NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Patrick Mahomes‘ return to the lineup wasn’t enough to prevent the Kansas City Chiefs from losing for the fourth time in their past six games.
Mahomes was 36-of-50 for 446 yards and three touchdowns, but despite his efforts, the Tennessee Titans rallied for the winning touchdown with 23 seconds left to beat the Chiefs 35-32.
The Chiefs botched a field goal attempt that would have put them ahead by eight points with less than two minutes remaining. Holder Dustin Colquitt didn’t appear ready for the snap. He scrambled to his feet and attempted a pass that landed nowhere near a receiver. He was penalized for intentional grounding.
That set up the Titans’ 61-yard game-winning drive, punctuated by Ryan Tannehill’s 23-yard TD pass to Adam Humphries.
The Chiefs also had the chance to tie it with three seconds left, but Harrison Butker‘s 52-yard field goal attempt was blocked as time expired.
At 6-4, the Chiefs’ lead in the AFC West is down to a half-game over the 5-4 Oakland Raiders. The Chiefs and Raiders will play one another on Dec. 1 at Arrowhead Stadium.
Mahomes, the NFL MVP in 2018, missed the last 2½ games after dislocating his right kneecap but didn’t take much time in getting back to top form. He led the Chiefs on a touchdown drive on the game’s opening possession, connecting with Travis Kelce for a 3-yard score. That TD pass was his 66th in 25 career starts, breaking Dan Marino’s record of 65.
Mahomes had another touchdown pass to Kelce called back because of a penalty later in the first quarter. He also threw an 11-yard touchdown pass on a perfectly placed ball to Tyreek Hill in the back of the end zone.
Mahomes’ final TD pass of the game was his most spectacular. In the fourth quarter, Mahomes beat the Titans’ rush by throwing a jump pass to Mecole Hardman, who finished the play by outrunning defenders for a 63-yard touchdown.
Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz had his streak of playing 7,895 snaps broken in the second quarter when he left the game because of a knee injury. It was the longest current streak in the NFL.
Schwartz hadn’t missed a snap since arriving in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns in 2012. He returned to the game in the second half.