Came down to final play, but the Chiefs held off the Panthers. What we learned Sunday
The Panthers proved a worthy foe Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium and certainly took their best shots at the Chiefs with a fake punt and an attempted onside kick.
But the Chiefs absorbed the Panthers’ body blows before delivering a knockout punch in an entertaining fourth quarter, 15 minutes in which the two teams combined for 28 points as the Chiefs won 33-31 win at Arrowhead Stadium.
Carolina left an impression on Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
“Their future is bright and we knew that we were going to have our hands full today,” Reid said. “I’m just proud of the guys bearing down.”
The Chiefs’ 33 points marked the 23rd consecutive game, regular season and postseason, that they’ve scored 23 or more points in a single game.
The Chiefs improved to 8-1 and now have an off-week ahead, with an eye on a second-half playoff push.
PASS-HEAVY ATTACK
On any given weekend, the Chiefs can find ways to beat an opponent with either the run or pass and have shown this season they don’t necessarily have to rely on either if the other is clicking.
The Chiefs totaled 45 pass attempts against just 12 running plays against the Panthers, a week after totaling 42 passing plays to 20 runs aginst the Jets in Week 8.
Never fear, however, as the emphasis on the pass in two straight games were by design.
“We played two good run teams in a row here; both these teams are pretty solid up front,” Reid explained. “We felt like the pass game, we could execute that maybe better than the run game, although we had some production there. We’re going to try to do what works in that particular week and roll with it.”
And did the Chiefs ever roll through the air against the Panthers.
Patrick Mahomes completed 30 of 45 passes for 372 yards and fours three touchdowns. His favorite target in the game was wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who led the team with 18. Hill finished the game with nine catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
Because the Chiefs passed so much Sunday, rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Le’Veon Bell didn’t appear to get in a rhythm. Edwards-Helaire totaled 14 yards rushing on five attempts, while Bell picked up just eight yards on four carries.
The Chiefs’ minimal utilization of Edwards-Helaire as a rusher over the past three games is puzzling. Since destroying the Buffalo Bills with 161 yards rushing in Week 6, Edwards-Helaire has totaled 81 yards rushing over the past three games.
The rookie has been active in the passing game, hauling in three catches for 20 yards and his first-career receiving touchdown against the Panthers Sunday.
DEFENSIVE ADJUSTMENT
The Panthers signaled their intent to get running back Christian McCaffrey involved early, giving him six touches on their opening 15-play, 70-yard drive. McCaffrey finished that march with a 9-yard touchdown catch.
The Chiefs appeared to adjust by assigning safety Daniel Sorensen to shadow McCaffrey throughout the rest of the game. While the star running back finished with 151 total yards (82 receiving), Sorensen helped limit the damage he inflicted.
“The plays that he was asked to do it on, I thought he did a good job,” Reid said. “McCaffrey is a pretty good player and had a pretty good day. We tried a couple of different things on him -- he got a couple different looks -- but great players make great plays. ... I think Sorensen played a respectful game.”
Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ pass rush showed up in the second half and harassed Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in the final two periods. Defensive end Frank Clark came up with a big sack near the end of the third quarter, while defensive tackle Chris Jones finished with a sack and five quarterback hits.
The defense helped keep the game close while the offense sputtered in the first half, settling for field goals while falling behind 17-13 by intermission.
CREATIVITY YET AGAIN
Through the first eight games, the Chiefs’ offense displayed creative plays in the form of a fake punt and a TD on a designed passing play to left tackle Eric Fisher. Mahomes has even thrown two underhanded touchdown passes this season, one going to fullback Anthony Sherman and the other to tight end Travis Kelce.
Sunday’s game against the Panthers took the creative genius of coach Andy Reid and his misdirection plays to another level.
Midway through the second quarter and facing a first-and-goal at the Panthers’ 1-yard line, Mahomes lined up behind the center in the shotgun, then went in motion to his right for a few steps. He turned back to his left and quickly took the snap and rolled to his right before spotting wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, who came open across back of the end zone.
Mahomes fired a laser of a pass, which Robinson secured for the touchdown.
After the game, Mahomes revealed the Chiefs started working on the play, which he said is named “Ferrari Right,” during training camp.
“I had to start giving little hints to Coach Reid that we needed to try it out,” Mahomes said. “It finally got in and it worked out well.”
MORE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
With four touchdown passes Sunday, Mahomes became the fastest player to reach 100 career touchdown passes in NFL history — 40 games. Mahomes surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino’s previous mark of 44. Sunday also marked the 19th straight game in which Mahomes has thrown a touchdown pass, the longest active streak in the NFL.
KC tight end Travis Kelce had 10 catches for 159 yards on 12 targets. The star tight end has now caught a pass in 104 consecutive games, marking the second-longest streak in franchise history and the fifth-longest active streak in the league.
INJURIES
Defensive end Taco Charlton suffered an ankle injury early in the first quarter and did not finish the game. Reid revealed after the game that Charlton suffered a fracture.
Right tackle Mike Remmers, who has been filling in for Michell Schwartz, suffered a rib injury in the third quarter but returned in the fourth. Cornerback Antonio Hamilton left in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury and cornerback Rashad Fenton suffered a sprained ankle.
UP NEXT
After a weekend off, the Chiefs the road in Week 11 to play the Las Vegas Raiders.
This story was originally published November 8, 2020 at 3:36 PM.
