KANSAS CITY Nick Bosa Jersey , Mo. — long after they had rallied to beat the Ravens in overtime and clinch a playoff berth, chairman Clark Hunt was asked what makes this year’s team different than all those that suffered postseason letdowns.His answer was refreshingly simple and candid: Patrick Mahomes.“I think he’s shown even more than what we thought he’d be during the draft process,” Hunt said with a hint of a smile. “In so many ways he’s exceeded our expectations, and when you have a guy like Patrick under center, you always have a chance to win games.”Even when things aren’t going perfectly.The Chiefs had watched offensive lineman Cam Erving leave with a knee injury, running back Spencer Ware hurt both his shoulder and hamstring, and wide receiver Tyreek Hill hurt his wrist and heel but remain in the game. Mahomes had thrown an interception into heavy coverage, special teams had made a rare mistake that allowed Baltimore to take a late lead, and the game was hanging in the balance.Mahomes responded with the kind of magic Chiefs fans already have come to expect.First, there was the audacious, cross-body throw some 40 yards downfield to convert on fourth-and-9 and keep the Chiefs alive. Then there was the savvy dump-off pass on another fourth-down play to backup running back Damien Williams that forged a 24-24 tie with 53 seconds left in regulation.After winning the coin toss in overtime, Mahomes deftly led the Chiefs downfield for a go-ahead field goal, which wound up being the winner when the Kansas City defense stopped the Ravens on downs.“This game here, this was a big test for him Dwayne Haskins Jersey ,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “The rest of the season will be a big test for him, too. But this was a big test to this point, and I like the way he handled it.”Mahomes wound up throwing for 377 yards and two touchdowns against the NFL’s top-ranked defense, and his daring schoolyard plays helped the Chiefs (11-2) inch closer to a third straight AFC West title.“You see it on film, but the things that he did, it’s just hard to practice that,” Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley said. “We work on drills when the quarterback is out of the pocket and you keep your eyes on your man. That big fourth-and-long that they had, it was all on the right side of the field and then he threw it up and made a great play. At the end of the day, they made more plays than we did.”Yes, the Chiefs’ record-setting quarterback didn’t do it alone. Hill made big catches in overtime, Travis Kelce had another monster game, and Justin Houston and the Chiefs’ defense made a series of crucial stops in overtime to help KC escape with a playoff-like victory over the Ravens.Now, they can clinch the division title and at least a first-round bye with a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in another high-profile showdown Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium.Mahomes also can continue to scribble his name in the record books.He’s already set a franchise record with 43 touchdown passes, three behind Peyton Manning’s record for most during the first 13 games of a season. He needs 292 yards passing to break Trent Green’s franchise mark of 4,591 in a single season http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/marquise-brown-jersey-cheap , and Manning’s NFL record of 5,477 yards isn’t out of reach.“He’s a great quarterback,” Chiefs wide receiver Demarcus Robinson said. “I think he always plays good. He’s got people who are 250, 260 (pounds) rushing him — he’s the quarterback, he’s got a tough job. So we just try to do everything we can to make it easy for him.”Mahomes is the first to point out that nothing he does happens in a vacuum. He readily deflects praise to his wide receivers and offensive line, along with Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, even as the owner of the franchise heaped it on him.“He has emerged as one of the key leaders of the team, which is very hard for a 23-year-old player in his first year as a starter,” Hunt said. “But the guys really gravitate to him. I think it says a lot about his character. … I don’t run into anybody either here in Kansas City or somewhere else who doesn’t say, ‘Wow, that young man seems like he’s really special.'”NOTES: Chiefs president Mark Donovan said the team expects to return to Missouri Western for camp next year, even though no contract has been signed. “We’re fully expecting to be back there,” he said. … Reid said Monday that SS Eric Berry could play against the Chargers. “We will just see how it goes these next couple of days,” he said, “but there’s a chance.” Here’s a look at what’s happening around the majors today:
SWING OR MISS?
Many hitters got off to a smashing start in July as Cleveland socked 11 doubles Jaylon Ferguson Jersey , Baltimore homered four times and the Cubs combined with Minnesota for 21 runs at Wrigley Field on Sunday. Now, we’ll see if the trend continues as the weather heats up and the balls fly.
June marked the second time in three months that strikeouts exceeded hits in the major leagues, a pattern that had never occurred until this year. About halfway through the season, there had been 21,090 strikeouts and 20,671 hits.
SLAMMIN’
The Reds try to keep socking grand slams when the White Sox come to Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati leads the majors with nine slams and has already tied the single-season franchise record set in 2002.
Jose Peraza hit one Sunday, and pitchers Mike Lorenzen and Anthony DeSclafani recently connected. Eight different Reds have hit grand slams – Adam Duvall is the only player with two.
James Shields, who twice has led the league in homers allowed, starts for Chicago.
MOTOWN MEMORIES
Washington ace Max Scherzer (10-4, 2.04 ERA) will face ex-Detroit teammate Rick Porcello (9-3, 3.60 ERA) in a matchup of former Cy Young Award winners when the Boston Red Sox visit Nationals Park.
HE’S BACK
Shortstop Jorge Polanco is set to rejoin the Twins after serving an 80-game drug suspension. He went 8 for 19 in six rehab games at Triple-A and Class A, and will report to the big league club for the series opener at Milwaukee. The 24-year-old Polanco was a key contributor last season when the Twins earned an AL wild-card spot.
SEATTLE SLOW
The Mariners plan to monitor Felix Hernandez and his back stiffness over the next few days. Hernandez pitched five innings Saturday night and earned the victory over Kansas City, but struggled with back pain and wasn’t able to sit down in the dugout between innings. The six-time All-Star is 8-6 with a 5.11 ERA in 18 starts this season.