Patrick Mahomes ran all over the Tennessee Titans (again)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes ran the ball himself when down in the 4th quarter by 8 points. The biggest plays of the game were him running over the Titan’s defense again.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were down by 8 points to the Tennessee Titans entering the 4th quarter. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel had the right game plan. Clog the running lanes. Be physical, not only in the trenches but with the wide receivers and tight ends. This game truly had a playoff feel to it.

The game of football is a sport where physicality is encouraged. You have the ability to push, pull, and shove. Yet, there is something unaccounted for in that formula. Quarterback is the one position that isn’t openly exposed to defenders. While Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and all the Chiefs wide receivers battled frequent contact, Patrick Mahomes found a way to take the game into his own hands.

Well, it would be more accurate to say Mahomes took things onto his right arm and legs. Mahomes remained calm and unfazed. As much as the Chiefs could’ve been defeated, there was not a hint of quitting. By any means necessary, right? It may take a whopping 68 passing attempts. It might even take running to get a 1st down on 3rd and 17. Here you can see Mahomes gaining 20 yards on the ground when the 3rd down needed to be converted.

Vrabel must have forgotten about the time when Mahomes’ paramount rushing touchdown happened a few years prior in the playoffs. Four minutes and 15 seconds of game time later Patrick Mahomes would take matters into his own legs again. He directs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to the left side of the formation. Doing this action sets up a lot of green grass on the opposite side of the field. Usually, Mahomes is looking to pass while scrambling but his determination to get into the end zone seemed to be preconceived.  Barreling in for a touchdown after running 14 yards while eluding a defender in the process made the game 17-15.

The 2-point conversion that was needed to tie the game was also run in by—you guessed it—Patrick Mahomes.

The Chiefs won the coin flip and elected to receive the ball. With momentum, Kansas City would march down the field. Travis Kelce made a tremendous reception. Backup tight end Noah Gray also made a big-time catch on a 3rd down. Later in the drive, wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster was called on to make a 4th down grab. All of this aided in Mahomes accumulating 509 yards — 446 passing and 63 rushing. The Titans’ defense dedicated much of their attention to the surrounding cast instead of the best player on the team.

Sometimes you just have to win the game. The most important stat is adding a 1 to the win column. What we witnessed on Sunday Night Football was a team effort in getting a victory. Patrick Mahomes just happened to be resilient and shined in the biggest moments.