Harrison Butker booted a 44-yard field goal as time expired Sunday, giving the Kansas City Chiefs a 26-23 victory over the Minnesota Vikings at Kansas City, Mo.
Quarterback Matt Moore, making his second start in place of injured Patrick Mahomes, passed for 275 yards, including strikes of 17 and 13 yards to Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, respectively, to put Butker in position for his game-winner.
The Chiefs (6-3) used two straight three-and-outs from their defense in the fourth quarter to first set up a 54-yard field goal with 2:30 left for a 23-23 tie, and then the decisive boot. The win ended a three-game home losing streak for the Chiefs, as Moore went 25 of 35 with one touchdown.
The Vikings (6-3), who had their four-game win streak snapped, went ahead 23-20 early in the fourth quarter on an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that quarterback Kirk Cousins capped with a 3-yard pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph.
The strike was Cousins’ third touchdown. He went 19 of 38 for 220 yards, while the NFL’s leading rusher, Dalvin Cook, managed 71 yards on 21 carries.
Damien Williams, who gained 125 yards on just 12 carries for the Chiefs, scored on a 91-yard burst with 6:13 left in the third quarter, and the extra point gave the Chiefs a 17-16 lead.
The burst was a response to a touchdown by the Vikings barely three minutes into the quarter. After Mike Hughes caused a fumble on the second-half kickoff, Cousins found Ameer Abdullah from 16 yards out. The ensuing extra point was missed, leaving Minnesota up 16-10.
The Chiefs struck first on a 40-yard deep ball that Hill chased down with 8:21 left in the first quarter.
That catch began a string of nine straight completions by Moore, who also drove Kansas City to a 24-yard field goal by Butker with 4:34 remaining in the first half.
Although the Vikings went three-and-out four times in the half, they rallied to forge a 10-10 tie at halftime on a 29-yard field goal by Dan Bailey with six seconds left.
Minnesota also scored on a 4-yard strike from Cousins to Bisi Johnson with 2:50 left in the first quarter.
–Field Level Media
