Patrick Mahomes has battled through an elbow injury to keep the Kansas City Chiefs' hopes of securing the AFC's No.1 seed alive by lifting his NFL team to a 35-12 win over the New York Jets.
The superstar quarterback suffered a scare to his throwing elbow in the second quarter when two Jets players crushed him while he tried to toss the ball.
The 31-year-old was left hunched over, grasping his elbow as he walked off the field, but he pushed on to finish with 23 of 31 passes completed for 242 yards and two passing touchdowns to Kenneth Walker.
Victory at Arrowhead Stadium was precious for Kansas City (6-2), who had lost their previous two games and surrendered their No.1 seed in the AFC.
But while Mahomes looked to survive his scare, Los Angeles Rams offensive star Puka Nacua will face a nervous wait after sustaining a knee injury in their 20-13 win over the Washington Commanders.
The wide receiver clattered into a series of defenders on his team's last offensive play of the game on Sunday (Monday AEDT) and will undergo an MRI exam to determine the extent of his injury.
It took the shine off a crucial victory for Los Angeles (5-4), who are in a battle for a play-off spot after starting their season slower than expected and dealing with other injury concerns.
Elsewhere, the New Orleans Saints (3-5) claimed a pulsating 23-22 overtime win over the Cleveland Browns at Caesars Superdome after quarterback Shedeur Sanders couldn't convert a game-defining two-point conversion.
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson on the first possession of overtime, but Sanders replied with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Harold Fannin Jr.
Cleveland (5-4) opted to roll the dice and go for a two-point conversion, which would have secured them the victory, but the pass was incomplete.
In San Francisco, the 49ers (7-1) bounced back from their first loss of the season to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders 38-17.
The home team secured a stunning five takeaways in the second half, and their quarterback Brock Purdy starred once again as he threw two touchdown passes and ran for another.
It was an emotional occasion for the Raiders (4-5), who played their first regular-season game in the Bay Area since moving from Oakland after the 2019 season.
But they picked up an unwanted milestone by becoming the fifth team in league history to concede at least 30 points in six straight games in the same season.
In primetime, kicker Cairo Santos booted a 38-yard field goal as time expired to help the Chicago Bears (7-2) overcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-24.
With Reuters
