The confirmed death toll from an earthquake and tsunami on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island has risen to 1,234, from 844, the national disaster agency said on Tuesday.

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake on Friday triggered tsunami waves as high as six metres (20 feet), which ravaged the small city of Palu, on the west coast of Sulawesi.

Nearly 200,000 people have been displaced and are in need of emergency help, while thousands have been streaming out of the stricken areas.

Rescuers have yet to reach many affected areas leading to fears the death toll could rise again.

Nigel Timmins, Oxfam’s humanitarian director, said it could take weeks to realise the full extent of the disaster.

“It’s not just a wall of water, it’s a wall of water full of debris: concrete, trees, cars – everything being churned around like a giant cement mixer. It’s like a huge bulldozer that clears away the land and afterward you’re left with complete chaos,” Timmins told Al Jazeera.

About 1,700 houses in one Palu neighbourhood were swallowed up, with hundreds of people believed buried, the national disaster agency said.

There was also mounting concern over Donggala, a region of 300,000 people north of Palu and close to the epicentre, and two other districts – with a combined population of about 1.4 million.

Initial reports from Red Cross rescuers who had reached the outskirts of Donggala district were chilling.

“The situation in the affected areas is nightmarish,” Jan Gelfand, head of an the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) office in Jakarta, said in a statement.

“The city of Palu has been devastated and first reports out of Donggala indicate that it has also been hit extremely hard by the double disaster,” Gelfand said.

Certain talents emerge and change the game forever. 

Jim Brown’s combination of size, speed and athleticism redefined the standard for everyone who followed. Lawrence Taylor revolutionized how to rush and protect the passer. Peyton Manning‘s cerebral approach advanced how quarterbacks prepare and the amount of responsibility placed on the position. 

Patrick Mahomes is now redefining how we view the game’s most important position. 

His breathtaking performance on Monday during the Kansas City Chiefs’ 27-23 victory over the rival Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium only solidified his ascendency. 

The evolution of professional football is geared 100 percent toward quarterbacks and offensive play. As a result, wide-open passing attacks have become the norm. As NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks noted on Twitter, 13 different signal-callers threw for more than 300 yards this past weekend, with 24 receivers eclipsing 100 yards. Furthermore, the league featured 227 passing touchdowns through four weeks of play—an NFL record—before the Chiefs and Broncos even took the field. 

Mahomes already set a record with 13 passing touchdowns through the first three weeks. 

He is now the standard-bearer for what other franchises want from the position, because his game extends well beyond being a simple facilitator working within the Chiefs’ offensive structure, a la Alex Smith. 

Instead, the second-year gunslinger brings an exciting brand of football that supersedes traditional approaches, even if he’s not playing flawless football. The days of Tom Brady and Drew Brees are coming to an end. Spread-style offenses with built-in pocket movement, run-pass options, zone reads, numerous slip screens and smoke routes as well as a heavy reliance on multiple-receiver sets allow the position to feature playmakers as much as cerebral assassins, who work best from inside the pocket. 

Mahomes’ entire repertoire came into play when trailing the Broncos by 10 points with 12:47 remaining in the fourth quarter after failing to establish a rhythm in the first half. During Kansas City’s final two drives, Mahomes was 13 of 16 passing for 157 yards. 

His overall efficiency at a critical juncture is actually less impressive than the natural playmaking the quarterback displayed in crucial situations. 

Mahomes consistently avoided pressure, with his offensive line appearing to be in sync. His ability to create outside the pocket is something to behold, and the NFL hasn’t seen anything like it in a long time, per ESPN Stats & Information: 

Two examples can be found on those final drives, and they best encapsulate how the Chiefs quarterback is making a mockery of the game. 

One highlight will be played over and over again in the coming days. Did everyone know Mahomes is ambidextrous? Neither did the Denver Broncos. While in the grasp of the game’s best edge rusher, Von Miller, the 23-year-old signal-caller switched hands and flicked the ball to Tyreek Hill for a crucial third-down conversion with just over three minutes remaining to keep the Chiefs alive: 

Four plays later, the Chiefs faced another third-down as they chased a victory. No worries. Pressure from Mahomes’ blindside flushed the quarterback to his right, where he threw a rope to tight end Demetrius Harris: 

“I knew if I could give my receiver time to get open that I could throw it to them and make plays,” Mahomes told reporters. “When you play defenses like this in one of the more hostile environments in this league, it becomes a confidence booster to face adversity and come out with a win.” 

Mahomes is at his absolute best when he’s unleashed and playing good ol’ backyard football, much like Brett Favre did during his illustrious career. 

The difference is the Chiefs aren’t worried about reining in Mahomes like Mike Holmgren once did with his Hall of Fame quarterback. Kansas City knew exactly what it was getting when the team chose its face of the franchise. 

“Chiefs general manager Brett Veach, who is a far cry from the spread panickers of years past, told me his team didn’t even consider what type of offense Mahomes was playing in at Texas Tech before they traded up to draft him with the 10th overall pick in 2017,” The Ringer’s Kevin Clark reported. “Rather, they just evaluated the player’s skills.”

The Chiefs are playing to their quarterback’s strengths instead of trying to shoehorn him into a specific scheme. Mahomes played in a dreaded Air Raid variation during his time at Texas Tech. He’s still doing so, in a manner of speaking. Mahomes has been especially effective working in five-receiver sets, per Pro Football Focus’ Steve Palazzolo: 

Adaptability is the name of the game.

The Chiefs are well ahead of other offenses around the league. The coaching staff allows the prodigiously talented quarterback to be himself in a system with play-calls suited to his skill set and the freedom to capitalize on his exceptional free-styling capabilities. 

Mahomes is unique. His elite arm talent, athleticism and intelligence provide the complete package. Other organizations can’t replicate someone so gifted. Nor should they try.

But others can take a similar approach by building their systems around their quarterbacks and allowing them to do more, even if it actually means simplifying certain aspects. 

Even after Mahomes looked human for one half, his superpowers ignited in the second half once again to provide the NFL with the hero it needed. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @brentsobleski.

There aren’t enough words in the English language to describe Patrick Mahomes.

It appeared as if he and the Kansas City Chiefs were well on their way to their first loss of the season when they fell behind the Denver Broncos 23-13 in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. Then he unleashed a left-handed throw, dazzling mobility and two cold-blooded touchdown drives to clinch a 27-23 victory and move to 4-0. 

Mahomes finished 28-of-45 for 304 yards, two total touchdowns and zero interceptions in the AFC West showdown and created early separation from the 2-2 Broncos in the division standings.

Patrick Mahomes Has Emerged as Legit NFL Superstar After Incredible Comeback

Mahomes and the explosive Chiefs offense has been the story of the season in the AFC. After all, he threw for a video-game like 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions in the first three games and looked like the best quarterback in the league in the process.

However, it takes memorable performances on prime-time stages to elevate into NFL superstardom, and that is exactly what Mahomes delivered Monday in the face of extensive adversity.

He was operating without one of his primary weapons after the team announced Sammy Watkins suffered a hamstring injury. What’s more, his offensive line struggled to deal with the overwhelming crowd noise in Denver and committed multiple drive-stalling penalties while failing to keep Von Miller and the pass rush out of the backfield.

It was a testament to Mahomes’ incredible individual talent the Broncos finished with just one sack, as he twisted out of arm tackles, evaded blitzers with his athleticism and even showed off his wheels with a touchdown run. 

He responded to the 10-point deficit with a 12-play, 75-yard drive—that included a fourth-down conversion and a touchdown pass to Travis Kelce—to cut into the lead and an eight-play, 60-yard drive to win it. While Kareem Hunt (121 rushing yards) scored the final touchdown, it was Mahomes’ inexplicable left-handed throw to Tyreek Hill with Miller bearing down on him that stood out.

The play will be on all the year-end highlight reels and underscores Mahomes’ ascension to the next tier of quarterback play in front of a national audience.

A league MVP and potential Super Bowl run is well within his capabilities.

Chiefs Defense Puts Ceiling on Super Bowl Aspirations

For all the deserved praise Mahomes and the Chiefs offense receive, the harsh reality is the defense could prevent this team from lifting the Lombardi Trophy.

It was dead last in the league in yards allowed per game and 30th in points allowed per game entering play Monday, and the struggles continued as the Broncos offensive line consistently opened massive holes while Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay combined for 136 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Freeman’s touchdown highlighted Kansas City’s lackluster tackling as he dragged defenders into the end zone on what should have been an unsuccessful play.

Frankly, Kansas City’s defense is lucky it didn’t give up the winning touchdown after Mahomes engineered the incredible comeback. Denver’s final drive included a fourth-down conversion, a 36-yard gain by Jeff Heuerman and a wide-open Demaryius Thomas who would have scored had Case Keenum not airmailed him. 

Between Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Andy Dalton, Philip Rivers and even a resurgent Joe Flacco, Kansas City’s defense will surely face a combination of talented quarterbacks on the road to the Super Bowl. It may even play a daunting defense like the Jacksonville Jaguars’ and be forced to make stops to remain in the game.

This group isn’t talented enough to avoid critical mistakes in the single-elimination playoffs, let alone in a possible Super Bowl matchup with the likes of Jared Goff, Aaron Rodgers, Carson Wentz, Cam Newton or Drew Brees. 

Mahomes will need to be Superman on a weekly basis come January if the Chiefs are going to overcome their defense.

Case Keenum Leaves Broncos Fans Longing For More

The Broncos would have won this game with even an average performance by Keenum.

He finished 21-of-33 for 245 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception and wasn’t able to complement a strong two-headed rushing attack. His missed throw to Thomas will haunt him as he watches it back on film.

Quarterbacks with realistic Super Bowl hopes make those big throws.

Keenum’s ceiling is the Broncos’ ceiling. They are relying on a quarterback who has one good season on his resume. While he was great for the Minnesota Vikings in 2017 with 22 touchdown passes and seven picks, Keenum appeared in more than eight games in just one year prior to that, recording nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2016 for the Los Angeles Rams. 

The rushing attack is there for the Broncos. The pass rush is there for the Broncos. The consistent quarterback play they need to contend for an AFC West crown isn’t.

It cost them Monday.

What’s Next?

Both teams face AFC opponents in Week 5 with the Chiefs hosting the Jaguars and the Broncos at the New York Jets.

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