Final score: Chiefs survive Panthers with 30-27 win at the buzzer

Kansas City advanced to 10-1 on a last-second kick set up by a crucial run from Patrick Mahomes.

The Kansas City Chiefs advanced to 10-1 with a 30-27 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon, getting back on track after their disappointing Week 11 loss to the Buffalo Bills — and continuing toward their 2024 goal: a third straight Super Bowl victory.

---

First quarter

---

The Panthers won the opening coin toss, deferring possession to the second half. That put the Chiefs in position to begin the game on offense, starting past midfield after running back Samaje Perine returned it 56 yards.

From the Panthers’ 41-yard line, the Chiefs worked into third down. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes stepped up in the pocket and found tight end Noah Gray wide open. He ran into the end zone to gave Kansas City a 7-0 lead right off the bat.

The Chiefs’ defense pushed the Panthers into third and short on the first possession; safety Chamarri Conner stuffed a second-down run play to help. The third-down pass was blitzed, but beat by Panthers’ quarterback Bryce Young over the middle. He made another big throw on the next snap, finding wide receiver Xavier Legette downfield for 34 yards.

That put Carolina in the red zone, but the Chiefs settled into third and long from the 12-yard line. Young looked for a touchdown pass, but safety Bryan Cook closed down the corner route. The Panthers settled for a field goal, closing the Chiefs’ lead to 7-3.

The Chiefs’ offense looked to continue the rhythm it established early, finding wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster for a big completion. However, the play was negated by holding on left tackle Wanya Morris. Mahomes made up for it with a chains-moving throw to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. A screen pass to tight end Travis Kelce set things up at the Panthers’ 25-yard line.

A tackle for loss on a second-down run doomed the Chiefs’ red-zone drive. It appeared to be a mishap between Wanya Morris and left guard Joe Thuney. Kansas City set up for the short field goal, kicking it through to extend the lead to 10-3.

The Panthers continued a rhythm on offense, getting the best of the Chiefs on a third and short by scheming wide receiver Adam Thielen wide open. The 36-yard gain put Carolina in scoring position, preceding another first-down play that went to the 13-yard line when the first quarter ended.

---

Second quarter

---

Looking to defend the end zone, the Chiefs’ defense stiffened up to force third down just like the first drive. Defensive end George Karlaftis closed on Young to force an incompletion on first down, then linebacker Drue Tranquill covered up an intended receiver on the next play. The attempt to convert third down went to the end zone, but the pass was off — leading to a field goal. The Chiefs maintained the lead at 10-6.

On the next drive, a drop by wide receiver Justin Watson set up a third down, but Mahomes ran up the middle to move the chains easily. Then he found Kelce downfield to gain 27 yards and advance to the Panthers’ 29-yard line. Off-setting penalties gave the Chiefs another chance to convert third down, and wide receiver Xavier Worthy took advantage by breaking off a nine-yard completion to the sideline.

Inside the red zone, a direct snap to wide receiver Mecole Hardman pushed close to the end zone, but Joe Thuney was flagged for holding on the next play and set things back. It led to a third and long, but Carolina bailed the Chiefs out with defensive holding.

The penalties continued piling up, and the Chiefs were guilty twice to really put Mahomes behind the sticks. He found Gray to make up some of it on second down, but ended up sacked on third down after trying to break the pocket. The Chiefs looked for another field goal, making it and pushing the score to 13-6 with over seven minutes left in the first half.

After surrendering sustained drives to Carolina, the Chiefs finally got the big play on early downs when defensive end Mike Danna pursued a sack on second down that resulted in a 14-yard loss. The Panthers punted two plays later.

Hopkins got the Chiefs’ next drive going with a chains-moving completion, then Justin Watson found room for 15 yards over the middle. Perine kept things going with a 13-yard gash, pushing past the midfield and leading into the two-minute warning.

A sack on Mahomes killed the drive’s momentum, and came easily around the outside of Wanya Morris’ protection. However, the signal caller took matters into his own hands, running past the line of scrimmage on third and long and earning a first down by lowering his shoulder. He found Perine a few plays later, pushing to the Panthers’ 17-yard line with the clock down to a minute left.

On third down in the red zone, Mahomes looked for his go-to tight end — Noah Gray of course. The team’s second tight end scored his fourth touchdown in two games, giving the Chiefs a 20-6 lead with 45 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Panthers found room to work down the field before halftime, finding chunk plays by exploiting defensive backs Nazeeh Johnson and Chamarri Conner in coverage. The offense worked to the 11-yard line when play stopped for an injury timeout, a concerning scene for Panthers’ tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders as he was carted off.

The Chiefs tightened in the red zone, with defensive linemen Chris Jones and Tershawn Wharton pressuring a throw to be incomplete on first down. Then, linebacker Nick Bolton held tight coverage on a second-down miss. Young had to throw it away on third down, and the Panthers settled for another field goal. The third successful kick put the Chiefs’ lead at 20-9 at halftime.

---

Third quarter

---

The Panthers started the second half with possession. The Chiefs’ pass defense continued to be exposed by the young Carolina offense. Bryce Young found chunk completions throughout the drive, one setting up the Panthers at the Chiefs’ 22-yard line. Strong runs from running back Chuba Hubbard also helped, moving the chains twice.

From the Chiefs’ 11-yard line, Hubbard chipped away on the ground, but the Chiefs got the stop on a play-action try on third down. Carolina looked to convert fourth down on the ground, and got it through the scrum.

Cornerback Trent McDuffie denied the Panthers’ attempt to throw a touchdown on first down, but Young went right after him again on second down. The slant pass was caught, and the Panthers’ successful extra point squeezed the Chiefs’ lead to 20-16.

Looking to get the Chiefs back on track, Mahomes got this drive going with a sideline completion to Worthy that moved the chains. Then, a pass interference call on Carolina helped the Chiefs move into Panthers’ territory. A third-down scramble by Mahomes was marked short, then Hunt followed it up with a strong run of 13 yards to set up shop in the red zone.

From inside the five-yard line, one scrambling pass by Mahomes fell incomplete — but he followed it with another that ended with a touchdown to Hopkins. An important touchdown gave the Chiefs breathing room at 27-16.

The Chiefs’ defense looked to close the door on Carolina, but Bryce Young refused. On third down, an all-out blitz did not phase him as he found an open receiver for 16 yards. That set the unit up at the Chiefs’ 36-yard line as the third period ended.

---

Fourth quarter

---

The Panthers advanced to the red zone with help from Chiefs’ nose tackle Mike Pennel, who drew a penalty for unnecessary roughness after a run stop. His teammates stiffened up to force third down and long two snaps later, limiting the play to a short gain. That gave the Panthers a manageable field goal, tightening Kansas City’s lead to 27-19.

Looking to kill clock and defend the eight-point lead, the Chiefs established a drive with nice plays from Hunt and Worthy to move the chains between short gains. However, the possession unraveled with two penalties on right tackle Jawaan Taylor.

It pushed the Chiefs to third and long, where an unblocked blitzer buried Mahomes and forced a punt with less than seven minutes on the clock.

Carolina looked to take advantage of this opportunity to tie the game late, moving the chains on the initial first down. However, the Chiefs’ pass defense put the clamps on and didn’t allow anything from there. A third down was thwarted by a caving pass rush, forcing an incompletion. The punt back to Kansas City occurred with less than five minutes left.

The Chiefs looked to ice the game, but ran into trouble with a sack on second down. That was followed by a Carolina timeout with over three minutes on the clock. The third down ended in a sack as well, and the Panthers got another chance on offense after a punt.

It didn’t take long for Carolina to be in position to tie the game. A deep pass to the end zone ended in pass interference by Conner. That was followed with a touchdown run, and Carolina was a two-point conversion attempt away from evening the score.

Pass interference on McDuffie gave the Panthers another chance, which they punched in on the ground. The game was tied at 27-27.

Mahomes and the Chiefs went to work with less than two minutes on the clock, needing a field goal to win the game. A short third down was converted with a strong catch by Hopkins, then the two-time NFL MVP called his own number. He scrambled left towards the sideline, but cut back upfield to make it a much bigger play. The 32-yard run put Kansas City at the 22-yard line with under 40 seconds left.

After Mahomes’ big play, the Chiefs looked to put kicker Spencer Shrader in position to win the game in his second week with the team. He nailed the 31-yard kick, giving the Chiefs a 30-27 victory in Carolina.

---

Special Teams

---

Kicker Spencer Shrader made a 25-yard field goal in the first quarter, his first field goal with the Chiefs. He hit a 41-yard kick in the second quarter to extend the Chiefs’ lead. His third field goal was the most important — a game winner as time expired from 31 yards away.

Running back Samaje Perine gained 56 yards on the return of the opening kickoff, setting the Chiefs’ opening-drive touchdown up.

Punter Matt Araiza got two opportunities, one being stopped at the Panthers’ 14-yard line.

Safety Chamarri Conner was called for holding on a punt return in the second quarter.

Mecole Hardman gained 23 yards on a punt return in the first half, but it was negated by Conner’s holding.

---

Statistics

---