The Kansas City Chiefs came out on top in an offensive shootout with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, finding the end zone six times to tally the victory, 42-30, and get back in the win column.
Leading by five points with just under 13 minutes in the game, quarterback Patrick Mahomes led Kansas City on an 11-play, 70-yard drive that included two third-down conversions and ended with a 12-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The score pushed the Chiefs' advantage to 12 points, and Philadelphia never got any closer. The Eagles turned the ball over on downs a possession later, and following another score by Hill – a 44-yard strike from Mahomes – the game was essentially secured.
Mahomes completed 24-of-30 passes for 278 yards and five touchdowns in the contest, leading Kansas City to the end zone on six of its seven offensive possessions while piling up 471 yards and 31 first downs.
It was an impressive effort, to say the least, as Kansas City snapped its two-game losing streak.
"You're in a profession where winning is very important, and these guys took [the losing streak] personally. They've had success and want to get back to doing the things they know are correct, and we weren't doing that for a couple of weeks," said Head Coach Andy Reid. "We had all of these turnovers – too much. We were giving games away that way. It was important that we buckled down together and did a nice job, and that's what happened."
Mahomes' first score came on the Chiefs' opening series, as he found tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire for a short, 1-yard touchdown to put Kansas City in front. The strike came on the heels of a 36-yard reception by Hill, who caught Mahomes' pass over the middle before changing direction and sprinting upfield to the Eagles' 1-yard line.
It was the beginning of a huge day for Hill, who hauled in 11 receptions for 186 yards and three scores. In fact, Hill was in the end zone on the Chiefs' very next series, as he caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to put Kansas City back in front after the Eagles tallied a touchdown of their own a possession earlier.
Philadelphia answered with a field goal to make it a one-point game, but while it narrowed the score at the time, Kansas City's ability to hold the Eagles out of the end zone was part of a larger trend that played a major role in the contest. It was one of three Eagles' possessions that drove inside the Chiefs' 15-yard line but ultimately ended with just three points rather than a touchdown, helping Kansas City to pull away as the game continued.
The Chiefs managed to answer right away, too, as Mahomes found tight end Jody Fortson for a 2-yard touchdown in the closing minutes before halftime. Philadelphia recorded the only takeaway of the contest – an interception by Mahomes – to begin the third quarter, but once again, the Eagles only had three points to show for their ensuing possession that drove deep into Chiefs' territory.
Mahomes then proceeded to shake off his interception to complete all five of his passing attempts on Kansas City's next possession, which culminated in a 1-yard touchdown plunge by tailback Darrel Williams that put the Chiefs up by two scores.
The Eagles rallied to pull back within five points, however, as tailback Kenneth Gainwell found the end zone on a 7-yard rush early in the fourth quarter, but Mahomes found Hill for touchdowns on each of the Chiefs' next two drives to effectively secure the victory.
The game – which featured 932 yards of offense and 61 first downs between the two teams – was only the fourth matchup in NFL history that didn't include a single punt, according to CBS Sports. Kansas City's rushing attack was behind a significant portion of that production, tallying exactly 200 yards on the ground between Edwards-Helaire (102), Williams (42), Mahomes (26), wide receiver Mecole Hardman (25) and fullback Michael Burton (5). Kansas City was also exceptional on third down, converting all but one of its 10 third-down opportunities.
It all helped Reid notch his 100th career victory with Kansas City to become the only head coach in NFL history to tally 100+ wins with multiple franchises. Ironically enough, he accomplished that feat with a win over the Eagles, who he led to 140 victories during his tenure in Philadelphia.
"It was definitely exciting – we were due to get him that win," Mahomes said. "It had been a couple of weeks now, but I'm glad we got to do it in Philadelphia. [This is] where he kind of came into his own, and now he's in Kansas City. It's a good thing he's here with us."
Mahomes made some history, too, passing Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson for the most games with a 100.0+ passer rating (31) in franchise history. His 80 percent completion percentage on the day was the third-best mark of his career.
The Chiefs will now look to stay in the win column next weekend as they host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football.
