Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce balled out in the Chiefs dominant 42-21 victory against the Steelers, showing themselves to be the dominant force we’ve known.
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After a slow start which included an interception by Mahomes and a fumble by Darrel Williams that was returned for a touchdown, the defending AFC champs quickly turned things around. When I say quickly, I mean quickly. Mahomes threw 5 touchdown passes in the span of 10:30 seconds, ruining any chance the Steelers had of pulling off an upset.
Patrick Mahomes threw 5 Pass TD in a span of 10:30 of game time. It’s easily the fastest span in NFL postseason history.
The next fastest? Tom Brady did it in just under 25 minutes in 2011.
h/t @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/85KneA6ms0
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 17, 2022
The Chiefs also pulled off a play where Mahomes and Travis Kelce nearly connected for a touchdown, just not in the conventional way you’d imagine.
Patrick Mahomes felt like he was snubbed on Travis Kelce touchdown pass
Up 35-14, the Chiefs were once more knocking on the door of the Steelers goal line. On 1st and goal, the Chiefs lined up in a wha looked like a conventional formation at first, but then switched to a completely different and weird, to say the least, formation where Travis Kelce was in shotgun while Patrick Mahomes was running behind him like a wide receiver in motion.
Kelce took the snap and proceeded to hit Byron Pringle in stride for another Chiefs score. The move had Pittsburgh completely fooled, and it certainly added some flair to the way the Chiefs won.
After the game, Mahomes jokingly admitted that he felt like he should have been the receipient of Kelce’s first career touchdown pass as if you look back at the play, he was wide open in the flat.
TRAVIS KELCE THROWS A TD PASS 🔥
Yes, you heard that right.
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/oE6hirWtO3
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 17, 2022
However, the Chiefs had instructed Kelce not to throw the ball Mahomes’ way, perhaps to save him from injury due to a big hit from a defender. The logic makes sense, but Mahomes still would have wanted the ball to come his way.
Patrick Mahomes on the Kelce TD pass: “I thought I was open in the flat, but they told him not to throw me the ball.”
— Sam McDowell (@SamMcDowell11) January 17, 2022
While Mahomes wasn’t able to cash in on a receiving touchdown, he pretty much dominated the game with his aerial assault. Mahomes finished the day 30/39 for 404 yards and five touchdowns. Up next, he’ll take on Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills who also threw for five touchdowns in the Bills’ rout of the Patriots.