he extends plays,” Saints coach Sean Payton said of Mahomes. “A 2.5- or 3-second route turns into a 5- or 6-second route. That’s challenging.”
Mahomes’ second TD throw looked more like a b-ball help, a chest-pass to tight end Travis Kelce cutting behind blockers for a 1-yard score.
“It takes a lot of practice as far as getting the blocking right that quickly, finding a way to kind of push it in there,” Mahomes said, noting that the Chiefs scored on the same play against Denver two seasons ago. “The guys did a great job of giving me a lane to throw.”
Mahomes later utilized a mischievous forward flip to Kelce for a 2-point change after Bell’s TD, giving the Chiefs a 29-15 lead in the final quarter.
Ringer’s score came one play after Saints cautious end Cameron Jordan was hailed for an individual foul and launched out for punching hostile lineman Andrew Wylie.
“We knew the only chance had against that front seven is if we took fight to them,” Wylie said. “It was a brawl, too.”
The Saints pulled to 29-22 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 go through a multitude of players along the correct sideline.
Kansas City reacted with a field objective before Brees pulled New Orleans inside a field objective with his 17-yard pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey with 2:06 to go.
With two breaks remaining, the Saints kicked profound, yet couldn’t forestall Mahomes and Co. from running out the clock.
HIGHLIGHT REEL
Only 3,000 tickets were sold for this marquee matchup between competitors, yet those in participation got a direct gander at Mahomes’ hypnotizing and eccentric style for the emotional.
On a third-and-8 change, Mahomes dashed option to keep away from guarded tackle David Onyemata, at that point abruptly halted and ventured up as Jordan, in close pursuit, staggered past. Mahomes then terminated a pass to Sammy Watkins for a 23-yard pick up. The play broadened the drive that finished with Kelce’s TD.
“Sammy was kind of my last read,” Mahomes said, crediting his offensive line and receivers for never giving up on the play. “You’ve got to have guys that are going to continue to battle the entire game.”
SLOW START
Brees’ initial three passes fell fragmented before his fourth was caught by L’Jarius Sneed at the New Orleans 36-yard line, setting up Hill’s TD that made it 7-0.
Brees required in excess of a full quarter to finish a pass or lead the Saints to a first down. His first fruition went ahead his seventh pass. A couple of plays later, he hit Emmanuel Sanders 51 yards down the correct sideline to set up Taysom Hill’s 1-yard TD run.
The Saints slice it to 14-9 toward the finish of the half with a wellbeing when Chiefs punt returner Demarcus Robinson bobbled into the end zone. Holy people linebacker Alex Anzalone attempted to fall on it, yet it spurted too far out.
The Saints quickly took a 15-14 lead from the get-go in the second from last quarter when Brees discovered Latavius Murray late in a play that gave off an impression of being crushing down and the running spirit hurried for a 24 – yard TD.
INJURIES
Chiefs: Rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire required assistance to the storage space in the final quarter, not squeezing his left leg. Bosses mentor Andy Ried said X-beams were negative however that Edwards-Helaire required more assessment. Reid said linebacker Emmanuel Smith harmed his hamstring.
Saints: Receiver Tre’Quan Smith and wellbeing Marcus Williams each left with lower leg wounds in the subsequent half.
UP NEXT
Chiefs: Host Atlanta on Sunday in the first of two home games to complete the ordinary season.
Saints: Close out their home timetable against Minnesota on Christmas Day.