The Kansas City Chiefs emerged from the bye week and notched their sixth win of the season after they survived the Tennessee Titans, 20-17, in an overtime thriller on the road in Week 9 of the 2022 NFL season. At 6-2, the Chiefs solidify their hold on solo first place in the AFC West. Here we will look at Patrick Mahomes and three other Kansas City Chiefs heroes most responsible for their Week 9 win vs. the Titans.


For a while, the Chiefs seemed backed into a corner by a much more physical Titans unit. And then star QB Patrick Mahomes rose to the occasion and led them to a thrilling overtime victory.


Kansas City was trailing Tennessee, 17-9, with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation and faced a third-and-17 predicament. That’s when Mahomes rushed for 20 yards to keep the drive alive. He’d later scramble for a 14-yard score and two-point conversion to tie the game at 17. This resulted in overtime, where Mahomes led the Chiefs offense 64 yards down the field to set up a 28-yard field goal for Harrison Butker. The defense then took care of the rest, sacking Malik Willis twice to seal the victory.


Let us look at Patrick Mahomes and three other Kansas City Chiefs heroes most responsible for their Week 9 win vs. the Titans.


4. TE Noah Gray

His stats will not tell the whole tale, but Chiefs TE Noah Gray may have salvaged the game with a well-timed catch. The No. 2 tight end had three catches total, but none in his career — before or after Sunday night’s game — will likely surpass the 27-yard juggling feat in overtime.

“I don’t throw it to Noah Gray enough. That catch he made was a big catch for us and helped us win the game,” Mahomes said, per Charles Goldman of Chiefs Wire)


Gray ended the game with 45 yards as he caught all three of his targets. It was the most yards he has in a single game this season. His 27-yard grab is also the longest in his brief NFL career.


3. WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

Kansas City receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster had 10 catches on 12 targets for 88 yards in their win over the Titans.


He was unable to extend his touchdown run to three games, but he continued to perform like a star wideout by setting new season highs in both catches and targets. The veteran was actually second in targets in a game in which Patrick Mahomes threw the ball 68 times, demonstrating his faith in his new team and quarterback.


This was the third game in a row where Smith-Schuster recorded 80+ catching yards. That’s a good sign for him as they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars next.


2. TE Travis Kelce

Star tight end Travis Kelce caught 10-of-17 passes for 106 yards in this game. He delivered another stellar effort, but he still could have actually increased his total.




The typically sure-handed tight end had a number of bad drops, one of which resulted in an interception for Mahomes. Despite that hiccup, the outcome remained very favorable for Kelce.


He also went and tied a record. Kelce now has the same number of 100-yard receiving games as former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski. The best part is that Kelce is far from retiring. He will have exclusive custody of the record later this season, but he has also set a very high standard for future TEs to follow.


1. QB Patrick Mahomes

During many moments in this game, the Chiefs offense looked out of sync. There were far too many instances when they were simply unable to move the ball. The offensive line also gave up far too many sacks. Then Mahomes missed far too many tosses. However, he also altered the game by running the football, of all things. His 20-yard scamper placed Kansas City in position to tie the game, and they did. Strange as it may seem, Mahomes actually led the squad in rushing yards with 63.


However, Mahomes also found a way to win the game through the air. He connected with eleven different receivers and made some great plays in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal. He finished with 509 total yards of offense and two touchdowns. 446 of those yards were through the air as Mahomes completed 43-of-68 passes. No, this was not a video game, but yes, those are Madden-type numbers.


The reality is that Mahomes was put to the test by a rugged Titans defense, but he was equal to the challenge despite the offense’s poor start. Overall, it was another overpowering effort from one of the game’s best.