Patrick Mahomes tied a franchise record with six touchdown
passes and the Kansas City Chiefs put on an impressive offensive display in a
42-37 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
The 22-year-old Mahomes finished 23 of 28 for 326 yards in
his third career start as the Chiefs (2-0) won in Pittsburgh for the first time
since 1986. Mahomes has 10 touchdown passes through two weeks, the most ever by
a quarterback through two games in NFL history.
James Conner #30 of the Pittsburgh Steelers makes a one
handed catch as Terrance Smith #48 of the Kansas City Chiefs defends in the
first half during the game at Heinz Field on September 16, 2018 in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Trevor Kelce caught seven passes for 109 yards and two
scores. Tyreek Hill, Chris Conley, Kareem Hunt and Demarcus Robinson also
hauled in touchdown passes as the Chiefs recovered in the second half
after blowing an early 21-pont lead.
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger shook off an achy
right elbow that limited him in practice during the week, completing 39 of 60
passes for 452 yards and three touchdowns. The 36-year-old also leapt into
the end zone for a 3-yard score with 1:59 to go that got the Steelers
(0-1-1) within five.
Rather than attempt an onside kick, Pittsburgh sent it deep.
Two runs by Hunt gave Kansas City a big first down and Steelers
linebacker Tyler Matakevich was flagged for roughing the punter as the Chiefs
ended a six-game losing streak in Pittsburgh.
It might be the first of several turnarounds by the Chiefs,
who made the surprising decision trade away veteran Alex Smith in the offseason
and place the franchise in the hands of untested but strong-armed Mahomes.
So far, so very, very good.
A week after throwing for four scores in a victory over the
Chargers, Mahomes picked up right where he left off. He needed just 13 minutes
to toss three touchdowns as the Chiefs built a quick 21-0 lead, the last one a
flip in the flat to Hunt in which the running back walked through a tackle by
rookie safety Terrell Edmunds and into the end zone.
The Steelers received the break they needed to get back into
the game when a Roethlisberger fumble that resulted in a Kansas
City touchdown was waved off due to a defensive penalty. Pittsburgh
reeled off touchdowns on its next three possessions to pull even at the break.
The Steelers stalled a bit in the second half.
Mahomes did not.
A nifty toe-tap by Robinson in the back of the end zone put
Kansas City up 35-28 with 3:15 left in the third quarter and Kansas
City’s next possession ended with Mahomes getting the ball to Hill, who darted
29 yards to the end zone.
STATS AND MORE STATS
The six touchdown passes by Mahomes tied the most ever
allowed by the Steelers in franchise history. Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer Jim
Kelly threw six against Pittsburgh in 1991. … Pittsburgh tight
end Jesse James set a career-high with 138 yards receiving. … Steelers
wide receiver Antonio Brown caught nine passes for 67 yards, becoming the fastest
player in NFL history to cross the 750-career reception total (117 games). …
Roethlisberger moved past John Elway and into seventh for career passing yards.
… The Chiefs scored six touchdowns and had just 27:49 time of possession. Their
longest scoring drive lasted just 3:57. … Mahomes’ six scores tied Len Dawson’s
franchise mark set in 1964 against Denver when the Chiefs played in the
American Football League.
INJURIES
CHIEFS: Get well
Eric Berry. The veteran safety remains out with a sore heel and Kansas City’s
defensive backfield hasn’t exactly stepped up in his absence. The Chiefs have
allowed 870 yards in the air through two games. Part of the blame – if that’s
the word – can be placed on opponents playing catch-up after getting buried
early by Mahomes and company.
STEELERS:
Pittsburgh’s secondary badly missed cornerback Joe Haden, who sat out with a
strained right hamstring. There appeared to be communication issues all over
the place early on, particularly when it came to finding a way to guard Kelce.
UP NEXT
CHIEFS: Welcome
San Francisco to Arrowhead Stadium in their 2018 home opener next
Sunday.
STEELERS: Head to
Tampa Bay for a Monday night meeting with the Buccaneers on Sept. 24.
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