CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Each facial expression late Sunday afternoon illustrated the Kansas City Chiefs’ collective reaction to another closer-than-it-should’ve-been win, this time over the Carolina Panthers.
Rookie receiver Xavier Worthy left the visitors’ locker room at Bank of America Stadium stone-faced, even though his performance was full of quality moments. Joe Bleymaier, the Chiefs’ pass game coordinator, shook his head in frustration when he made eye contact with reporters. Unlike most days after a game, quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn’t chat with many teammates in the locker room. Right tackle Jawaan Taylor sat in front of his locker longer than usual, his facial expression projecting his annoyance. Several Chiefs defenders left the locker room with their heads bowed.
Remember, the Chiefs beat the Panthers 30-27 to capture their 10th victory of the season in 11 games as the NFL’s back-to-back Super Bowl champion. The vibe from the Chiefs wasn’t joy. It was a relief.
Sunday was the opposite of the Chiefs’ last-second victory two weeks earlier. That day at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs escaped the Denver Broncos when linebacker Leo Chenal made the diving, game-winning block on a 35-yard field goal attempt from kicker Wil Lutz, a play that began with one second left on the scoreboard.
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The Chiefs squandered a 14-point lead against the Panthers (3-8). Although Chiefs fans outnumbered Panthers fans at Bank of America Stadium, Kansas City still needed Mahomes to produce another game-winning drive, this time with less than two minutes left after the Panthers had tied the game.
“You want to have some blowouts and be a little calmer in the fourth quarter,” Mahomes said. “But I’ve always said it can be a good thing as you get to the playoffs, just knowing that you’ve been in those moments before and how to attack it play by play.
“I would say this more than anybody: I would love to win a game not by the very last play.”
The Chiefs, though, are making it a habit. Half of the Chiefs’ wins this season — against the Panthers, the Broncos, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens — have been decided on the game’s final snap.
When Mahomes trotted onto the field for the final drive Sunday, he had already been sacked a season-high five times. The Chiefs’ offensive line, in particular Taylor and left tackle Wanya Morris, were overwhelmed at times by the Panthers’ pass rush and struggled to execute its protection plan for Mahomes.
But in five plays, Mahomes did what he almost always does: He led the Chiefs to victory.
When the Chiefs need a big play… who else? pic.twitter.com/Ywg8OigDAw
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 24, 2024
Similar to Super Bowl LVII and Super Bowl LVIII, Mahomes generated the biggest gain on the Chiefs’ final possession with his legs. With the ball near midfield, Mahomes expected the Panthers’ secondary to play man-to-man coverage. Instead, the Panthers employed a zone coverage in which their secondary was able to match the Chiefs’ routes. Mahomes countered by scrambling to his left.
“I kind of have a route that’s meant for the scramble drill,” receiver Justin Watson said of his 14-yard curl route into the intermediate area of the field. “Whenever he releases, I work with him. Playing with Pat and his body language and where the guys are at when he’s going to tuck (the ball) and run, I saw a look in his eyes and I threw a block for him. He made a great cut.”
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In fact, Watson blocked two defenders. He walled off cornerback Dane Jackson in the middle of the field, then blocked cornerback Michael Jackson near the sideline. Since neither Jackson could make the tackle, Mahomes continued to sprint forward along the Panthers’ sideline, gaining a season-high 33 rushing yards to put the Chiefs in field goal range.
“At that point in the game, yards are more important than getting out of bounds,” Mahomes said. “With the three timeouts, I tried to just cut through. Whenever it comes down to it, and you’ve got to make the play, I try to go out there and make the play and that’s why it happens later in games sometimes and in the playoffs.
“You don’t want to slide. You know you have to put your body out there knowing that you can take hits. I’ve been able to make some big runs in big moments.”
Just a few weeks ago, Mahomes wouldn’t have been able to make such a scramble. Mahomes sprained his left ankle in the Chiefs’ overtime win over the Buccaneers, a nagging injury that limited his mobility (he didn’t scramble once in last week’s loss to the Buffalo Bills).
“I always say adrenaline will get you through it,” Mahomes said, smiling. “It (does) help a lot when you get a little bit healthier. Credit to the training staff. They stayed on top of me about being in (the training room) as much as possible. I was finally able to get off that (injury report) this last week and get back to my normal routine.”
Bryce Young converts the 4th down to Adam Thielen!
Panthers looking to tie it up at the two-minute warning.
📺: #KCvsCAR on CBS/Paramount+
📱: pic.twitter.com/Ta9EfK2T6L— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2024
The biggest reason the Chiefs didn’t blow out Carolina on Sunday was because their defense, the unit that’s been the most consistent this season, struggled to rattle Panthers second-year quarterback Bryce Young.
Just like last week, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo once again had to blitz the quarterback out of necessity because the Chiefs’ defensive line was not dominant in clear pass-rushing situations. The Chiefs blitzed often in the second half, but the Panthers recognized Spagnuolo’s tactic and Young was able to consistently get the ball out to one of his receivers in a one-on-one matchup.
Two completions and two pass-interference penalties on Chiefs defensive backs helped the Panthers tie the game late in the fourth quarter with a touchdown and two-point conversion. Entering Sunday’s game, the Chiefs were tied for 27th in the league with just 19 sacks. They sacked Young only twice.
“We could’ve played better,” safety Justin Reid said. “Bryce Young did a really good job taking care of the ball. The season is long and you’ve got to be consistent and diligent about taking games one game at a time and not skipping over anything. There’s still some things that we need to and will improve on, like just being focused on today.
“We all know what our plans are. We know the goal is a three-peat. But before we can get to a three-peat, we have to handle this week.”
THANK YOU SHRADER! pic.twitter.com/zGZ5sWE4ny
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) November 24, 2024
Just before the Chiefs’ final drive, CBS cameras captured new kicker Spencer Shrader by himself on the far end of the sideline. Shrader, who joined the Chiefs just 10 days earlier because of Harrison Butker’s left knee injury, said he began praying and trying his best to go through his pre-kicking routine.
“You know who your quarterback is,” Shrader said. “You know who your offensive weapons are. I knew I’d be getting an opportunity.”
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A second-year player in just his third-career game Sunday, Shrader said he left the Jets’ practice squad to join the Chiefs — for a temp job — to gain as much experience as possible, especially with a Super Bowl contender. Before Sunday, Shrader had never had a game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter of a game, whether in the NFL or during his five-year college career.
From 31 yards away, Shrader made his field goal, the ball sailing right down the middle. He was then greeted with hugs, each one full of relief, from several of his new teammates.
“The biggest emotion in that moment is gratitude,” Shrader said. “When you join an organization like the Chiefs, there’s a championship culture and standard to uphold. For me, I just wanted to do my best for the team as long as I’m here. I was grateful to be put in a (game-winning) situation to step up.
“I’m grateful to be a part of this team.”
(Photo: Matt Kelley / Getty Images)
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