Page 21 - ARUBA TODAY

A21
SPORTS Wednesday 21 november 2018

Rams outlast Chiefs 54-51 in record Monday night showdown

By GREG BEACHAM day night game since 1985
AP Sports Writer was staged on short no-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Even tice after the NFL moved
before the fourth lead the matchup from Mexico
change of the fourth quar- City to Los Angeles six days
ter, well before the 1,001st ago due to poor field con-
yard of combined offense ditions at Azteca Stadium.
was tallied, the Kansas City The Rams used the oppor-
Chiefs and the Los Ange- tunity to give free tickets to
les Rams already knew this thousands of first respond-
was a classic. ers and families recovering
Two powerhouse NFL from the dual tragedies of
teams at the peak of their nearby wildfires and a mass
brilliance dueled deep into shooting in Thousand Oaks.
the night at an ecstatic Those fans got an incred-
Coliseum, racking up eye- ible treat for their reward —
popping numbers that and if the video-game-like
stretched the box score spectacle they saw turns
and credulity. out to be a Super Bowl pre-
There were 14 touchdowns, view, Atlanta will get an All-
including three by defen- Madden-level show as well.
sive players. There were 56 "It was just cool," said Todd
first downs. There were 105 Gurley, whose 13-game
points, with 50 from each touchdown streak some-
team — the first time that's how ended in this offensive
ever happened in an NFL showcase.
game. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) tries to tackle Rams outside linebacker "It was a last-minute game
In the final moments, the Samson Ebukam, right, after Ebukam intercepted a pass from Mahomes during the second half of and everybody (came) out
Rams did just enough to an NFL football game, Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in Los Angeles. Ebukam got past Mahomes to score in support. Had the families
leave with a win they'll sa- a touchdown on the play. Associated Press here, had the responders,
vor for years. so it was just a great overall
And if these teams meet There was times where we Reid and Sean McVay — to relax tonight, but it was crowd and it was good for
again at the Super Bowl in felt like we were going to along with 21 combined great. This is what you love the city."
2 1/2 months, the Chiefs will put the knife in and finish penalties to keep things in- so much about the game." This game has loomed in
remember the sting from them, and there were times teresting. The second half And this game was ulti- capital letters on the NFL's
coming up just short. where it was the other way was an extended thriller mately decided by de- regular-season schedule
Jared Goff threw a 40-yard around, where we had to featuring 59 combined fense: Marcus Peters and ever since these teams
touchdown pass to Gerald claw back into it." points. Lamarcus Joyner came confirmed their status as
Everett for the go-ahead Patrick Mahomes passed Both teams scratched out up with late interceptions offensive powerhouses in
score with 1:49 to play, and for a career-high 478 yards fourth-quarter leads, only as the Rams stopped Ma- September.
the Rams outlasted the with six touchdown passes to see them evaporate. homes' final efforts. The Rams and Chiefs are
Chiefs for a 54-51 victory in his latest jaw-dropping ef- Mahomes hit Tyreek Hill "It's always fun to play the league's biggest favor-
Monday night in a show- fort for the Chiefs (9-2), but with a 73-yard TD pass just against real good teams," ites along with New Orleans
down that somehow sur- he also threw two intercep- when the Rams appeared Mahomes said. "You get and New England — the
passed the hype. tions in the final 1:18 as the to be pulling away early in to go out there and have teams responsible for the
"It was a crazy game, cra- Rams (10-1) claimed the the fourth, and Goff replied fun ... (but) it's the same as only other losses by Los An-
zy game," said Goff, who highest-scoring Monday with two late TD passes to when we played New Eng- geles and Kansas City this
passed for 413 yards and night game ever played. Everett , a backup tight land. season.
four touchdowns and even The highest-scoring game end with 31 career catches You can't make mistakes Mahomes had the most
ran for another score . in the league this season before this game. against great teams. You prolific passing game in
"It seemed like whoever was an offensive fantasia "It was a whirlwind," McVay need to limit your mistakes, the NFL this year, but he
had the ball at the end was of ingenious scheming from said. "I feel like I might need but be aggressive. and Goff both made key
going to win the game. mastermind coaches Andy a couple of beverages "The Coliseum's first Mon- mistakes.q