Have the Chiefs ever relied more on Patrick Mahomes?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Patrick Mahomes entered a caller magnitude of his pro vocation successful the 4th fourth of Sunday night’s crippled against the Tennessee Titans.

Mahomes threw his 55th walk of the game, mounting a vocation high. He would propulsion 13 more, including 10 successful overtime, giving him a full of 68, which was third-most successful NFL history.

The Chiefs needed each 1 of those to propulsion retired a 20-17 triumph successful overtime.

“Now we cognize if we request him to propulsion [68] passes we tin get it done,’’ said choky extremity Travis Kelce, who caught 10 of Mahomes’ throws.

Mahomes besides led the Chiefs successful rushing yards, which is not a archetypal for him. But his 63 yards were a vocation precocious for the regular season. He had 69 successful past year’s playoff triumph implicit the Buffalo Bills.

Mahomes scored the Chiefs’ last touchdown with 2:56 remaining successful the 4th fourth and past tied the crippled by moving for the two-point conversion.

The Chiefs person seldom relied connected Mahomes much to triumph a game, but weren’t amazed helium delivered.

“He’s Pat, and Pat’s going to beryllium Pat,’’ said wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who caught Mahomes’ lone touchdown walk of the crippled successful the archetypal quarter. “We tin decidedly number connected him successful those situations.’’

Mahomes didn’t acceptable a idiosyncratic grounds with 68 walk attempts. He threw 88 passes astatine Texas Tech successful a 2016 crippled against Oklahoma, which is wherefore Chiefs manager Andy Reid had nary occupation putting specified a load connected Mahomes against the Titans.

“I’ve seen him bash that successful assemblage a fewer times,’’ Reid said.

Reid didn’t person overmuch choice. The Chiefs’ moving crippled -- extracurricular of Mahomes -- was dismal, with their 4 backs totaling 13 carries for 14 yards with a agelong of 3 yards.

“We privation to effort to get the tally crippled going arsenic the play goes connected and benignant of enactment much balanced, but that’s a bully antiaircraft enactment and they were doing a bully occupation of stopping that,’’ Mahomes said. “Coach Reid benignant of enactment it successful my hands to spell retired determination and effort to marque immoderate worldly happen, and it looked atrocious determination for astir 2 and fractional quarters, 3 quarters, but we were capable to marque it hap determination astatine the end.”

Mahomes made nary azygous play bigger than his 20-yard scramble connected third-and-17 connected the fourth-quarter touchdown drive. The Chiefs were down 17-9 and successful desperation mode with clip moving out.

When Mahomes couldn’t find an unfastened receiver, helium recovered different mode to get the occupation done.

“I decidedly saw a lane to get it adjacent capable that I thought we’d beryllium capable to spell for it,’’ Mahomes said. “When you’re successful that concern you cognize that if you tin get it to a fourth-and-five, fourth-and-four, manager Reid’s astir apt going to springiness you a accidental determination . . .

“We conscionable battled astatine the extremity of the day. It wasn’t similar we were designing it up. We were conscionable going retired determination and trying to marque immoderate worldly happen.”

For that reason, Reid seemed much satisfied aft the Titans triumph than immoderate different this season. The database of wins for the 6-2 Chiefs includes 3 roadworthy games successful which they scored much than 40 points.

What the Tennessee triumph lacked successful flash, it made up for successful a volition to win. Much of that was supplied by Mahomes, who was sacked 4 times but wouldn’t fto the Chiefs lose.

“Everything wasn’t smooth,’’ Reid said. “It was up and down. So you’ve got to persevere done that, the lows. And past somebody’s got to measurement up and marque a play. That’s what has to happen.”