Patrick Mahomes mad dash helps Chiefs survive Panthers scare in dramatic win

CHARLOTTE, N.C.— Ten yards into a scramble, Patrick Mahomes could have easily slid for a first down or simply ducked out of bounds and moved on to the next play.Instead, the three-time Super Bowl MVP cut back inside and raced another 23 yards up the field, helping to set up Spencer Schrader’s 31-yard field goal as time expired as the Chiefs held on to beat the Carolina Panthers 30-27 on Sunday.“At that point, yards are more important than getting out of bounds,” Mahomes said.

“With three timeouts, I just tried to just cut through and Justin Watson had a great block and was able to get down the field and get out of bounds.”The game-winning drive was the 21st of Mahomes’ career, and the Chiefs won a game decided in the final seconds for the fifth time this season.Eight of the Chiefs’ wins have come by one-score margins.“You always want to have some blowouts and be a little calmer in the fourth quarter, but I’ve always said it could be a good thing when you get to the playoffs later in the season knowing that you have been in those moments before, and knowing how to attack it play by play not making it too big of a moment,” Mahomes said.Then he smiled and said: “But I would say this more than anybody, I would love to win a game not by the very last play.”Mahomes completed 27 of 37 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns in his first game at Bank of America Stadium and ran for 60 yards — including 33 on that last-minute play — as the Chiefs (10-1) scored on six of their eight possessions.Noah Gray caught four passes for 66 yards and scored two touchdowns for the second straight week, and DeAndre Hopkins also found the end zone for the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.

Kareem Hunt ran for 68 yards on 16 carries and caught three passes for 19 yards.Bryce Young played well for Carolina (3-8), finishing 21 of 35 for 262 yards and a touchdown while leading the Panthers back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the ga...