Patrick Mahomes Leads Captains In Wild Card Race Against Steelers – Orange County Register
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Patrick Mahomes threw 404 yards and 5 touchdowns, Travis Kelce caught a TD pass and threw another, and the Kansas City Chiefs sent Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger into his expected retirement. with a 42-21 hit from the Steelers in the playoffs knockout on Sunday night.
Byron Pringle caught touchy passes from both Mahomes and Kelce, and Jerick McKinnon and Tyreek Hill also reeled from scoring as the Captain (13-5) began their pursuit of a third consecutive AFC championship. continue in good form.
They scored on six consecutive possessions throughout the mid-game, knocked out Roethlisberger and the rest of the Pittsburgh offense, and turned next Sunday night’s round-robin tie against Buffalo into a game. appointment.
The Bills had a similarly easy time with a 47-17 win over New England on Saturday. Buffalo and Kansas City met to win the AFC championship last season.
Roethlisberger, who admitted the Steelers (9-8-1) were “not a very good team” this week, not very good in his opinion. The 39-year-old quarterback was 29 of 44 for 215 yards with two pointless TD passes late in the game, providing the coda for a career that included six Pro Bowl trips and two Super Bowl wins.
Judging by the final score, you’d never guess the first half was all about defense: the Steelers ran 14 turns and covered 12 yards, while the Captains had more return courts (70) than they had. obtained from scenario (62).
It makes sense that the first points will also be scored on the defense.
After the Steelers beat for the fifth time in a row, it was inexplicable that the Chiefs let broad receiver Mecole Hardman have a kick rather than their four-time Pro Bowl quarterback. Darrel Williams made a messy exchange, the ball bounced to TJ Watt, and the Steelers All-Pro pass runner returned 24 yards for a touchdown.
The play must have awakened Mahomes, who had previously thrown the first pick in six career home playoffs.
Or maybe it just angered Mahomes.
He responded by completing his next six passes, surging through a 76-yard drive with a favorable handball with McKinnon that ended the game. Then the brilliant young quarterback found Pringle in the corner of the final area to open the scoring, and he put an exclamation point for the half by beating Kelce with a 48-yard touchdown.
In less than six minutes, Mahomes and the captains turned a seven-point deficit into a 21-7 lead.
It wasn’t the 23-0 halftime advantage the Chiefs had against the Steelers in December, but it certainly was. Roethlisberger was 5 of 14 for 24 yards in the first half and Pittsburgh totaled 55 yards of violations.
Not a retirement party if Roethlisberger really calls it a retirement.
As for the captains, their celebrations began in earnest after Mahomes led them on their fourth straight TD track to start the second half. The game became so funny that when Tyreek Hill was trailed just out of fear of the line, Mahomes needed only to hit his next pass in third and the goal to equalize for Nick Allegretti to open the scoring. number.
Hill finally caught TD; it comes after Steelers rookie Najee Harris lost for the first time all season.
The captains continued to score as well – Kelce’s mother, who began the day watching her other son, center Jason, and his Eagles lose in Tampa Bay – witnessed The younger son threw a touchdown pass in the fourth half. By that time, the Captains were scoring so much that they often had to post notices on Arrowhead Stadium’s video board that they were out of fireworks.
Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs were self-sufficient.
Illnesses
Steelers: Their egos have been severely bruised.
Captain: CB Rashad Fenton had a sore shoulder before the game.
NEXT
Pittsburgh looks to the offseason team to see how they can replace their longtime starting quarterback.
The captains will welcome Buffalo next Sunday night for a rematch of a game the Bills won 38-20 in October. Mahomes threw three TD passes in a 38-24 win to claim the AFC crown in January. last year.
https://www.ocregister.com/2022/01/16/mahomes-leads-chiefs-to-42-21-wild-card-romp-over-steelers/ Patrick Mahomes Leads Captains In Wild Card Race Against Steelers – Orange County Register
