Arrowhead Pride
On their first possession, Russell Wilson led the New York Giants into Kansas City Chiefs‘ territory. The drive stalled — and when it seemed like thr Giants would punt, the offense stayed on the field. Out of the shotgun, Wilson patiently scanned for an open receiver before tucking the ball and scrambling. He not only picked up the five yards they needed on fourth down but added seven more on a risky run to move the chains.
But the Chiefs’ secondary broke up a pair of deep shots — and a Chris Jones sack pushed New York out of field goal range, forcing it to punt. The kick bounced out of bounds at the Kansas City 1-yard line.
Pinned deep, the Chiefs opened with a surprise handoff to acting fullback Noah Gray, who rumbled ahead for 16 yards to give the offense some breathing room. Patrick Mahomes steadily moved the offense down the field, converting three third downs and crossing midfield with under 30 seconds left in the quarter.
From the Giants’ logo at midfield, Mahomes lofted a high-arching pass toward the back right corner of the end zone for Hollywood Brown, drawing a controversial defensive pass interference call. That set the Chiefs up at the Giants’ 1-yard line, where Kareem Hunt powered through the line for a touchdown.
End of first quarter: Chiefs 7, Giants 0
Russell Wilson’s connection with Malik Nabers began to shine as the wideout snagged a bullet pass before turning upfield for a 25-yard gain, moving the Giants to the Chiefs’ 30-yard line. The drive eventually stalled, but Graham Gano knocked through a field goal to give the New York its first points.
Mahomes responded by getting tight end Travis Kelce — his favorite target — involved on the next drive, helping Kansas City march into Giants territory. The offense methodically moved deeper into the G-Men’s side of the field — and on the first play after the two-minute warning, Mahomes hit rookie Xavier Worthy for a touchdown.
Wilson answered right back. Scrambling around the pocket, he found Theo Johnson for a 37-yard strike to give the Giants a much-needed chunk play. From there, Wilson took matters into his own hands, using his legs to pick up a key third down — and later capping the drive with a scramble into the end zone for a touchdown just before halftime.
End of second quarter: Chiefs 14, Giants 10
Kansas City opened the second half with an 11-play, 71-yard drive that ended with Kelce hauling in a one-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes.
On New York’s next possession, the Chiefs’ defensive front continued to hound Wilson. Defensive tackle Jerry Tillery notched a sack when Wilson tried to scramble up the middle but was dragged down just shy of the line of scrimmage, leading to a quick three-and-out.
Mahomes and Kelce went right back to work. The tight end turned a slant route into a 25-yard gain. A Mahomes...
