Fresh off their first loss of the 2024 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs got back in the win column on Sunday, but only after a valiant effort from Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers nearly left them wrestling with a second straight defeat. Young led the Panthers back from an 11-point deficit to tie the score at 27-27 in the final two minutes of Week 12’s contest, only for Patrick Mahomes to produce his own last-minute heroics, scrambling to set up a walk-off 31-yard field goal by Spencer Schrader.
Schrader, an undrafted rookie on his third team of the 2024 season, only joined the Chiefs on Nov. 14, signed off the New York Jets‘ practice squad as a replacement for the injured Harrison Butker. His leg came through in the clutch, following up a string of equally impressive Mahomes plays, including a 33-yard scramble down the left sideline with less than a minute to play. The finish pushed Kansas City to 10-1 on the year, still in the driver’s seat for the AFC’s top playoff seed, and spoiled Carolina’s otherwise strong showing.
Young, who won his previous two starts for the Panthers, fed veteran receiver Adam Thielen to propel Carolina’s comeback attempt. The Chiefs were notably flagged for defensive pass interference on both a would-be touchdown pass and two-point pass to Thielen in the closing minutes, setting up a Chuba Hubbard rushing score and two-point conversion that knotted the teams at 27 apiece.
Young finished Sunday’s game 21 of 35 for 263 yards and one touchdown, while Mahomes ended with three touchdowns through the air, including one to veteran trade acquisition DeAndre Hopkins.
