CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Kansas City Chiefs narrowly defeated the Carolina Panthers with a field goal as time expired.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes ran for 32 yards on Kansas City's last drive to set up Spencer Shrader to kick the game-winning 31-yard field goal.
The Panthers (3-8) scored a touchdown and converted a two-point conversion on a late drive to tie the game at 27. Both scores were courtesy of Chuba Hubbard runs. Carolina's game-tying score came with one minute and 46 seconds left in the game.
The drive was set up by Panthers quarterback Bryce Young hitting receiver Adam Thielen on a crucial fourth-down pass near midfield. A defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone on the next play put the Panthers at the 1-yard line.
Carolina kept the game competitive for most of the contest. Kansas City (10-1) led by just one score in most of the game.
The Panthers' red zone inefficiency plagued them early on. Until the fourth quarter, they scored just one touchdown in five red-zone trips.
Mahomes had 269 yards passing and three touchdown passes. The Panthers sacked Mahomes five times.
Young had a season-high 262 yards passing with one touchdown. It's the second-most yards for Young in a game in his career.
The loss is the closest of the season for the Panthers. Carolina's first seven losses were by an average of 23 points. The Panthers' tough play on offense and defense against the defending Super Bowl champions proves the team is improving.
"[We're] sick to our stomachs for letting an opportunity get away against a really good team," Panthers head coach Dave Canales said. "The guys can just feel what's happening. We're becoming the style of football we want to pride ourselves on... the guys can feel what we are trying to get done."
The Chiefs scored first with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to tight end Noah Gray. Field goals were traded on the next four drives to leave Kansas City ahead 13-6 in the second quarter.
Gray caught another touchdown with under a minute left in the first half. Young and the Panthers answered with a 44-second drive that ended with a field goal. The Chiefs held a 20-9 lead at halftime.
Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders was carted off the field after suffering a head injury just before halftime. Sanders caught a pass and landed on his head after extending for a first down. Canales said Sanders was released from the hospital but did not make any further comment about his condition.
The Panthers opened the second half with a 70-yard touchdown drive that ended with a Young touchdown pass to receiver David Moore. Two tries at the two-point conversion were called off because of penalties, which led the Panthers to settle for an extra point.
Kansas City scored another touchdown with a pass from Mahomes to receiver Deandre Hopkins. The Chiefs appeared to be running away with the game as the Panthers struggled to keep up after adding a field goal after yet another drive stalled in the red zone.
The Panthers' defense came up big with stops on the next two drives that prevented Kansas City from scoring again. Sacks by Jaycee Horn, Jadeveon Clowney, and DeShawn Williams shut down Mahomes and the potent Chiefs offense.
Carolina's final possession ended with Hubbard's 1-yard plunge and a subsequent two-point conversion that miraculously tied the game. Kansas City knifed through the Carolina defense on the next drive and secured the win with Shrader's field goal.
Hubbard finished with 58 yards rushing and is just over 120 yards shy of hitting 1000 yards on the season. Rookie Jonathan Brooks ran just two times for seven yards in his NFL debut, over a year after suffering a torn ACL in college.
Kareem Hunt led the Chiefs with 68 yards rushing on 16 attempts.
Moore led the Panthers with six receptions and 81 yards receiving. He stepped up big in place of the injured rookie Jalen Coker as the Panthers' receiving unit continues to shrink.
Panthers' kicker Eddy Piñeiro hit all four field goal attempts, increasing his career accuracy to 89.7%. Piñeiro became the NFL history's most accurate kicker during the bye week when former record holder Justin Tucker missed some kicks.
The Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6) on Sunday, Dec. 1 at Bank of America Stadium. The Buccaneers have won three straight in this NFC South matchup.
