Quarterback Patrick Mahomes (left) of the Kansas City Chiefs scrambles out of the pocket against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday in Kansas City, Missouri. Peter Aiken/Getty Images/AFP
Patrick Mahomes dazzled in a duel of young quarterbacks, throwing for 374 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a 33-28 NFL victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Mahomes, the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player, led three second-quarter touchdown drives, connecting on scoring passes to Demarcus Robinson and rookie Ecole Hardman.
Mahomes’s 18-yard scoring pass to Robinson in the corner of the end zone was highlight reel material, Robinson stretching for a spectacular one-handed catch as the Chiefs stretched their lead to 17-6.
LeSean McCoy and Darrel Williams combined for 116 yards rushing and a TD as the Chiefs managed admirably without starting running back Damien Williams, number one receiver Tyreek Hill and starting left tackle Eric Fisher.
“Everyone gets reps with the starters, and guys just build that confidence that they can play,” Mahomes said of coping with unexpected absences. “Whenever someone gets an opportunity they make plays.”
Mahomes now has 13 games of at least 300 passing yards, breaking Kurt Warner’s mark for most in the first 20 games of an NFL career.
“Patrick had another big day,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid observed.
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens kept the pressure on. Jackson put the Ravens on the board first with a 14-play, 84-yard touchdown drive – although the two-point conversion attempt failed.
Trailing 23-6 at halftime, the Ravens scored 22 points after the break.
That included Jackson’s run for a touchdown with just over two minutes remaining that cut Kansas City’s lead to 33-28.
But Baltimore’s two-point conversion attempt was stopped and Kansas City recovered an onside kick to seal the win.
The Chiefs improved to 3-0 in the young season, as did the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns, passing Drew Brees for second place in career TD passes in a 30-14 victory over the New York Jets.
Brady’s first-half scoring passes to Phillip Dorsett and Julian Edelman gave him 524 for his career – two more than Brees trailing only the now-retired Peyton Manning’s NFL all-time amrk of 539.
The Patriots didn’t miss a beat after a tense week that saw controversial receiver Antonio Brown released on Friday amid an ongoing NFL investigation into allegations of rape and sexual assault.
No ‘poor Patriots’
Brady acknowledged that removal of a player expected to play a key role in the offence presented challenges, but said adjusting was “part of the challenge”.
“There’s no teams that are, ‘Man, poor Patriots,’” Brady said. “No one feels sorry for us, we don’t feel sorry for them. It’s just, we’ve got to go out there and try to win a game.”
In Dallas, Dak Prescott passed for 246 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a third TD as the Cowboys beat the winless Miami Dolphins 31-6.
The Bills remained perfect with a 21-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals while the Packers beat the Denver Broncos 27-16 at Lambeau Field.
San Francisco survived five turnovers to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-20. They are tied atop the NFC West division with the Rams, who beat the Browns 20-13 in Cleveland.
Jimmy Garoppolo hit Dante Pettis with a five-yard touchdown pass with 75 seconds remaining to lift the 49ers to the win.
The Steelers were without star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has been ruled out for the season with an elbow injury.
While stand-in Mason Rudolph couldn’t get it done against San Francisco, several other quarterback newcomers made their marks.
Rookie Daniel Jones, given the starting nod for the New York Giants in place of struggling veteran Eli Manning, ran for two touchdowns in a 32-31 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kyle Allen, filling in for injured Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, threw for 261 yards and four touchdowns in the Panthers’ 38-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
New Orleans Saints’ Teddy Bridgewater, in for the injured Brees, threw two touchdowns in a 33-27 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
