KANSAS CITY
Nick Allegretti Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys , Mo. ?utes away from playing in their first AFC title game in 25 years, when they drove to the goal line for a chance to punctuate their long-awaited victory over the Indianapolis Colts with a touchdown.Patrick Mahomes turned and handed the ball to Darrel Williams, who was stood up right at the goal line. Williams kept churning as the Chiefs began to push him, inch by inch, toward pay dirt.Leading the way? Their brilliant young quarterback.Mahomes toppled right over the goal line with Williams, then leaped up and threw a knockout right hook at nothing but air, celebrating not only the score but ultimately a 31-13 victory Saturday.Mahomes wound up throwing for 278 yards in his postseason debut, ran on a hobbled knee for a key touchdown, and did all the dirty work 鈥?like that Reggie Bush-style shove 鈥?necessary to keep alive the Chiefs’ chances of playing in their first Super Bowl since Len Dawson led the way in 1970.“My favorite thing was finishing the game at the end,” Mahomes said of the late touchdown. “We’ve been in those situations and didn’t execute to our standards. It shows the attitude and effort you need to win football games.”Especially in cold, snowy January weather, when the games are most meaningful.Mahomes answered the call Saturday amid tremendous pressure and great expectations. The Chiefs traded up to pick him 10th overall a couple of years ago, then allowed him to learn the ropes for a year under Alex Smith, before turning him loose on an unsuspecting league.The young quarterback with the curly Mohawk, massive arm and moxie in spades threw for more than 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in the regular season
Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys 2019 , and shattered just about every franchise passing record. But nobody knew how he would respond to the playoffs, where the Chiefs have given their fans nothing but agony and heartbreak since Joe Montana was taking snaps from center.All he did was lead Kansas City to touchdowns on its first two possessions to set the tone against a resurgent Colts defense, then lead his team to a field goal and another score before halftime.The last one was his rushing touchdown, which came after he took a wicked hit in the pocket.“It was a little cold out there so I was aching for a second,” said Mahomes, who no doubt caused heart palpitations across Kansas City when he came up limping. “But it feels fine, it really is. It got me there for a second, a little stinger I guess, but I was feeling pretty good after that.”100View Gallery Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj MehtaMahomes was sacked four times and threw a couple of wobbly passes, and he had an interception wiped away by an offside call, but never made the crucial mistake that could have turned the game.It helped that his biggest options all showed up.Damien Williams ran for 129 yards and a score against a Colts defense that had not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season. Travis Kelce had seven catches for 108 yards. Tyreek Hill had 72 yards through the air and ran 36 yards for a score. And wide receiver Sammy Watkins even pitched in for the first time since hurting his foot during a game in November.“We ran the ball, and that’s the biggest thing,” Kelce said. “When you have the lead, you’ve got to be able to run the ball late in the game. Damien Williams, man. He runs his tail off for everybody on this team. Sure enough it showed today that he can finish a game off for us.”Pulling the trigger, though, was the Chiefs’ unflappable first-year starter.He did it with his arm. He did it with his legs. He even did it with his voice
Nick Allegretti Jersey nfl draft , drawing the Colts offside so many times that their defensive line was visibly frustrated.“Mahomes was No. 1 in the NFL at drawing people offside. And so we knew that going in,” Colts coach Frank Reich said. “We talked about it, and he still got us. For a young guy, the way to work the cadence the way that he does, I give him credit for that.”It wasn’t the only reason to heap praise on him Saturday. The Kansas City Chiefs are placing the franchise tag on outside linebacker Dee Ford after the best season of his career, though that could be just the first step in their dealings with him.The decision was made on Saturday, a person familiar with it told The Associated Press, three days before the league’s deadline for franchising players. But the Chiefs have discussed signing Ford to a long-term deal, and they are open to trade possibilities as they switch their base defenses.The person spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity because the move was not finalized as the paperwork awaited filing. ESPN.com was first to report the Chiefs had made the decision.The franchise tag for an outside linebacker next season is just over $15.4 million, a number the Chiefs could easily fit under the salary cap. But general manager Brett Veach has made it clear since taking over last year that he is open to making any moves that help the overall club.That could mean a long-term contract — the deadline for doing that with a franchise player is July 15 — or trading away one of the league’s top pass rushers.“He had an outstanding season. He was at the top of his game,” Veach said during his year-end discussion with reporters. “When we drafted Dee a few years ago, all those things that we envisioned for him, he kind of showed that he was that player.”But that also came in former defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s scheme, which is built around a 3-4 base. The Chiefs fired Sutton after an AFC West-winning season culminated in an overtime loss to the Patriots, and hired Steve Spagnuolo to implement a 4-3 scheme.“The one thing he can do, and we all know this, he is an explosive football player that makes a lot of plays
From China Nick Allegretti Jersey ,” Spagnuolo said recently. “He’s had some production and if he is here with us, I’ll be excited to have him and be excited to work with him.”Ford was the Chiefs’ first-round pick in 2014 out of Auburn, but he struggled with injuries and the adjustment to the NFL his first couple seasons. He only played in six games with two sacks in 2017, but had a career-best 13 sacks and forced seven fumbles this past season.That performance made the franchise tag a palatable option.“Obviously, Dee is a player that has done so much for us, in particular last year,” Veach said. “We have a special thing brewing here and I think everyone wants to keep this thing rolling.”The Chiefs also have a decision to make with fellow outside linebacker Justin Houston, who had nine sacks in 12 games last season. He carries a salary cap hit of $21.1 million, a number the Chiefs would like to drive down either by restructuring his deal or potentially releasing him.“I would say that he’s under contract for this year and next year,” Veach said at the NFL’s scouting combine this week. “Again, our plan is to play with him and we look forward to having him on our roster. There’s a lot of dialogue and I think everything is fluid for the next few weeks until we get into the start of the league year. We’ll kind of handle that — the information we get, what’s real, what’s not real — and it’s a good problem to have because he’s a great player.”
Identificarse
Registrarse
FAQ
Buscar
