Two quarterbacks looking to make a name for themselves early on this season helped their cases in a major way on Sunday. It began with Patrick Mahomes, who is in his first full season as the Kansas City Chiefs starter, and he went off in a big road win for his team. The quarterback tied a franchise record with six touchdown passes in a 42-37 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mahomes threw for 326 yards and completed 23-of-28 passes, leading his team to a second straight road win to begin the regular season.
The big performance gives the rookie an NFL record with 10 touchdown passes in his first three career NFL games, dating back to the final game of last season. Mahomes turns 23 on Monday and took over for Alex Smith, who was dealt to the Washington Redskins in the off-season.
Mahomes favorite target on this day was Travis Kelce, who had seven catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns, while Tyreek Hill, Chris Conley, Kareem Hunt, and Demarcus Robinson all caught a touchdown pass from their quarterback. The Chiefs jumped out to a 21-0 lead, but were in a dog fight the rest of the way, as they saw that lead disappear by halftime.
Ben Roethlisberger's big performance was overshadowed, as he finished 39-of-60 for 452 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort. The Steelers remain without a win after finishing in a tie with the Cleveland Browns last week. After trailing by 21, Pittsburgh cut their deficit to five, but never got any closer on their home field.
Meanwhile, another new starter, who is far from new in the league, is veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has put on a clinic in his first two games in for the suspended Jameis Winston. Fitzpatrick lit up the Philadelphia Eagles' defense, throwing for 402 more yards and four touchdowns in a 27-21 win on their home field. The Bucs improve to 2-0 on the season under Fitzpatrick, who has four touchdowns and over 400 yards throwing in each of the first two games.
The bearded backup to Winston completed 27-of-33 passes and helped Tampa Bay to their first 2-0 start since 2010. He did so with big-time plays, including a 75-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson and O.J. Howard, stunning the defending Super Bowl Champions. The Buccaneers were coming off a big 48-40 road win over the New Orleans Saints last week.
Nick Foles stepped up a bit more for the Eagles, throwing for 334 yards and a touchdown, but his team fell to 1-1 on the season. Although, before the game they received good news that starting quarterback Carson Wentz is on pace to return from his torn ACL next week against the Indianapolis Colts. The Buccaneers will roll in to Week 3 once again under Fitzpatrick to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
The big performance gives the rookie an NFL record with 10 touchdown passes in his first three career NFL games, dating back to the final game of last season. Mahomes turns 23 on Monday and took over for Alex Smith, who was dealt to the Washington Redskins in the off-season.
Mahomes favorite target on this day was Travis Kelce, who had seven catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns, while Tyreek Hill, Chris Conley, Kareem Hunt, and Demarcus Robinson all caught a touchdown pass from their quarterback. The Chiefs jumped out to a 21-0 lead, but were in a dog fight the rest of the way, as they saw that lead disappear by halftime.
Ben Roethlisberger's big performance was overshadowed, as he finished 39-of-60 for 452 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort. The Steelers remain without a win after finishing in a tie with the Cleveland Browns last week. After trailing by 21, Pittsburgh cut their deficit to five, but never got any closer on their home field.
Meanwhile, another new starter, who is far from new in the league, is veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has put on a clinic in his first two games in for the suspended Jameis Winston. Fitzpatrick lit up the Philadelphia Eagles' defense, throwing for 402 more yards and four touchdowns in a 27-21 win on their home field. The Bucs improve to 2-0 on the season under Fitzpatrick, who has four touchdowns and over 400 yards throwing in each of the first two games.
The bearded backup to Winston completed 27-of-33 passes and helped Tampa Bay to their first 2-0 start since 2010. He did so with big-time plays, including a 75-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson and O.J. Howard, stunning the defending Super Bowl Champions. The Buccaneers were coming off a big 48-40 road win over the New Orleans Saints last week.
Nick Foles stepped up a bit more for the Eagles, throwing for 334 yards and a touchdown, but his team fell to 1-1 on the season. Although, before the game they received good news that starting quarterback Carson Wentz is on pace to return from his torn ACL next week against the Indianapolis Colts. The Buccaneers will roll in to Week 3 once again under Fitzpatrick to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
