After months of hype surrounding the Rams vs Chiefs match-up on Monday, the game finally happened. There were giant expectations going into this game and to say that the game exceeded those expectations would be a massive understatement.
The Rams defeated the Chiefs 54 to 51 in a back and forth shootout that had a ton of exciting big plays. This was the 3rd highest scoring game in NFL history and the only game in NFL history where both teams scored over 50. The two teams combined for 14 touchdowns, 56 first downs, and a whopping 1,001 total yards. There were seven different lead changes throughout the game and 5 combined touchdowns by the two teams in the 4th quarter alone.
Much of this can be credited to quarterbacks Jared Goff of the Rams and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, who were in a back and forth boxing match making big play after big play that shredded the opposing defense. Neither offense could be stopped or even contained in a game that kept fans on the edge of their seats from start to finish.
Goff finished the game with 413 yards and 5 touchdowns (1 rushing) and Mahomes finished with 478 yards and 6 touchdowns as they both had a quarterback rating over 117. It was a classic “anything you can do I can do better” battle between the young superstars. Goff set the pace early with two red zone touchdowns to Robert Woods and Josh Reynolds that gave the Rams a 13-0 lead. Mahomes answered quickly with two touchdowns of his own to Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt. He then had one more to Chris Conley right before the end of the first half that tied the game at 23. Goff and Mahomes continued to trade big plays and touchdowns throughout the game and eventually Goff was able to have the final say on a beautiful 40-yard touchdown pass to Gerald Everett.
What impressed me most about the young quarterbacks was their ability to overcome mistakes. The quarterbacks combined for 7 turnovers (Mahomes 5/Goff 2) and even though the majority of the turnovers were on account of great defensive plays, they still did not let it bother them. Both Goff and Mahomes had a fumble lost that was returned for a touchdown and on the very next drive each quarterback answered with a touchdown of their own.
Mahomes’ fumble came late in the 2nd quarter when the Chiefs were up 17 to 16. He was strip sacked by Aaron Donald who made a ridiculous superman dive toward Mahomes to force the ball lose. The ball was then scooped up by Samson Ebukam who returned it 11 yards to give the Rams a 23-17 lead with only 1:50 remaining in the half. On the very next drive Mahomes completed 5 passes on 6 attempts for 63 yards that ended on an 8-yard touchdown to Chris Conley. The drive only took 1 minute and 37 seconds.
Jared Goff’s fumble occurred in the 4th quarter when Justin Houston stripped him from behind and Allen Bailey caught the loose ball and walked it in the end-zone. The touchdown gave the Chiefs a 44-40 lead erasing the 10-point deficit they once had. Goff did not let this phase him at all and immediately got the Rams in the red zone on a 27-yard pass to Josh Reynolds and a 36-yard pass to Robert Woods on consecutive plays. The Rams capped off the drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Gerald Everett and much like Mahomes’ bounce back drive, it only took Goff 1 minute and 29 seconds to retake the lead.
Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes both impressed greatly on the national stage and put on a show that fans of all teams will never forget. They have without a doubt proven to be serious MVP candidates and will continue to defend that case as the season goes on. Unfortunately, since they are in separate conferences we won’t see them face off against each other for another 4 years.
That is unless they find a way to meet again in February…
Featured Image: Ryan Kang/nfl.com
