The Kansas City Chiefs are off Sunday? Let’s rank their top five plays from this season
The Chiefs are back where we always expected they would be — holding a commanding lead in the AFC West division late in the season — even if they took a meandering path to arrive there. After a 3-4 start, they’ve won seven straight games, putting the AFC’s No. 1 seed within reach.
But this isn’t so much about the wins and losses as it is the best moments within them. Yes, opposing defenses have made it their objective to prevent the Chiefs from making those highlight-reel plays to which they’ve treated us over the past three seasons. But there are still some pretty good ones to choose from here.
And what better time to do it?
Why? Well, take a look at No. 1 ...
1. ‘Instead of 32, I was 22 tonight’
We’ll trace back more than three months to finalize the five best plays, but with this one, we’re looking back to all of three days ago.
After his worst two-game stretch in six years, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce broke out for his career-best day. And then saved his very best for last.
Kelce caught the walk-off touchdown in Thursday’s 34-28 overtime win against the Chargers, part of a 10-catch, 191-yard outing.
The impact of the play alone might earn it a place on this list.
The sensational work after the catch moves it to No. 1. Kelce caught the ball at the 25-yard line and then prevented six Chargers defenders from identifying his weaving path to the end zone.
“Instead of 32,” Kelce said afterward, “I was 22 tonight.”
A slump-buster if there ever was one.
“For the old man Kelce, who everybody’s talking about losing a step and being off his game,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, “he looked pretty fast to me.”
2. The little hand in the air
Tyreek Hill made the signature play in a 33-29 comeback win against the Browns in the season opener... and then took some jokes from his quarterback about it.
With the Chiefs down 9 in the fourth quarter, Mahomes rolled to his right, unsure where he would go with the football. Then he saw Hill’s hand pop into the air.
That was enough. Running full speed toward the sideline, Mahomes launched a deep pass to which Hill adjusted like a centerfielder, tracking under it, securing the catch and then rolling to the end zone for a 75-yard touchdown.
The comeback was on.
After the game, Mahomes sought out Hill in the locker room and told him, “I just saw this little hand pop up like this.”
To which Hill responded, with a disappointed head tilt, “Come on, man.”
3. Yes, the man can catch
After a frustrating few weeks, quarterback Patrick Mahomes broke out for a five-touchdown game in Las Vegas last month.
But it’s one of his worst throws from the night that makes the list.
Confused? Let us explain.
After scrambling in the pocket, Mahomes spotted Darrel Williams loose down field. Just before crossing the line of scrimmage, Mahomes underthrew a deep ball, but Williams made the adjustment in air. He perfectly-timed his jump and cut in front of Raiders safety Johnathan Abram to make a spectacular two-handed grab.
Williams (whose teammates call him “Dirty”) said he’s long been trying to tell Mahomes he can catch. Now he’s got evidence.
“These hands,” he said, “they work.”
4. Now that’s a start
Cornerback Mike Hughes learned about 24 hours before a Week 14 date with the Raiders that he’d be plugged into the starting lineup.
He responded with his best game in a Chiefs uniform, playing a part in three turnovers.
Including one on the first snap.
Chiefs lineman Jarran Reed knocked the ball out of Raiders running back Josh Jacobs’ grip, and Hughes scooped it up and returned it 23 yards for a score.
One play into a rivalry game, it was over. Already.
But just for good measure, Hughes forced two more fumbles later in the afternoon. The Chiefs lured the Raiders into five turnovers.
5. An unlikely interception: “I wasn’t letting it go”
You needed a replay to figure out exactly what just happened here.
Chiefs defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton had really only intended to bat down a pass from Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke, but he did a little more than that.
When he got his hand on the football, he managed to pin it between offensive lineman Cornelius Lucas’s helmet and shoulder pads. Wharton never lost concentration on the football, and fought to secure the most unlikely of interceptions.
From a pure difficulty and improbable perspective, the Chiefs might not have had a better play this season. The game had been decided by the time he made it.
But there’s a reason it made SportsCenter’s Top 10.
“I was really trying to swipe it down, but he didn’t put much heat on the ball, so when I hit it, I realized I really had it,” Wharton said. “So I just put (the ball) on his head and then once I got two hands on it, I wasn’t letting it go.”
This story was originally published December 19, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "The Kansas City Chiefs are off Sunday? Let’s rank their top five plays from this season."