Sport NFL in Frankfurt
Comeback prevented – Mahomes and Kansas City win in Frankfurt
As of: 6:43 p.m. | Reading time: 5 minutes
Home win in Frankfurt: The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Miami Dolphins – but had to tremble in the end
Quelle: AFP/KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV
The Kansas City Chiefs win the first NFL game in Frankfurt. After a show of force in the first half, the champions came under pressure against the Miami Dolphins. The decision is only made in the final minute.
For a long time it looked like a relaxed afternoon for the Kansas City Chiefs. In the second regular game of the National Football League (NFL) in Germany, the champions were already clearly leading at halftime against the Miami Dolphins. After the break, Patrick Mahomes and his team suddenly had to tremble again. In the end, the star quarterback led the Chiefs to a deserved 21:14 (21:0) in the Frankfurt Stadium. Also because his counterpart made a bitter mistake in the final minute.
All eyes on Mahomes
Two hours before the game, Mahomes entered the Frankfurt lawn and began his warm-up program. Surrounded by photographers, the Kansas City Chiefs superstar prepared for his German premiere. However, he would have preferred to play the game somewhere other than Frankfurt. “I was hoping that we would play in Munich,” the 28-year-old Mahomes freely admitted during the week. The superstar, who, among other things, has sponsorship contracts with the German companies Hugo Boss and Adidas, announced that he would like to come to Germany more often in the future.
Kansas City’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) shone especially in the first half
Source: AP/Martin Meissner
At first glance, the 28-year-old quarterback played unspectacularly in Frankfurt; However, his class was reflected in the statistics: Mahomes had 147 yards and two touchdowns after the first half. His congenial partner Travis Kelce, who has been entertaining the league for weeks together with pop star Taylor Swift, remained pale for long stretches.
Erster Touchdown
After just 2:57 minutes, the fans in Frankfurt saw the first touchdown of the game. Mahomes led the Chiefs down the field with three long passes. In the end, Rashee Rice, who played with Germany shoes, ran the ball into the end zone. The Dolphins’ first attack was stopped by the Chiefs. In general, no more points were added in the first quarter.
Rashee Rice scored the first touchdown of the game
Quelle: AFP/KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV
In general, the game flattened out after the dream start for the Chiefs. Both teams failed to get their plays on the pitch. Miami also briefly lost wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to a knee injury. Shortly before halftime, Mahomes brought the stadium to a boil again with a long throw to Skyy Moore. Jerick McKinnon then scored the second touchdown of the game. 14-0 for the Chiefs.
Scene of the game
The game in Frankfurt dragged along for a long time in the first half, then Bryan Cook ignited the turbo. The Chiefs safety got the ball after a Dolphins fumble near the center line and ran 59 yards to the end zone. The spectators in the stands got really loud for the first time. Cook’s run was a key moment for the champions – and the fans in the stadium. With just under two minutes to go before halftime, the Chiefs led 21-0.
German halftime show
Last year, Cro sang before the game. For the Frankfurt game, the NFL decided to organize a halftime show like at the Super Bowl. The stage in Frankfurt wasn’t nearly as big as at the NFL finals, but Nico Santos and Kontra K delivered a solid performance. First Santos sang his way through his biggest hits like “Rooftop” before Kontra K took the microphone after five minutes. Cheerleaders and a laser show gave at least some Super Bowl feelings.
Mistake of the game
After the break, the Dolphins, who had come to Germany with the same record as Kansas City (6:2), were under pressure. Quaterback Tua Tagovailoa was the first to attack, but there were no points at first. At least Miami’s defense managed not to allow Mahomes to pass another touchdown. Then it happened: 4:47 minutes before the end of the quarter, Tagovailoa threw a long ball to Cedrick Wilson Jr. in the end zone. The Dolphins shortened it to 7:21.
Miami’s quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (M.) was off the roll in the first half, but recovered after the break
Source: dpa/Arne Dedert
Before the end of the quarter, Miami even improved. Raheem Mostert didn’t let any Chiefs player stop him and scored the second touchdown of the day for the Dolphins after a pass from Tagovailoa. Now it was up to Kansas City to stop the race to catch up. Although the champions missed out on scoring more points, they were able to rely on their defense. Miami went all out in the final minute of the game, going on fourth down 30 yards from the Chiefs end zone. But the ball slipped through Tagovailoa’s hands and the chance was carelessly wasted. Kansas City was able to finish the game and cheer with the fans.
Atmosphere in the stadium
In Munich, the almost 70,000 fans in the Munich Arena loudly sang “Country Roads” towards the end of the game and even impressed the football experts from the USA. Even superstar Brady, who won the Super Bowl seven times in his career, said at the time: “That was epic.” Around 50,000 spectators were able to watch it live in Frankfurt; the majority cheered for Kansas City. The Chiefs are one of five NFL teams to hold marketing rights in Germany.
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When the players took the field in full gear 45 minutes before the game, Travis Kelce heated up the Frankfurt crowd. Later, ex-professional Björn Werner, now a TV expert, shouted into the microphone on the sidelines: “This is our Super Bowl.” Under the closed roof of the arena it was particularly loud when it counted for the Chiefs – and when a Chiefs Fan proposed to his girlfriend on the sidelines in the first quarter. As the game became more exciting in the second half, the noise level in the stadium increased significantly.
Frankfurt as host
The week so far has been positive, emphasized Alexander Steinforth on the sidelines of the game. “We are very happy with all the things that have already happened in Frankfurt. The Dolphins have already done a lot, trained and were also out and about in the city,” said the NFL’s Germany boss. In fact, there were stalls and NFL attractions in downtown Frankfurt on the game weekend, as well as numerous public viewing opportunities on Sunday.
Roger Goodell, head of the NFL, signed autographs before the game
Quelle: Getty Images/Alex Grimm
“Fans tried to buy tickets using more than three million devices,” Steinforth said before the guest appearance in Frankfurt. Up to 1.5 million people are said to have fought virtually for tickets. The crowd in the city was noticeably smaller compared to the Munich game. At that time, quarterback legend Tom Brady played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first regular NFL game in Germany against the Seattle Seahawks and had German fans. After the second Frankfurt game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts (November 12th), the NFL returns to Munich in 2024.
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