rangy wide receiver answered with a 19-yard end-around for a score. And when then Chiefs went on another methodical scoring drive to take a 28-14 lead with just over 8 minutes left in the game, Williams helped the Chargers h

KANSAS CITY Khalen Saunders black jersey , Mo. (AP) — In an otherwise empty Kansas City Chiefs locker room, long after they had rallied to beat the Ravens in overtime and clinch a playoff berth, chairman Clark Hunt was asked what makes this year’s team different than all those that suffered postseason letdowns.His answer was refreshingly simple and candid: Patrick Mahomes.“I think he’s shown even more than what we thought he’d be during the draft process,” Hunt said with a hint of a smile. “In so many ways he’s exceeded our expectations, and when you have a guy like Patrick under center, you always have a chance to win games.”Even when things aren’t going perfectly.The Chiefs had watched offensive lineman Cam Erving leave with a knee injury, running back Spencer Ware hurt both his shoulder and hamstring, and wide receiver Tyreek Hill hurt his wrist and heel but remain in the game. Mahomes had thrown an interception into heavy coverage, special teams had made a rare mistake that allowed Baltimore to take a late lead, and the game was hanging in the balance.Mahomes responded with the kind of magic Chiefs fans already have come to expect.First there was the audacious, cross-body throw some 40 yards downfield to convert on fourth-and-9 and keep the Chiefs alive. Then there was the savvy dump-off pass on another fourth-down play to backup running back Damien Williams that forged a 24-24 tie with 53 seconds left in regulation.After winning the coin toss in overtime, Mahomes deftly led the Chiefs downfield for a go-ahead field goal, which wound up being the winner when the Kansas City defense stopped the Ravens on downs.“This game here, this was a big test for him,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “The rest of the season will be a big test for him, too. But this was a big test to this point, and I like the way he handled it.”Mahomes wound up throwing for 377 yards and two touchdowns against the NFL’s top-ranked defense Khalen Saunders Jersey Mens , and his daring schoolyard plays helped the Chiefs (11-2) inch closer to a third straight AFC West title.“You see it on film, but the things that he did, it’s just hard to practice that,” Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley said. “We work on drills when the quarterback is out of the pocket and you keep your eyes on your man. That big fourth-and-long that they had, it was all on the right side of the field and then he threw it up and made a great play. At the end of the day, they made more plays than we did.”Yes, the Chiefs’ record-setting quarterback didn’t do it alone. Hill made big catches in overtime, Travis Kelce had another monster game, and Justin Houston and the Chiefs’ defense made a series of crucial stops in overtime to help KC escape with a playoff-like victory over the Ravens.Now, they can clinch the division title and at least a first-round bye with a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in another high-profile showdown Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium.Mahomes also can continue to scribble his name in the record books.He’s already set a franchise record with 43 touchdown passes, three behind Peyton Manning’s record for most during the first 13 games of a season. He needs 292 yards passing to break Trent Green’s franchise mark of 4,591 in a single season, and Manning’s NFL record of 5,477 yards isn’t out of reach.“He’s a great quarterback,” Chiefs wide receiver Demarcus Robinson said. “I think he always plays good. He’s got people who are 250, 260 (pounds) rushing him — he’s the quarterback, he’s got a tough job. So we just try to do everything we can to make it easy for him.”Mahomes is the first to point out that nothing he does happens in a vacuum. He readily deflects praise to his wide receivers and offensive line Khalen Saunders Jersey nfl draft , along with Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, even as the owner of the franchise heaped it on him.“He has emerged as one of the key leaders of the team, which is very hard for a 23-year-old player in his first year as a starter,” Hunt said. “But the guys really gravitate to him. I think it says a lot about his character. … I don’t run into anybody either here in Kansas City or somewhere else who doesn’t say, ‘Wow, that young man seems like he’s really special.'”NOTES: Chiefs president Mark Donovan said the team expects to return to Missouri Western for camp next year, even though no contract has been signed. “We’re fully expecting to be back there,” he said. … Reid said Monday that SS Eric Berry could play against the Chargers. “We will just see how it goes these next couple of days,” he said, “but there’s a chance.” KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Philip Rivers and the Chargers finally beat the Kansas City Chiefs.All it took was feverish fourth-quarter comeback, a questionable pass-interference call, a tense video review of the final touchdown and the gutsy decision to try a 2-point conversion.The result: Chargers 29, Chiefs 28.Justin Jackson’s touchdown run with a couple minutes left gave the Chargers a chance. They quickly got the ball back from Patrick Mahomes and the NFL’s highest-scoring offense, and Rivers led a tense final drive that included a fourth-down dart to Travis Benjamin and that crucial penalty on Kendall Fuller in the back of the end zone.The flag gave the Chargers the ball at the 1, and Rivers found Mike Williams along the sideline on the very next play. And when his TD catch with 4 seconds left was confirmed, coach Anthony Lynn sent his offense back onto the field to end five years’ worth of frustration.Williams found himself alone in the end zone to secure the 2-point conversion.Not only did the Chargers (11-3) clinch a playoff berth Eric Murray Jersey , they forged a first-place tie with the Chiefs (11-3) in the AFC West while ending a nine-game losing streak to their longtime division rivals.100<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj MehtaRivers threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns, though he also tossed a pair of interceptions, and Williams had seven catches for 76 yards and two scores while adding another on the ground.Jackson ran for 58 yards and a touchdown in place of the injured Melvin Gordon.Mahomes was held to just 243 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas City, and his inability to pick up a first down in the closing minutes proved costly. The Chiefs forced the Chargers to burn two timeouts on their last drive, but Mahomes was sacked by Isaac Rochell and Kansas City had to punt.The Chiefs never got the ball back on offense.Hyped by the return of star safety Eric Berry, it looked for a while as if the Chiefs would simply resume their vexation of Rivers at Arrowhead Stadium. Steven Nelson leaped to snag a jump ball for an interception on the second play of the game, and Rivers tossed another just before halftime.Mahomes and Co. took advantage of their early momentum.Kansas City breezed downfield after Nelson’s interception, and the young MVP candidate threw a dart to Demarcus Robinson — while in the grasp of Chargers safety Adrian Phillips — for a 7-0 lead.Then after a punt, Darrel Williams took a screen pass for his first career touchdown.The Chargers finally reached the end zone in the second quarter, when Mike Williams caught a short TD pass. But it came moments after wide receiver Keenan Allen hurt his hip while trying to make a leaping grab in the corner of the end zone — he briefly returned before sitting out the rest of the game.Mike Williams continued to pick up the slack the rest of the game.After the Chiefs pushed their lead to 21-7 on Damien Williams’ touchdown run, the Chargers’ big, rangy wide receiver answered with a 19-yard end-around for a score. And when then Chiefs went on another methodical scoring drive to take a 28-14 lead with just over 8 minutes left in the game, Williams helped the Chargers head the other way for another answering touchdown to stay in the game.TONY G’S AWARDThe Chiefs added TE Tony Gonzalez to their Hall of Fame at halftime. The six-time All-Pro played his first 12 seasons with the Chiefs before finishing his career in Atlanta. His name was unveiled next to that of WR Carlos Carson on the ring of honor inside Arrowhead Stadium.INACTIVE STARSGordon (knee) tried to warmup before telling coach Anthony Lynn that he couldn’t play, joining Ekeler (concussion) on their inactive list. RB Spencer Ware (hamstring), WR Sammy Watkins (foot) and OL Cam Erving were the starters out for Kansas City.INJURIESChargers: Allen received treatment on the sideline after nearly making his spectacular TD catch, and he returned briefly before slowly walking off. He left for the locker room and did not return.UP NEXTChargers: Return home for a primetime game against the Ravens on Dec. 22.Chiefs: Visit the Seahawks for another primetime game Dec. 23.