NEW ORLEANS — Down 24-6 late in the third quarter, the Kansas City Chiefs scored 21 unanswered points to beat the New Orleans Saints 27-24 in overtime at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday.
Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles racked up 288 total yards of offense, matching the 288 yards of total offense put up by the Saints.
Things looked bleak for the Chiefs in the third quarter, after a pair of disastrous turnovers resulted in 14 points for the Saints (0-3, 0-2 home). The Chiefs responded by mounting the biggest comeback in team history.
The Chiefs (1-2, 1-1 away) trailed 10-6 at halftime, but things unraveled quickly in the second half. The first play of the second half resulted in a lost fumble by Chiefs wide receiver Dexter McCluster on the Chiefs 19 yard line. The Saints recovered, and took a 17-6 lead on a 1-yd TD pass from quarterback Drew Brees to tight end Jimmy Graham.
With 6:21 to play in the third, Chiefs QB Matt Cassel threw an interception near midfield to Saints cornerback Jabari Greer. Greer returned the pick 28 yards. The Saints took a 24-6 lead on a 6-yd TD pass from Brees to fullback Jed Collins.
The Chiefs answered with authority on the first play of the ensuing drive.
Charles broke off a franchise record 91-yard TD run with 5:32 left in the third quarter to spark a furious comeback for the Chiefs. Charles finished the game with 33 carries for 233 yards and a TD. He also had six receptions for 55 yards.
New Orleans answered with a 73-yd drive, but Chiefs CB Stanford Routt came up with a huge goal line interception and 32-yd return. The Chiefs cut the deficit to 24-16 with 13:40 left in the fourth quarter on a 34-yd field goal by kicker Ryan Succop.
Succop set a new Chiefs franchise record with six field goals in a single game.
Trailing 24-19 with 5:40 left to play in the fourth quarter, Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston sacked Brees in the end zone for a safety, his third sack of the day. On the ensuing drive, the Chiefs ran the game clock down to :08 seconds, and Succop hit a 43-yd FG to send the game into overtime.
In OT, the Chiefs defense came up big again, holding New Orleans to a three and out deep in their own territory. That set up a 41-yd game winning drive, capped by Succop’s 31-yd game winning FG.
After racking up 510 yards of total offense against the Saints, the Chiefs now lead the NFL in total offense, averaging 441.7 yards per game.
Next Sunday, the Chiefs will play for a share of first place in the AFC West, when they host the San Diego Chargers (2-1, 1-0 away) at Arrowhead Stadium.
