The Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday snapped a two-game skid, but their 30-6 victory against the Broncos in Denver might have come at a cost as quarterback Patrick Mahomes departed with a knee injury in the first half.
Mahomes, the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player, went down after a quarterback sneak with what the Kansas City Star reported was a dislocated right knee.
Mahomes, who picked up a first down on the fourth-down play, was down for several minutes before he managed to stand and make his way to the sidelines with help from team personnel.
Photo: AFP
The third-year star was due for a magnetic resonance imaging exam to determine the extent of the injury, which came on the heels of left ankle trouble.
Kansas City coach Andy Reid said that he did not know how long Mahomes might be sidelined.
“We need time to evaluate,” Reid said. “I’ll leave it at that.”
Matt Moore replaced Mahomes with the Chiefs leading 10-6 and, with the help of a standout performance from Kansas City’s defense, had the visitors up 20-6 by halftime.
The Chiefs had nine sacks — eight of Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco and one of punter Colby Wadman.
They held Denver scoreless after an opening drive touchdown capped by a one-yard touchdown plunge from Royce Freeman.
“It’s never easy,” said Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark, who had two sacks. “It’s the game plan. We studied. Last couple of weeks we haven’t been able to get that rolling ... nine sacks later, we got the job done.”
Moore completed 10 of 19 passes for 117 yards with a touchdown and LeSean McCoy rushed for 64 yards on 12 carries.
After Freeman’s touchdown was followed by a failed two-point conversion attempt, Mahomes connected with Mecole Hardman for a 21-yard touchdown on the Chiefs’ first possession for a 7-6 advantage.
After two Harrison Butker field goals, Anthony Hitchens stripped Joe Flacco on a sack that was recovered by Reggie Ragland and returned for a 5-yard touchdown to extend the Chiefs’ lead.
Moore hit Tyreek Hill for a 57-yard touchdown in the third quarter and Butker added a third field goal in the fourth.
“That’s how you respond,” Clark said. “We’ve got a great backup in Matt Moore. He came in and led our team to the victory."
Additional reporting by AP
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