Tom Brady, Patriots Stun Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs in 2OT in B/R Madden GOAT Sim
April 9, 2020
The New England Patriots are on to the Final Four in Bleacher Report's Madden GOAT Simulation Tournament, taking down the Kansas City Chiefs 26-20 in a double-overtime thriller Wednesday that featured two comebacks, a goal-line fumble and a lot of Irving Fryar.
Kevin Faulk won the game with a one-yard touchdown run on third down, sending the Patriots to a semifinal matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tom Brady passed for 357 yards and two touchdowns, while Patrick Mahomes tallied 361 yards, two scores, one pick and a goal-line fumble in overtime that cost the Chiefs the ballgame.
New England looked like they were headed for an early blowout win as Brady and Fryar hooked up for 109 yards and a touchdown for a 17-3 lead at halftime. The lead wouldn't last much longer.
Mahomes and Tony Gonzalez led a furious comeback, connecting on multiple long plays against a New England defense that dared the quarterback to keep targeting his tight end.
The Patriots would come to regret that decision. Gonzalez finished with 215 yards and a touchdown as Kansas City knotted things up at 17 late in the third quarter.
After Brady led another drive that ended in a field goal, Mahomes had the game in his hands late in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the play-calling and time management issues that have plagued head coach Andy Reid throughout his career came back in full force for Kansas City. The Chiefs had 31 seconds left on the clock and the ball inside the 10-yard line but couldn't move it any further, choosing to run on multiple plays before eventually kicking a field goal to tie things again at 20.
Kansas City got the ball to open the extra frame and went back to the running game to no avail. Finally, Mahomes began to move the ball himself, hitting Gonzalez again across midfield to put pressure on New England. The next play went to the other tight end, Travis Kelce, who took a short pass down to the 21-yard line before Mahomes fumbled on a scramble at the goal line.
What came next was inevitable: Brady took the Patriots 99 yards back the other way to set up Faulk's game-winning run and leave the Chiefs inches from greatness.