KANSAS CITY, Missouri. – Patrick Mahomes ran for the tying touchdown and 2-point conversion late in the fourth quarter, Harrison Butker made up for two earlier errors by kicking the go-ahead field goal in overtime, and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Tennessee Titans 20 -17 on Sunday night.
Mahomes was 43 of 68 for 446 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and Mecole Hardman also had a TD run, as the Chiefs (6-2) rallied from a 17-9 deficit to beat the Titans for the second time. in the series. last seven meetings.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid improved to 21-3 after a bye in beating a franchise that has long been his nemesis. He was just 2-9 against the Titans, heck, Reid has three wins against the Chiefs, including a 27-3 loss at Nashville last year.
Things were spiraling into another disappointment, the way Derrick Henry was racking up yards against the Kansas City defense, and the way the Titans (5-3) were shutting down Mahomes and company in the fourth quarter.
In fact, the Chiefs were running out of time as they took control at their own 7-yard line. But in old-fashioned Mahomes fashion, the strong-armed quarterback led his team down the field. His 20-yard run on third-and-17 kept it going, and his touchdown run on third-and-9 along with his 2-point conversion run tied the game up with 2:56 to go.
After the Chiefs won the toss, the Titans nearly stopped them near midfield, but Noah Gray made a spectacular catch on third-and-1 to keep the drive alive. Then, when they had the Chiefs facing fourth-and-1 at the Titans 13-yard line, Mahomes found JuJu Smith-Schuster for a first down that kept the drive alive and the clock ticking.
Butker drilled his 28-yard shot to give Kansas City the lead with 4:04 remaining in overtime.
The Chiefs proceeded to fill Henry, then fired Titans rookie Malik Willis on back-to-back plays, before hitting his fourth-down shot to end the game and send fireworks skyward over Arrowhead Stadium.
Henry finished with 115 rushing yards and two touchdowns for the Titans. But he didn’t get much help from Willis, who got his second start in place of the injured Ryan Tannehill, completing just 5 of 16 passes for 80 yards.
The Chiefs figured the best way to stop Henry, who had rushed for 219 yards and two touchdowns last week against Houston, was to keep him off the field. They opened the game with a 15-play drive that took 8 1/2 minutes and ended in a field goal, then forced a punt and went 79 yards with Mahomes finding Hardman for the touchdown.
In all, the Chiefs kept the ball for nearly 13 of the 15 minutes in the first quarter.
The Titans finally got going in the second, and it was Willis who used his legs to throw Kansas City off balance. The fleet-footed rookie battled twice for a good amount of yardage before Henry converted a straight play into a 4-yard touchdown run.
After forcing a punt, Henry went back to work. He slid across the line untouched and was eventually dragged down 56 yards later. Then the 247-pound running back hit the end zone to give the Titans a 14-9 lead.
It was Henry’s 74th career touchdown run, surpassing Earl Campbell for the most in franchise history.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs proved completely incapable of running the ball. And since the Titans were no longer concerned with stopping the run, they began to pressure Mahomes relentlessly in the pocket. Denico Autry’s first sack forced a punt, then the second at third-and-1 near midfield kept Kansas City from scoring just before halftime.
The Titans eventually extended the lead when Mahomes was intercepted by rookie Roger McCreary, setting up Randy Bullock’s 44-yard field goal. But their own offense began to falter, and despite Butker’s missed field goal (he also missed an earlier extra point), the Chiefs got the late touchdown they needed to force overtime.
TANNEHILL TRIED
Tannehill was limited in practice Wednesday and Friday, but didn’t practice at all Thursday and was questionable for the game. He tried to warm up but never planted his sore ankle before walking off the field with Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel about two hours before kickoff. He was inactive 30 minutes later.
INJURIES
Titans: FS Josh Thompson left in the second half with a knee injury. LB Bud Dupree left with a hip injury.
Chiefs: CB Jaylen Watson landed awkwardly on his neck in the first half, though he eventually returned to the game.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
The Titans return home to face Denver on Sunday.
The Chiefs get a visit from Jacksonville on Sunday.