Rams beat Chiefs 54-51 in highest-scoring ‘Monday Night Football’ game
High-powered offense was the marquee attraction for Monday night’s game between the Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs, the NFL’s highest-scoring teams.
And there was plenty of it.
Jared Goff’s 40-yard touchdown pass to tight end Gerald Everett with less than two minutes left gave the Rams the lead, and cornerback Marcus Peters and safety Lamarcus Joyner intercepted passes to help preserve a wild 54-51 victory before 77,002 people at the Coliseum.
Goff passed for four touchdowns and ran for another, and defensive tackle Aaron Donald forced two fumbles that led to touchdowns as the Rams improved their record to 10-1 heading into a bye week.
Rams intercept Patrick Mahomes twice in final 90 seconds to lock up 54-51 win
Marcus Peters intercepted a pass against his former team with 88 seconds remaining, but the Chiefs forced a punt and got the ball back.
That drive ended the same way with Patrick Mahomes launching a pass that was picked out of the air by a Rams defensive back. Lamarcus Joyner caught the pass intended for Tyreek Hill to seal a 54-51 victory Monday night at the Coliseum.
The Rams defense forced Mahomes into five turnovers. He threw three interceptions and was stripped by Aaron Donald twice.
Jared Goff’s fourth TD puts Rams ahead 54-51 with 1:49 to go
Too soon?
That’s the question the Rams have to wonder after retaking a 54-51 lead against the Chiefs with 1:49 to go Monday night.
One hundred and five points have been scored after Jared Goff’s 40-yard touchdown pass perfectly lofted into the arms of Gerald Everett down the right sideline. With 69 seconds remaining, could the Chiefs score at least three more?
The Rams scored in just 58 seconds, marching 75 yards on six plays.
Goff has thrown for 409 yards. Everett had 49 yards receiving in three catches. Two have finished in the end zone.
Chiefs lead 51-47 with less than three minutes remaining
The Rams and Chiefs have scored the most points ever in a Monday Night Football game.
But it’s a record the Rams aren’t smiling about after the Chiefs took a 51-47 lead with less than three minutes remaining.
Kansas City drove 65 yards over eight plays in 3:46, scoring on a 10-yard Patrick Mahomes pass to Chris Conley. It was Mahomes’ sixth touchdown pass and second to Conley.
The rams now have to drive the length of the field with no timeouts remaining.
Rams retake 47-44 lead in back-and-forth affair
Kansas City scored two touchdowns in a 57-second span to take a 44-40 lead, but the Rams responded with a six-play, 75-yard drive that lasted less than 90 seconds.
Jared Goff threw a seven-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Gerald Everett to push the Rams back ahead, 47-44.
The Chiefs scored on a 73-yard pass to Tyreek Hill after a defender fell down and scored soon after when Justin Houston hit Goff’s arm from behind to cause a fumble. Allen Bailey recovered and ran it in.
It was the third defensive score of the game with linebacker Samson Ebukam scoring twice for the Rams defense.
Rams’ Samson Ekubam scores his second defensive TD of night
The first was a fumble. The second Rams linebacker Samson Ekubam picked out of the air.
Both times he got the ball in his hands, Ekubam turned into a running back determined to get into the end zone. He bulldozed through a Patrick Mahomes’ tackle attempt at the goal line to complete a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Ekubam’s second defensive touchdown put the Rams ahead 40-30 after a 33-yard Greg Zuerlein field goal gave them the lead.
Chiefs answer once more, evening score 30-30
Patrick Mahomes threw his fourth touchdown of the night, finding Travis Kelce from four yards out.
The Chiefs didn’t even need a third down on an eight-play, 64-yard drive that took just 3:43.
Harrison Butker’s extra point tied the score 30-30.
Mahomes has thrown for 295 yards on 21-of-25 passing.
Jared Goff TD run gives Rams 30-23 lead
Aaron Donald did it again.
The Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner sacked and caused a second fumble of Patrick Mahomes. The ball bounced away from multiple players before Rams defensive end John Franklin-Myers was able to fall on the ball.
The Rams offense went on an eight-play, 46-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a seven yard Jared Goff scramble on third and goal. Goff’s first rushing touchdown of the season put Los Angeles ahead 30-23.
The Rams needed a fourth down conversion to keep the drive alive. On a fourth-and-one play at the Kansas City 37-yard line, Goff found Tyler Higbee for a seven-yard gain
Rams-Chiefs tied 23-23 after thrilling first half
The Rams jumped out to a 13-0 lead. Their defense added a scoop-and-score fumble return for a touchdown.
And yet, the score is tied 23-23 at halftime.
The Chiefs battled back from the early deficit, scoring a touchdown with 13 seconds left in the half. Patrick Mahomes’ eight-yard touchdown pass to Chris Conley evened the score, but Harrison Butker missed the extra point.
Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein missed an extra point. Twelve penalties — 10 on the Chiefs -- also marred the first half.
The rest of the action was exhilarating. The teams combined for 462 yards of offense with just two first half drives ending in punt.
Mahomes connected on 17 of 20 passes for 224 yards and three scores. His counterpart, Jared Goff, was 14 for 21. He threw two touchdowns on the Rams’ first two possessions.
Tyreek Hill has a game-high 102 yards in six catches. He caught a 25-yard score while Kareem Hunt scored on a 21-yard reception.
Robert Woods and Josh Reynolds caught touchdowns for the Rams. They also scored on an 11-yard return by Samson Ebukam after Aaron Donald sacked and stripped Mahomes.
Rams get scoop-and-score touchdown to retake lead
A terrific Johnny Hekker punt pinned the Chiefs inside the five-yard line and the Rams defense took advantage.
Aaron Donald broke through the Chiefs offensive line and chased down quarterback Patrick Mahomes from behind. Donald raked down on Mahomes’ right arm, stripping the ball free. It bounced away and was recovered by Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam.
Ebukam scooped up the fumble and returned it 11 yards for a tocuchdown to put the Rams ahead 23-17.
Chiefs capitalize on Jared Goff fumble to take 17-16 lead in second quarter
The first turnover of the game resulted in seven points and the first lead of the game for the Chiefs.
Jared Goff was sacked and fumbled the ball on the 21-yard loss. Allen Bailey forced and recovered the fumble.
It took the Chiefs just one play to capitalize. Patrick Mahomes threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Kareem Hunt. Harrison Butker’s extra point put Kansas City ahead 17-16.
Rams hold 16-10 lead after teams trade field goals
The Chiefs could not score a touchdown from the one-yard line on third and goal. They had to settle for a field goal, trimming the Rams’ lead to 16-10 after an 11-play, 73-yard drive that spanned 6:50.
The Rams also had to kick a field goal after getting inside the 10-yard line and being able to find the end zone. Josh Reynolds caught a second down Jared Goff throw, but his toe tapped the sideline as he came down. On third and goal, the referees called defensive pass interference in the end zone, which would have give Los Angeles a fresh set of downs, but the Chiefs challenged the play and it was determined that the pass was tipped before the infraction. The play was ruled an incompletion.
Greg Zuerlein kicked a 23-yard field goal that put the Rams up 16-7.
Rams lead 13-7 at end of first quarter
The Los Angeles Rams picked up 15 first downs and amassed 170 total yards of offense to jump out to a 13-7 lead.
They were threatening to score, moving the ball inside the 10-yard line, as the first quarter clock expired.
Jared Goff is 13 for 17 and has thrown for 151 yards. He spread the ball around to five different receivers led by Josh Reynolds, who has 44 yards and a touchdown in four catches.
Patrick Mahomes has completed five of his six passes for 63 yards and a touchdown, but the Chiefs have been penalized eight times for 82 yards.
Chiefs answer with score on their second drive
Kansas City’s second drive was much more successful than their opening possession. Both drives last four plays, but the second went for 73 more yards.
The Chiefs went 75 yards the second time they had the ball, scoring on a 25-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes to Tyreek Hill that was set up by another 25-yard catch by Hill the play prior. Kareem Hunt also had a 27-yard run that moved the Chiefs into Rams’ territory.
It was a vital drive for Kansas City after falling behind 13-0 in the first 10 minutes of the game. Its opening drive was marred by two penalties.
Rams take early 13-0 lead in first quarter
The Rams have taken an early 13-0 lead on the Chiefs at the Coliseum.
Jared Goff has thrown for 120 yards and two touchdowns on the Rams’ two opening drives. He found Robert Woods running right to left in the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown on their first possession and hit Josh Reynolds for a four-yard score on the second.
Greg Zuerlein missed his first extra point.
‘L.A. Together’ is the theme of the night at the Coliseum
White rally towels spun in the air throughout the crowded Coliseum stands Monday night. Across them, blue and yellow printed letters read “L.A. Together.”
The phrase embodied a night dedicated to first responders and those affected by the California wildfires and the Nov. 7 shooting at a bar in Thousand Oaks, as the Rams faced the Chiefs in “Monday Night Football.”
Members of the Cal Lutheran choir sang the national anthem, as first responders and their families carried an American flag that stretched the length of the field.
Karen and Jordan Helus, Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus’ wife and son, lit the Coliseum torch in honor of Helus, who was killed in the Thousand Oaks shooting.
Mayors from the Los Angeles area participated in the coin toss.
A check to aid fire relief is scheduled to be presented during the second quarter, and players are slated to salute two Ventura County firefighters in the first and third quarter.
For first responders exhausted from two weeks of fighting fires, Monday night offered a chance to relax. Capt. Stan Ziegler, public information officer for the Ventura County Fire Department, said more than 100 first responders accepted the Rams’ invitation to watch the Monday night game from reserved sections of the Coliseum, along with people affected by the wildfires and the shooting.
“You would not believe what it means to us,” Ziegler said, later adding: “It’s just gonna be a fantastic boost for our morale.”
Rams are getting loose at the Coliseum
LIVE from the Coliseum. Getting ready for Rams-Chiefs
Rams, who have ‘stolen stuff’ from Chiefs all season, now must stop them
Bill it as a possible Super Bowl preview, a matchup between the NFL’s highest-scoring teams.
Monday night’s game between the Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs, originally scheduled for Mexico City, took a circuitous route to the Coliseum, site of the league’s first Super Bowl.
Now the stadium will again be the center of the football universe, a prime-time showcase for two 9-1 teams and next-generation stars such as quarterbacks Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes and running backs Todd Gurley and Kareem Hunt.
“I guess it’s the game of the year,” said the Rams’ Gurley, the league leader in rushing yards and touchdowns. “Everybody’s excited, pumped up — fans, coaches, players. It’s the best of the best on the big stage Monday night.” ….