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LOS ANGELES – Patrick Mahomes is leaning over to take the picture, pretended to yield to half-back Kareem Hunt and dropped to the bottom of the pocket, his eyes turned to the west. through the grassy terrain that had been his personal landscape. While it remained 1:28 to play in a surreal match that had undermined the emotional energy of 77,002 spectators at the LA Coliseum and millions of viewers on Monday Night Football, the Kansas Chiefs' fantastic quarterback City in the second year was looking for an opening – then In a flash, he noticed it: the wide receiver Chris Conley cutting the Rams secondary school, running from left to right 20 meters from the end zone, with two steps on his defender and nothing green in front of him.
So Mahomes has found himself and prepared to do what he, at only 12 years of age in his career, is as impressive as any smuggler in the country – to open a precise and powerful spiral towards a moving target. One of the most epic matches in league history in the league was up for grabs, and Mahomes was sure he got it. One night when he and his counterpart, Jared Goff of the Rams, had painted the skies of southern California with very precise passes, that would be his masterpiece.
"I did bring it in," Mahomes said later, as he stood outside the visitors' cloakroom of the Colosseum, waiting to be able to speak to a group of journalists at the 39, interior of an interview tent following the Rams 54-51 (not a typo; you read correctly) victory. "It's settled and found an opening, and I would have had it there, but I was touched – and it went straight to Marcus."
As Mahomes entered his pitch, linebacker Rams Samson Ebukam crowned a phenomenal performance by slipping inside KC's tight end Travis Kelce sneaking through the quarterback's body, passing his left arm over the top of the box. Mahomes shoulder as he throws the ball. That turned the pass into a pop fly and, as fate would have it, the ball went to the waiting arms of Marcus Peters, the former Chiefs corner that had been traded to the Rams last February and who was struggling to regain his All-Pro form.
"All I thought was:" Do not let that mother go down! " Peters said shortly before leaving the stadium. "It felt good." He felt real well. You have to take the good with the bad – all that – and when you get that "W", all of this is paying off. But dude, this game was wild. It was some s —. I mean, it was a little s —!& # 39;
What he said.
If this Monday night showdown between two offensive teams and 9-1 had simply managed to outdo itself, it would have been a good night in the world of professional sports. In truth, it was much better than what had been announced.
Originally scheduled to take place in Mexico City, the match was transferred to L.A. after NFL officials felt that the grass at Azteca Stadium was unplayable. So, a noisy crowd of the Colosseum was treated to three hours and 42 minutes emocion, with 105 points total (the third total in league history), 1,001 combined yards and six lead changes, including four in the fourth quarter.
And surprisingly, despite an offensive orgy that smashed records – and produced the first ever NFL final score in which each team had at least 50 points – there was a whole series of decisive games that were decisive and served as a counterweight to these players. seemingly unstoppable offenses.
"It was a crazy, crazy match," said Mahomes, who completed 33 of 46 passes for 478 yards and six touchdowns, but was also responsible for five turnovers. "This whole offensive, and the two defenses, have created games that have been big shifters, and I basically gave them 21 points – and you can not do it against a big team like that, or you're going to pay."
This is particularly true when the opposing quarterback, Goff, is in gold, as was the case on Monday. Now in his third season in the NFL, Cal's former star and first draft pick has quietly become one of the league's best smugglers. silver against the Chiefs, completing 31 of 49 shots for 413 yards and four touchdowns – including the exquisite winner of the game, a superb beauty over the 40-yard shoulder to the tight end Gerald Everett on the line right on the right side with 1:49 remaining.
As Monday's game approached, it was assumed that the two leading contenders for the MVP were by far Drew Brees and Saints Mahomes, which would bring his total of touchdown passes to 37 before the end of the evening. . Maybe it's time to add Goff's name to the roster and make it a three-man race, especially if the Rams (10-1) continue to rip apart their secondary opponents .
Make no mistake though: the 9-2 win over the Chiefs required a lot of play from Peters and his teammates, including Ebukam, who played in a small group, and defensive tackle Aaron. Donald, who seems to have one. every weekend.
After taking a 13-0 lead, the Rams took 17-16 at the end of the first half when Donald blew into the pocket and fired Mahomes. Ebukam, a fourth-round pick in East Washington in 2017, picked up the ball and ran 11 yards for a touchdown.
Each player was far from over: during the first Chiefs' training in the second half, Donald did it again. He again sacked Mahomes and dislodged the ball. Teammate John Franklin-Myers returned to the Chiefs 46-yard line. Donald, who raised his total bag count to 14.5, is the best defensive player in the NFL for the second time in a row. If another competitor tried to grab the trophy, Donald would probably have torn his hands off. .
Eight games after Donald's second striptease bag, Goff felt pressure in his pocket and surprised everyone by sneaking into a deserted environment and running seven yards for a touchdown, giving the Rams a lead of 30-23.
Then, with a 33-30 lead over the Rams in the third quarter, Mahomes' short passage for Demetrius Harris was removed by Ebukam and raised 25 yards for a touchdown.
"Hey, everyone did his thing today, that's all he's doing," Donald said as he headed for the tunnel and walked out of the stadium. . "It's team football, it's huge, because it's what you need against an explosive offensive like this and a quarterback like this." He's a real football player. "
Apparently, Donald – who signed at the end of August a contract extension of $ 135 million for six years, making him the highest paid defensive player in league history (a total eclipsed shortly thereafter by Khalil Mack of Chicago Bears -) – did not subscribe to the stereotype of domestic linemen receiving massive paydays, then, in a relative sense, chilling.
"It's not a thrill," said Donald laughing.
Mitchell Schwartz, chief of the law, said one of the men responsible for blocking it: "You know that he will usually have one or two big pieces, you are trying to limit the dams and turnarounds .. C & # 39; is the best paid guy in his position – time, and rightly so – and he is the rare guy who gets record money and is underpaid. It's hard. This guy is a Freak. "
The same goes for Mahomes, who enjoyed some big games from the Chiefs defense. The first arrived with 6:50 remaining in the second quarter, when defenseman Allen Bailey fired Goff, forced him to a fumble and recovered him. Mahomes and Hunt scored for a 21-yard touchdown in the next game, giving the Chiefs a 17-16 lead.
Then, with 11:16 remaining in the game, K.C. Linebacker Justin Houston blew Goff off the 2-yard line and dislodged the ball. Bailey caught him from Houston's back and entered the end zone to give the Chiefs a 44-40 lead.
Two touchdown passes from Goff to Everett later, with Conley's Mahomes score sandwiched between the two, and the scene was ready for a comeback in Kansas City. The interception of Peters smothered, but not permanently: the Chiefs forced a three-man attack, which gave Mahomes one last chance, as KC took possession of the ball in his own way , 12 with a timeout and 50 seconds remaining.
The suspense finally ended when Mahomes, of his own 26-year-old group, launched a desperate pass to fast-moving Tyreek Hill (10 assists, 215 yards, two touchdowns) that was intercepted by safety Lamarcus Joyner.
"We should have closed the game after Marcus' interception – I was sick of not doing it," Goff said. "We put our defense in a bad position and they made games, as they did all day."
For what it's worth, you can count Goff among the growing legion of Mahomes fans.
"He's amazing," said Goff. "It's the toughest guy in the NFL to defend at the moment, including Drew (Brees)."
Peters has no reason to speak, he had a glimpse of Mahomes' potential last year by playing against him. Mahomes, who seconded Alex Smith, was usually the quarterback of the scouting team before the start of the last game of the regular season, when the Chiefs had already won a playoff spot.
Did Peters know how ridiculous the young quarterback was a year ago?
"F-yeah," Peters said. "It's crazy." He used to run crazy passes at the training without even looking in. He's going to be special … Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton (Manning) – You're going to be crazy. call, he'll go … with Jared Goff. "
At an evening filled with superlative performance, such praise did not seem to be a hyperbole. It was a special football match that left both teams exhausted as they approached their respective weeks – and emphasized the notion that the only way for opponents to fight such explosive offenses is to try to keep pace, to get decisive games in defense and hope that the assault does not overwhelm.
"I'm really tired," Schwartz said as he prepared to head for the team bus. "I know this game was supposed to be played in Mexico, and I'm pretty happy it's not at 9,000 feet because I'm not sure I could have survived."
A few seconds later, Goff came out of the locker room and stopped to greet Schwartz, his alum countryman. They spoke for a few minutes and posed for a photo, and none of the players seemed bothered by the briefing.
"I'm exhausted," said Goff.
It was the same for the observer country of football.
Follow Michael Silver on Twitter @mikesilver.
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