Even before the fourth lead change of the fourth quarter, well before the 1,001st yard of combined offense was tallied, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams already knew this was a classic.
Two powerhouse NFL teams at the peak of their brilliance on Monday dueled deep into the night at an ecstatic Coliseum, racking up eye-popping numbers that stretched the box score and credulity.
There were 14 touchdowns, including three by defensive players. There were 56 first downs. There were 105 points, with 50 from each team — the first time that has ever happened in an NFL game.
Photo: Kirby Lee-USA Today
In the final moments, the Rams did just enough to leave with a win they will savor for years and if these teams meet again at the Super Bowl, the Chiefs will remember the sting from coming up just short.
Jared Goff threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Gerald Everett for the go-ahead score with 1 minute, 49 seconds to play as the Rams outlasted the Chiefs 54-51 in a showdown that somehow surpassed the hype.
“It was a crazy game, crazy game,” said Goff, who passed for 413 yards and four touchdowns, and even ran for another score. “It seemed like whoever had the ball at the end was going to win the game. There was times where we felt like we were going to put the knife in and finish them, and there were times where it was the other way around, where we had to claw back into it.”
Patrick Mahomes passed for a career-high 478 yards with six touchdown passes in his latest jaw-dropping effort for the Chiefs (9-2), but he also threw two interceptions in the final 1:18 as the Rams (10-1) claimed the highest-scoring Monday game ever played.
The highest-scoring game in the league this season was an offensive fantasia of ingenious scheming from mastermind coaches Andy Reid and Sean McVay — along with 21 combined penalties to keep things interesting.
The second half was an extended thriller featuring 59 combined points.
Both teams scratched out fourth-quarter leads, only to see them evaporate.
Mahomes hit Tyreek Hill with a 73-yard touchdown pass just when the Rams appeared to be pulling away early in the fourth, then Goff replied with two late touchdown passes to Everett, a backup tight end with 31 career catches before this game.
“It was a whirlwind,” McVay said. “I feel like I might need a couple of beverages to relax tonight, but it was great. This is what you love so much about the game.”
The game was ultimately decided by defense: Marcus Peters and Lamarcus Joyner came up with late interceptions as the Rams stopped Mahomes’ final efforts.
“It’s always fun to play against real good teams,” Mahomes said. “You get to go out there and have fun ... [but] it’s the same as when we played New England. You can’t make mistakes against great teams. You need to limit your mistakes, but be aggressive.”
The Coliseum’s first Monday game since 1985 was staged on short notice after the NFL moved the matchup from Mexico City to Los Angeles six days ago due to poor field conditions at Azteca Stadium.
The Rams used the opportunity to give free tickets to thousands of first responders and families recovering from the dual tragedies of nearby wildfires and a mass shooting in Thousand Oaks.
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