The Kansas City Chiefs were expected to get back on track to their winning after that deflating loss against the Buffalo Bills last week, but it seems that their struggles on the offensive end continue to be on the rise with the AFC’s top seed needing a game-winner to survive in their showdown against the Carolina Panthers.

Spencer Shrader’s field goal with time expiring on the clock proved to be a masterful play for the day as he drilled three points to save Kansas City and break the deadlock when it mattered most, which just says a lot about how Shrader’s clutch play has been celebrated today as the saving grace for the Chiefs so far.

Nothing has been easy for the Chiefs for most of the game, and surviving a late comeback from the Panthers has been a testament of the number of miracles that they have endured this season to keep a nine-game winning streak before having it snapped in their loss to the Bills in the previous week. At this point, it does seem that they are really seeking to find a winning groove – and hopefully this win gets them back on track.

Defining Clutch

The Chiefs held a 27-19 lead in the fourth after Eddy Pineiro’s field goal for the Panthers, and their defense faltered in the later possessions and even turned it over, which allowed Carolina to push to a 27-27 score after Chuba Hubbard scored a one-yard run and a two-point rush. That set up the final moments of the game as the Chiefs earned possession with 1:46 left in the game.

Closing out a game has always been a struggle for most of their games in the season. Patrick Mahomes led the team to come up with a drive down the field and earn some yards, which set up a 31-yard kick for Shrader, and that proved to be the winning play that the Chiefs needed all along to survive this game against the Panthers.

Mahomes finished with 27-37 in his attempts, including 269 passing yards and three touchdowns. Shrader scored six points off field goals, including the game-winner that helped lift Kansas City out a collapse that could have turned out for the worse.

Mahomes on the Slide

After struggling mightily in the Chiefs’ loss to Buffalo last week, the star QB responded well with an impressive performance that helped them win big. He had no interceptions in the game, showing how well he has scanned the passing lanes and proved that the Chiefs can find ways to win to bend and not break, scour a massive win that is too close for comfort – winning by just a single possession.

"I think it's just certain times in games," Mahomes said. "It's not like I pre-plan that type of stuff. It's just, whenever it comes down to it and you've got to make the play, I feel like I try to go out there and make the play. That's why I feel like it happens later in games sometimes and in the playoffs. You don't want to slide, you have to kind of put your body out there knowing that you can take hits and stuff like that, but we've been able to make some big runs in some big moments."

For now, the Chiefs can be comfortable that they are now 10-1 in the season, still having the best record in the league along with the Detroit Lions, who are also the top team in the NFC with the same record.