Getty New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (left) and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (right).
After the Kansas City Chiefs won their home game against the Denver Broncos in Week 13, an AFC rival put on a historical performance on Monday Night Football.
The New England Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills 14-10 on Monday, December 6, and did so behind an offensive approach that hasn’t been seen in nearly 50 years in the NFL. In that game, New England ran the ball 41 times. However, the number that may surprise you is the number of pass attempts rookie quarterback Mac Jones had that evening: 3.
Jones completed two of three pass attempts against the Bills, making the Patriots the first team since 1974 to win an NFL game attempting three or fewer passes.
The Patriots only attempted THREE PASSES and still beat the Bills ⬇️
Mac Jones: 2/3 | 19 PASS YDS
They’re the first team since 1974 to win an NFL game attempting 3 or fewer passes 😳
The lack of pass attempts had the landscape in awe as to how New England managed to win a game in which the offensive game plan was clear and yet could not be beaten. One player, in particular, that reacted to the rookie quarterback’s passing numbers was Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
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Mahomes: You’re Going to be Happy Going Home
Mahomes was asked during his Wednesday, December 8 press conference if he felt he could go through a game and throw only three passes.
“Definitely as a quarterback you want to go out there and throw the ball and score and do all that type of stuff,” Mahomes said. “I think I’d feel better if we won, so I mean if you throw three passes, you win the football game against a division opponent that’s right there with you at the top of the AFC, I think at the end of the day, you’re going to be happy going home.”
Chiefs Chasing Patriots for No. 1 Seed
After defeating one of their division rivals in Week 13, Kansas City now has an 8-4 record, which is tied for the second-best record in the AFC. The Chiefs lost their matchups this season against the No. 2 seeded Tennessee Titans (8-4) and No. 3 seeded Baltimore Ravens(8-4), so Kansas City would need a better overall record than those two teams to leapfrog them in the standings. However, because the defending AFC champions have not played against the No. 1 seeded New England Patriots (9-4) yet and won’t in the regular season, they still have a chance to claim the top seed in the conference.
Kansas City currently holds a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West, and a two-game lead over the Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders.
Mahomes also spoke about the Chiefs rattling off five straight wins after a 3-4 start to the season, and what that says about the defending AFC champions.
“Yeah I mean we got a lot of guys, a lot of leaders who know how to deal with adversity, they know how to go throughout the process, and I think a lot of guys just know how to win football games,” Mahomes explained. “You’ve seen it, people have talked about it, we’re not winning the same way as we’ve always won, but it takes a lot of leaders to win the football game no matter how it’s played. Just to be able to have the defense step up the way they’ve been playing, the offense making drives whenever they need to, to win football games shows the guys we have in this locker room.”