Final Five: Best Chiefs Buzzer-Beaters During Mahomes Era

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Travis Kelce is universally loved in the Kansas City area, but he gets a lot of criticism the farther he gets from the Kansas-Missouri border. No one can criticize one of his Final Four picks, however.

Like most of us, he correctly landed Arizona and didn’t see Duke losing to UConn on a buzzer-beater. We’re not sure what he was thinking with Alabama but give him credit for his best choice since he put his number on a post-concert friendship bracelet for Taylor Swift. Kelce actually had Illinois reaching the Final Four.

And in the spirit of the Final Four, let's remember Kelce's remarkable touchdown four-and-a-half years ago, one of the best plays in Kansas City franchise history. It’s the opening tip in the Chiefs’ five best buzzer-beaters during the Patrick Mahomes era (2018-25).

Kelce’s overtime touchdown; Dec. 16, 2021

Just over a minute into overtime in a 28-28 road game against the Chargers, the tight end found a soft spot in the Chargers’ zone. Mahomes locked on the left side to move the safety, then fired to Kelce over the middle. The tight end immediately juked future teammate Drue Tranquill, then outran a cornerback and safety down the hash to the end zone. The 34-yard touchdown not only won the Thursday night thriller in walk-off fashion; it also kept the Chargers out of the playoffs.

Butker’s Super Bowl-winning kick; Feb. 12, 2023

With under two minutes of a tie game in Super Bowl 57, JuJu Smith-Schuster spun toward the sideline and drew a controversial holding penalty on Philadelphia’s James Bradberry. Instead of a 33-yard Harrison Butker field-goal attempt with plenty of time remaining and a timeout in the Eagles’ back pocket, Kansas City ran down the clock -- positioning its kicker for a game-winning boot on a slippery surface. Butker nailed a 27-yarder with only eight ticks on the clock to seal a third Chiefs Super Bowl victory. … Two weeks earlier, Butker nailed a 45-yarder with three seconds remaining in the AFC championship game, securing a 23-20 triumph over Cincinnati.

Chenal’s blocked kick; Nov. 10, 2024

Bo Nix and the Broncos had outplayed Kansas City at Arrowhead in the first half. But Steve Spagnuolo held Denver to three punts on three second-half possessions, until the end. That’s when the rookie quarterback drained the final six minutes off the fourth-quarter clock, driving the Broncos 43 yards in 13 plays to set up a 35-yard, game-winning field goal for Wil Lutz. But Leo Chenal had other plans. He snuck through the line and got his big paw on the ball to preserve a 16-14 Chiefs win with no time remaining.

Tom and Jerry; Feb. 11, 2024

Andy Reid and his kids grew up watching a cartoon called Tom and Jerry. After the Chiefs perfectly executed a play with the same name to beat San Franciso in overtime, Mahomes finding Mecole Hardman on a 3-yard touchdown pass, the Chiefs erupted into animated celebration after securing the NFL’s first back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 20 years. The league’s first opportunity to use the new overtime rules, a change spurred by the Chiefs’ improbable win over the Bills in the 2021 AFC playoffs, San Francisco won the overtime coin toss. However, the 49ers elected to receive and gave the Chiefs an advantage. Knowing what they needed to win, Mahomes drove Kansas City to the 3-yard line and used the motion-heavy Tom and Jerry to exploit coverage. Hardman was wide open in the right flat for the walk-off touchdown.

hardma — Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. (12) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in overtime during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

13 seconds; Jan. 23, 2022

Mahomes and Josh Allen authored arguably the best postseason game in NFL history, but only one quarterback played on. After Allen hit Gabe Davis on a 19-yard touchdown pass to take 36-33 lead, only 13 seconds remained on the fourth-quarter clock of the 2021 divisional playoff thriller. With all three timeouts, Mahomes took the ball from his own 25-yard line. He immediately hit Tyreek Hill for 19 yards before, incredibly, finding Kelce for another 25 yards. And after the Chiefs killed the clock with three seconds left, Butker converted a 49-yarder to send the contest to overtime. Minutes later, Kelce caught an 8-yard touchdown on the only possession of the extra period, advancing Kansas City with a 42-36 victory. The following March, owners changed postseason rules to ensure each team gets an opportunity to possess the ball in overtime.

mahomes, kelc — Jan 23, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) celebrates the game winning touchdown with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) against the Buffalo Bills during overtime in the AFC Divisional playoff football game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images