KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Thursday morning, the National Football League announced that Kansas City Chiefs P Dustin Colquitt was the team’s nominee for the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide. Colquitt was also the Chiefs nominee in 2009. Colquitt is joined by candidates from each NFL team in consideration for this renowned accolade.

“We are incredibly proud of Dustin Colquitt representing the Chiefs organization as our nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “As a player Dustin has been among the best at his position for the entirety of his career. As a teammate his loyalty to the Chiefs organization is unparalleled, and his character and charisma make him an invaluable leader of the team. None of those attributes, however, equal Dustin’s commitment to the Kansas City Community. Through his leadership at TeamSmile and his involvement with Fuel Up to Play 60, Athletes in Action and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Dustin has shown tremendous dedication to improve the lives of youth in Kansas City, and we believe he is a worthy candidate for one of the most prestigious honors in sports.”

“Having the Chiefs blessing as the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee humbles my heart,” Colquitt said. “This organization and city have embraced me from the first time I stepped through the doors. There is a huge calling to serve others in this life and you can do that with love, time, talents and effort, and Walter Payton embodied that through an incredible ability to reach people and communities with his soul and his passions. God gave him the gift of being a great athlete and determined man, and he left a legacy that allows all of those who come after him to make their NFL communities a better place.”

New this year, all 32 team winners will be highlighted as finalists and recognized for their important work during the weekend leading up to Super Bowl LIII. The 2018 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year will be announced during NFL Honors, a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on Feb. 2, the eve of Super Bowl LIII, on CBS. NFL Honors will be at Fox Theatre in Atlanta.

Five hundred thousand dollars will be donated in the name of the 2018 winner. Of that total, $250,000 will be donated in his name to expand Character Playbook, the NFL and United Way’s digital character education program. An additional donation of $250,000 will be donated to the charity of his choice. All other 31 nominees will receive a donation of $50,000 in their name to expand Character Playbook, and an additional donation of up to $50,000 to their charity of choice. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation, Nationwide and United Way Worldwide.

This season, Colquitt has punted 34 times for 1,535 yards, good for a 45.1-yard average. He has landed 16 of his punts inside the 20-yard line with a season-long of 67 yards.

Over the course of his 14-year career, Colquitt’s 218 games played ranks second all-time for the Chiefs. He has punted 1,065 times totaling 47,781 yards for a 44.9-yard average and landed 436 punts inside the 20-yard line with a career-long of 81 yards. He ranks first in franchise history in all of these categories and has twice been named to the Pro Bowl (2012, 2016). Colquitt was drafted by the Chiefs with the 99th overall pick in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft out of Tennessee.

Beyond the field, Colquitt has displayed a tremendous dedication to the people of Kansas City. For 12 years, Colquitt has partnered with TeamSmile and currently sits on its Board of Directors. His efforts have resulted in 40,000 underserved children receiving $18 million in complimentary dental and preventative care services and education. His “Punting for Smiles” campaign results in $500 from every punt inside the 20-yard donated to TeamSmile. For every $50 raised, a child receives an average of $450 worth of dental services. Personally, Colquitt donates $20,000 each year to TeamSmile.

The Colquitt family, comprised of NFL punters Dustin, his father, former Steelers and Colts P Craig Colquitt, and his brother, Browns P Britton Colquitt, endowed the “First Family of Fourth Down Scholarship Fund” at the University of Tennessee. As a high schooler, Colquitt and his family made visits to troubled youth at a local penitentiary, which instilled a sense of character and giving back from a young age.

In addition, Colquitt dedicates countless hours to mentoring initiatives through his church, Athletes in Action and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He also serves as a Fuel Up to Play 60 Ambassador and visits schools to share the benefits of eating right and staying active. Colquitt was the Chiefs recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award (2010), a finalist for the Byron “Whizzer” White Award (2015) and a nominee for the Bart Starr Award (2018).

Fans are encouraged to participate in Nationwide’s 4th annual Charity Challenge, a social media campaign designed to support and promote team nominees. Fans can vote by using #WPMOYChallenge on Twitter with Colquitt’s last name somewhere in the post between Dec. 6 and Jan. 13. The player whose unique hashtag is used the most will receive a $25,000 contribution to their charity of choice, courtesy of Nationwide. Hashtag information and official rules can be found at NFL.com/ManOfTheYear.

All 32 nominees for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award are listed at NFL.com/ManOfTheYear. Colquitt and the 31 other nominees for the 2018 award began wearing a special helmet decal beginning during Week 14 games that will remain throughout the rest of the season in recognition of their nominations. Five of the previous award winners and current active players—New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees, Carolina Panthers LB Thomas Davis, Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald, New York Giants QB Eli Manning and Houston Texas DE J.J. Watt—wear a patch on their jersey in honor of their accomplishments.

— Chiefs Press Release —

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs still had plenty of firepower on offense even without star running back Kareem Hunt.

Mahomes threw four touchdown passes Sunday to join Peyton Manning and Tom Brady as the only QBs to reach the 40 TD mark through 12 games, sending the Chiefs to a 40-33 victory over the Oakland Raiders in the first game since releasing Hunt.

“The mindset of this team is whenever you get your opportunity, you make the most of it,” Mahomes said. “I think every single game someone else steps up. We kept our mind on that and just playing football, a game we love.”

The Chiefs (10-2) cut ties with Hunt after a months-old video surfaced on TMZ on Friday, showing him shoving and kicking a woman. No charges have been filed in the case from February, but the Chiefs let Hunt go because he misled them about the incident .

Spencer Ware replaced Hunt as starter and scored on a direct snap on fourth-and-goal from the 1 in the third quarter.

“That’s my brother,” Ware said about Hunt. “It’s a tough situation. But like I said, the men in this circle, the men in our locker room, the organization, Chiefs kingdom — we got one goal to win the Super Bowl. We got to stay distraction free. I don’t have anything else to say about that.”

Mahomes did most of the rest of the damage against the Raiders (2-10) with his arm.

He connected on two short touchdown passes to Travis Kelce in the first half, then found another tight end, Demetrius Harris, on a 13-yard pass late in the third quarter one play after an apparent TD to Kelce was called off by a replay review.

“Man, he ticked me off today,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. “It’s a credit to the guy. He made a third-and-15 play that was right on our sideline. I was outside myself I was so upset some of the plays he made today.”

Mahomes finished 23 for 38 for 295 yards and engineered a late TD drive capped by a 2-yard pass to Chris Conley after Oakland cut the deficit to three.

Oakland added a late field goal, but the Chiefs recovered the onside kick to seal the win.

Mahomes has 41 TD passes on the season, joining Manning (44 in 2004, 41 in `13) and Brady (41 in 2007) as the only QBs with at least 40 in the first 12 games of a season.

Kelce had 12 catches for 168 yards, topping the 1,000-yard mark for the third straight season.

Derek Carr threw three TD passes for the Raiders, but Oakland lost three fumbles that led to three scores for the Chiefs and reached double-digit losses for the 12th time in 16 seasons.

“It’s disappointing,” said running back Doug Martin, who lost one of the fumbles. “I don’t think it should have been that close. We should have been on top. The turnovers really, really hurt us.”

QUICK STRIKE

The Raiders got on the board on Martin’s 1-yard run to cut Kansas City’s lead to 13-7. But Mahomes needed just 57 yards to drive the length of the field. Demarcus Robinson had a 38-yard catch and raced across the entire width of the field to get out of bounds with 12 seconds left and the Chiefs having no timeouts.

Mahomes then found Kelce for his second TD of the game on the next play. Arden Key blocked the extra point to keep the score 19-7.

SCUFFLE

Oakland’s Jared Cook and Kansas City’s Eric Murray got into a scuffle late in the first half when they were jostling near the sideline well after the play. Both players were called for unsportsmanlike conduct on the play.

GIVE IT AWAY

The Chiefs got off to a rough start when Kelce lost a fumble on the opening play from scrimmage. It didn’t hurt the Chiefs, who got the ball back when the Raiders were unable to get a first down and punted after Rodney Hudson was called for a hold on a fourth-down run.

Martin and DeAndre Washington then lost fumbles for Oakland in the first half, leading to field goals for Harrison Butker. Oakland’s other halfback, Jalen Richard, lost a fumble in the third quarter that led to a TD for the Chiefs.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: Host Ravens next Sunday.

Raiders: Host Steelers next Sunday.

— Associated Press —

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jared Goff threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Gerald Everett for the go-ahead score with 1:49 to play, and the Los Angeles Rams outlasted the Kansas City Chiefs for a 54-51 victory on Monday night in a high-octane NFL offensive showdown that somehow surpassed the hype.

Patrick Mahomes threw six touchdown passes in his latest jaw-dropping performance for the Chiefs (9-2), but he also threw two interceptions in the final 1:18 as the Rams (10-1) claimed the highest-scoring Monday night game ever played and the first NFL game with two 50-point performances.

Goff passed for 413 yards and four touchdowns, while Marcus Peters and Lamarcus Joyner came up with late interceptions as the Rams hung on.

The highest-scoring game in the league this season was an offensive fantasia featuring 1,001 combined yards and ingenious scheming from mastermind coaches Andy Reid and Sean McVay — along with three defensive touchdowns and 21 combined penalties.

“It was a whirlwind,” McVay said. “I feel like I might need a couple of beverages to relax tonight, but it was great. This is what you love so much about the game.”

The Coliseum’s first Monday night game since 1985 was worth the wait — and if this fascinating spectacle turns out to be a Super Bowl preview, Atlanta should prepare for an All-Madden-level show from two of the most exciting teams in the league.

“It was one of the most competitive games I’ve been a part of,” McVay said. “It was just a competitive game with a lot of high-caliber football in all three phases.”

Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam returned a fumble and an interception for the first two TDs of his NFL career, while Kansas City’s Allen Bailey returned Goff’s fumble for a go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

The second half was an extended thriller featuring 59 combined points, but the Rams made slightly more big plays down the stretch.

After Goff led a 75-yard scoring drive in 89 seconds for the go-ahead TD to Everett, former Kansas City cornerback Marcus Peters intercepted Mahomes’ underthrown ball near midfield with 1:18 to play.

The Rams only managed to get 14 seconds off the clock on their next three plays, and the Coliseum roiled in anticipation of a big finish by Mahomes. But the Chiefs were pushed back to their 13 with 50 seconds left thanks to a booming punt by Johnny Hekker, and Joyner intercepted Mahomes’ final desperate heave with 13 seconds left.

This game has loomed in capital letters on the NFL’s regular season schedule ever since these teams confirmed their status as offensive powerhouses in September. Along with New Orleans and New England, the Rams and Chiefs are the league’s biggest favorites for long postseason runs.

But before January, these offensive powerhouses put on a show for a prime-time audience.

— Associated Press —

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NFL moved the Rams’ Monday night showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs from Mexico City to Los Angeles on Tuesday due to the poor condition of the field at Azteca Stadium.

The league announced the extraordinary decision six days before one of the most-anticipated regular-season games of the year.

In a news release, the league said it determined that the recently re-sodded field at Mexico City’s historic stadium “does not meet NFL standards for playability and consistency, and will not meet those standards by next Monday.”

The Rams (9-1) will host the Chiefs (9-1) at the Coliseum instead. The much-anticipated game is just the fifth meeting since 1970 between teams with one or fewer losses in Week 11 or later.

The decision creates a morass of logistical concerns for the teams and fans traveling to Mexico, and it disappoints thousands of Mexican fans eager to see a marquee matchup in North America’s most populous city. But the league consulted with the players’ association and local officials before deciding it couldn’t risk the players’ health on a damaged field.

“The combination of a difficult rainy season and a heavy multi-event calendar of events at the stadium have resulted in significant damage to the field that presents unnecessary risks to player safety and makes it unsuitable to host an NFL game,” said Mark Waller, the NFL’s executive vice president of international. “As a result, we have determined that moving the game is the right decision, and one that we needed to announce now in order to allow our teams and fans to make alternate arrangements.”

Azteca officials changed the playing surface from natural grass to a hybrid in May, but the turf hasn’t been ideal for several months. Concern about the field grew in recent days when aerial photos of the stadium showed serious damage to the grass, particularly on the end of the stadium recently used for a major concert.

Cruz Azul, the Liga MX soccer club that shares the stadium with Club America, played a tournament game on the field last Saturday in noticeably poor conditions. Coach Pedro Caixinha expressed concern, and the NFL continued working with groundskeepers to improve the field.

“The long and unusual rain season, as well as the calendar of events with third parties in Estadio Azteca, might be a factor for the grass to be far from optimal conditions,” Azteca Stadium authorities said in a press release.

The Rams are required to keep the Coliseum available as a backup in case of a problem with international games. They immediately announced plans for ticket sales starting Wednesday, with season ticket holders allowed to buy their own seats and up to four more.

The Rams also will give away thousands of seats to first responders and people affected by recent tragedies in Southern California. Deadly wildfires have ravaged several areas near the Rams’ training complex in Thousand Oaks for the past week, and 12 people were killed in a mass shooting in Thousand Oaks last Wednesday night.

The move also creates big logistical obstacles for “Monday Night Football” broadcaster ESPN, which will have to shift its operations back to the West Coast.

“We have been in communication with the NFL and we understand the league’s decision,” the network said in a statement. “We are already in the process of adjusting our plans and will be ready to present this much-anticipated matchup on Monday Night Football from Los Angeles. We also remain committed to identifying future opportunities with the league to engage its already strong fan base in Mexico.”

Azteca hosted the first regular-season game ever held outside the U.S. in 2005 when Arizona beat San Francisco. The stadium has hosted several NFL exhibitions, and the Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans and New England Patriots all played regular-season games there over the past two years.

The Rams played in England in each of the previous two seasons, and they are expected to have another international game next season, as required of teams playing in a temporary home stadium.

Both the Rams and the Chiefs were due to play in Mexico for the first time next week. Kansas City has played just one regular-season game outside the U.S., going to London in 2015.

The Rams are in the third of four seasons at the Coliseum before their new multi-billion-dollar stadium complex in Inglewood opens in 2020. The venerable Coliseum hasn’t hosted a “Monday Night Football” game since October 1985, and the Rams haven’t hosted a game there on a Monday night since 1979, before they moved to Anaheim and then St. Louis.

The Rams traveled to Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Monday to spend their week of practice in high altitudes to prepare for Mexico City’s conditions — and they plan to stay put anyway.

Several players and coaches are still displaced from their homes near their training complex in Thousand Oaks by evacuations due to fire danger, and the Rams already transported the families and friends of many players and employees to Colorado Springs. The Rams currently plan to fly home on the weekend.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes will always have some special TV footage of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrating his record-setting touchdown pass in a win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

That’s because Tyreek Hill was the one recording it.

Mahomes threw for 249 yards at was too with two TD strikes to Hill, but it was the second one that sent the Chiefs’ first-year starter past Hall of Famer Len Dawson for the single-season TD record. It was the 31st for Mahomes — with six games yet to play — and it helped lift Kansas City to a 26-14 victory over the Cardinals and another game closer to the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

Hill celebrated the score by leaping into the stands, then commandeering the CBS camera — earning him an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from the officials and a sharp rebuke from coach Andy Reid.

“The celebration just came into my head,” Hill said. “For him to come in and do that, that’s amazing, man. People doubted him — `He wasn’t going to do this, he wasn’t going to do that.’ I’m proud of him.”

Hill had seven catches for 117 yards. Kareem Hunt pounded his way for 71 yards rushing. The defense came up with five sacks and two picks. And the Chiefs’ special teams were nearly perfect, helping to keep the Cardinals (2-7) winless in six meetings at Arrowhead Stadium.

“It was definitely a grind out there,” Hunt said, “and definitely a team that was trying to come up big in a big-time win to get their program back on track, but most importantly we got the win.”

Josh Rosen had 195 yards passing with a touchdown, but two interceptions and several brutal hits in the fourth quarter no doubt left a lasting impression. David Johnson ran for 98 yards with TDs on the ground and through the air, while Larry Fitzgerald had six catches for 50 yards and passed Terrell Owens for No. 2 on the NFL’s career receiving yardage list in the closing minutes.

Fitzgerald has 15,952 yards in 15-year career, trailing only Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.

“I’m pretty close to T.O. His friendship and my relationship with him is valuable to me. He means a great deal to me,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s frustrating that it comes in another loss.”

The Chiefs’ weekly air show got started on the game’s first play, when Hill ran right past Patrick Peterson to haul in a 38-yard reception. Two plays later, Hill ran past the rest of the Arizona defense and Mahomes found him streaking into the end zone for a 37-yard scoring catch.

Arizona answered with a time-consuming 75-yard touchdown drive of its own.

Both defenses fared better the rest of the half, with the Cardinals sacking Mahomes four times and the Chiefs’ rejuvenated defense getting enough pressure to keep Rosen uncomfortable.

The Chiefs finally reached the end zone again when Mahomes zipped a third-and-goal pass into double coverage to Hill, who cradled it for his quarterback’s record-setting score.

“Listen, he’s had a heck of a year,” Reid said of Mahomes, who was not available after the game because of a family emergency. “He’s played his heart out and I love the backside of that, how he goes about his business. He has a lot on his plate as far as responsibility goes to run the offense.”

As for Hill’s touchdown celebration?

“That was too much,” Reid said, hiding a smile. “I was not happy.”

The Cardinals stuck with Johnson in the second half, and they slowly grinded their way to another touchdown. He carried it six times and finished a 12-play, 61-yard drive with a TD plunge to get Arizona within 20-14 midway through the third quarter.

But after the Cardinals got the ball back early in the fourth, Rosen had a screen pass picked by Justin Houston at the line of scrimmage. And instead of marching for a go-ahead TD, the Cardinals watched Spencer Ware dive in for a touchdown to extend a lead the Chiefs would never relinquish.

“Thought the guys fought to the end,” Cardinals coach Steve Wilks said. “There are no moral victories in this game. All credit goes to Kansas City. Well-prepared, good football team.”

QUOTABLE

“I think we did a couple things really well. We’ve just got to duplicate it. Our opening drives were pretty long and sustainable, and kept our defense off the field. We had pretty well-timed possessions. A little good nugget here and there, but some bad things to clean up.” — Rosen.

COIN-TOSS LOSS

The Chiefs lost their first coin toss all season when the Cardinals successfully called tails. They deferred to the second half, forcing Kansas City to start on offense for the first time.

INJURIES

Cardinals: WR Chad Williams (ankle), LG Mike Iupati (back) and DL Robert Nkemdichi (calf) were inactive. … RG Justin Pugh left early in the second half with a knee injury.

Chiefs: WR Sammy Watkins (foot), SS Eric Berry (heel), LB Frank Zombo (hamstring) and OL Mitch Morse (concussion) were inactive. … Houston (hamstring) was active for the first time since Oct. 7.

UP NEXT

Arizona returns home to face the Raiders next Sunday.

Kansas City faces the Rams next Monday night in Mexico City.

— Associated Press —

CLEVELAND (AP) — With almost every flick of his right wrist, the legend of Patrick Mahomes grows.

And he’s just beginning.

Only 10 games into his NFL career, Kansas City’s young quarterback is doing things that have never been done before.

Mahomes passed for 375 yards, threw three touchdown passes — two to Cleveland native Travis Kelce — and continued the best start by a QB in 68 years as Kansas City’s impossible-to-handle offense kept rolling with a 37-21 win on Sunday over the Cleveland Browns, who played their first game since coach Hue Jackson’s firing.

Kareem Hunt, who also has Cleveland connections, had two scoring runs and one receiving for the Chiefs (8-1), who came in averaging 36.3 points with an offense overloaded with weapons for Mahomes.

The 23-year-old used all of them in winning his first pro matchup against Baker Mayfield and the Browns (2-6-1).

“It’s a lot of fun,” said Mahomes, who was hurt by a couple drops. “It makes my job a lot easier knowing that I can trust these guys are going to be in the right spot. They’re taking care of their business. They’re running the routes and making route adjustments on the fly just because they’ve looked at the film and know how to do those things.”

Mahomes and Mayfield didn’t match their epic college meeting in 2016, when they combined for more than 1,700 yards in offense. But the Chiefs put on another impressive offensive show with 499 total yards, averaging 8.6 per snap.

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett said preparing for Mahomes and Kansas City’s air-and-ground show is nothing like playing against it.

“Their offense has a nice tempo and he gets the ball out of his hand pretty quick, so it’s hard to stop,” he said. “He spreads the ball around really well and everybody is getting touches. You don’t know who it’s going to go to next.”

In his second season, Mahomes, who made just one start as a rookie, already has 29 TD passes and 3,185 yards, the most by any QB through 10 games since 1950. He has passed for at least 300 yards in eight straight games.

“It’s a weird deal — he just goes out there and plays,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He works hard. He loves doing it. He just goes about his business the way that you’re supposed to do it.”

Cleveland lost its fourth straight, but it looked better under interim coach Gregg Williams than it did with Jackson, fired on Monday after going 3-36-1 in two-plus seasons.

Mayfield threw two TD passes to Duke Johnson and finished 29 of 42 for 297 yards with one interception.

The Browns came in facing a monumental task in trying to slow Mahomes and an offense with speed, depth and no noticeable weaknesses.

Things got much tougher for Cleveland when starting cornerback Damarious Randall (groin) was scratched and E.J. Gaines (concussion) and rookie Denzel Ward (hip) both got hurt in the first half.

Kansas City scored a touchdown on its first three possessions and the Chiefs only had the ball for 11:29 in the first half as the Browns were able to control the clock.

The Chiefs picked up where they left off in the third quarter with Mahomes firing a 13-yard TD pass to Kelce, giving Kansas City a 28-15 lead.

Kelce couldn’t stop smiling as he talked about his QB.

“You mean Showtime Mahomes?” he said. “He came in with the understanding this thing could be very special. We added a few pieces to the puzzle and the offensive line is playing lights out. It’s a combination of everything that’s making him feel comfortable out there.”

MAYFIELD HEAD SHOT

Mayfield was checked for a concussion and cleared after a questionable hit late in the third quarter.

Mayfield was backpedaling and being wrapped up by Chris Jones when the rookie QB was struck in the helmet by Chiefs defensive back Ron Parker, who came in late but was not penalized. The NFL’s on-site medical spotter called down and Mayfield had to leave the game to be checked for a head injury.

“I think the rule is if they see me messing with my helmet, they are going to take precaution,” Mayfield said. “When you get hit in the head, your helmet moves around so I am going to shift it so it fits correctly. It is just interesting how it works. I had to come out of the game and take the exam.”

LUCKY STREAK

The Chiefs won the coin toss for the ninth consecutive week and elected to defer.

HOMETOWN HERO

A Cleveland native, Hunt bought more than 100 tickets for the game and had them given to the players and coaches at his high school alma mater.

“It’s a dream come true that I’m able to do something like that,” said Hunt, who rushed for 91 yards. “It’s a stadium I used to drive by almost every day.”

LINE SHIFT

Browns rookie left tackle Desmond Harrison sat out with an unspecified illness and was replaced by Greg Robinson, a former No. 2 overall pick who made his first start.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: Host Arizona on Nov. 11

Browns: Host Atlanta on Nov. 11.

— Associated Press —