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Chiefs hold off Dolphins rally, Ravens crush Seahawks in NFL / Photo: © AFP
Chiefs hold off Dolphins rally, Ravens crush Seahawks in NFL
Patrick Mahomes threw for two touchdowns as the Kansas City Chiefs bounced back to beat the Miami Dolphins while the in-form Baltimore Ravens trounced the Seattle Seahawks in early NFL action on Sunday.
The Chiefs, who suffered a shock defeat to the Denver Broncos last week, downed the Dolphins 21-14 in the international series fixture held in Frankfurt.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes had given the Chiefs the lead after finding Rashee Rice for an 11-yard completion for the opening touchdown in the first quarter.
Mahomes then hit Jerick McKinnon for a touchdown in the second quarter to cap a 13-play, 95-yard drive that gave the Chiefs a 14-0 lead.
Kansas City's ferocious defense set up a touchdown in the closing seconds of the half, forcing a fumble from Miami's former Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill before recovering the ball at the 37-yard line.
Chiefs safety Mike Edwards flipped a lateral pass to Bryan Cook, who sprinted 59 yards down the sideline into the end zone to make it 21-0.
Miami came out for the second half on a mission, and hit back to make it a one-score game with touchdowns from Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Raheem Mostert in the third quarter.
But the Miami comeback stalled in the fourth quarter just when the Dolphins threatened to grab the game-tying score.
After moving the ball to the Kansas City 31, the Dolphins failed to advance any further, and turned over on fourth down when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa fumbled a wayward snap.
"I'm always going to blame myself -- I've got to catch the ball," a disappointed Tagovailoa said after the defeat. "Can't end the game like that when you have an opportunity against a really good team."
Mahomes, who finished with 185 passing yards from 20-of-30 attempts with no interceptions, saluted the Chiefs' defense after the win.
"Another great football game and I'm glad we came out with a win ... When we've got a defense like that I can trust that we will find a way to win football games," Mahomes said after a win that lifted the Chiefs to 7-2 at the top of the AFC West division.
The Dolphins fell to 6-3 with the defeat, leaving them one game ahead of Buffalo, which play later Sunday in Cincinnati.
In other early games on Sunday, red-hot Baltimore steamrollered Seattle 37-3 to improve to 7-2.
Ravens running back Gus Edwards rushed for two touchdowns, while receiver Odell Beckham Jr. put the seal on the win with the final Baltimore touchdown.
In Houston, meanwhile, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud produced a dazzling performance in a last-gasp 39-37 victory for the Texans over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 22-year-old Stroud threw for five touchdowns and 470 yards, and led a 75-yard game-winning touchdown drive to clinch victory with less than a minute on the clock.
In Atlanta, meanwhile, Minnesota's revival continued as the Vikings clinched a dramatic 31-28 win over the Falcons.
The Vikings, without injured starting quarterback Kirk Cousins, sealed their fourth straight win with just 20 seconds remaining when stand-in signal-caller Joshua Dobbs connected with Brandon Powell.
Other games in the NFL on Sunday include a blockbuster NFC East divisional clash between the Dallas Cowboys (5-2) against the league-leading Philadelphia Eagles (7-1) while Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills duel Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in the late game.
U. Schmidt--BTZ
