Chiefs clinch No. 1 seed in the AFC with thumping of Raiders at Arrowhead
As stadium cameras found Patrick Mahomes taking a seat on the bench midway through the third quarter of the Chiefs’ 35-3 victory over the Oakland Raiders, the chatter in the crowd unified, reaching a fever pitch.
M-V-P! M-V-P!
For a tortured fanbase that’s suffered through years of playoff collapses and gut-wrenching finishes, it was a celebration and a prayer. Their quarterback, the 23-year-old wunderkind, had captured their hearts and imaginations through his first 17 weeks as the Chiefs’ full-time starter. And now, he was inking his name in the record books alongside some of the most prolific quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL.
He’s the Chiefs’ best shot at winning the franchise’s first MVP award — and at breaking a playoff curse that’s been hanging around the team like a poisonous fog for decades.
“Pat Mahomes is a different breed,” defensive end and teammate Chris Jones said.
Moments before the chant, Mahomes put an exclamation point on his MVP campaign, finding wide receiver Demarcus Robinson for an 89-yard score — his 50th touchdown throw of the season. He also eclipsed 5,000 passing yards in the process.
As Robinson backpeddled into the end zone, Mahomes embraced lineman Mitchell Schwartz to celebrate the achievement.
“This team, we love each other,” Mahomes said. “We root for each other and that’s why we’ve had such success so far.”
With the score, Mahomes (14 of 24, 281 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) became just the third quarterback in NFL history to reach 50 touchdowns throws in a single season.
Not bad for a first-year starter. Not bad at all.
“It’s a credit to my teammates, “ Mahomes said of his achievement. “The offensive line kept me upright all season long. Guys were making plays on short passes, they were scoring touchdowns. It’s a combination of all that, Coach Reid calling these great plays.”
The official MVP votes haven’t been cast, but this much is clear: Thanks to Sunday’s win against the Raiders, the Chiefs (12-4) will enter the postseason with the No. 1 seed, homefield advantage, a first-round bye and quite possibly the league’s soon-to-be crowned Most Valuable Player.
“He’s been the MVP,” coach Andy Reid said. “He’s done good. He’s a heck of a player. I was fortunate enough to be around a three-time MVP and a couple guys that were right on the edge of being MVP. And this guy’s right in that category. He’s so deserving.
“In a world here of great players, for him to do the things he’s done is phenomenal. He’ll continue to do that. He’s still got room to grow. That’s the exciting part. Something for Kansas City to be very excited about.”
Kansas City will also begin the playoff race with two more of the most prolific offensive weapons in franchise history. Both Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce set records in Sunday night’s win. With his 67-yard touchdown reception on the opening drive, Hill set a Chiefs record for single-season receiving yards (1,445), eclipsing Derrick Alexander’s mark of 1,391 set in 2000. By the end of the game, Hill led the Chiefs with five catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Kelce, who finished with five receptions for 62 yards, had to wait until the fourth quarter to get his record, picking up his 103rd reception of the season on a 25-yard strike from Mahomes. With that, he broke Tony Gonzalez’s team record of 102 receptions in a season, set in 2004. And he broke the single-season NFL mark for receiving yards by a tight end, passing Rob Gronkowski’s mark of 1,327 with the New England Patriots, set in 2011. He didn’t hold that record long, though: 49ers tight end George Kittle eclipsed Kelce’s mark less than an hour later.
And on an evening in which the Chiefs hurdled multiple offensive benchmarks, the defense provided the foundation for a blowout win and the clinching of the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
The first four Raiders possessions ended in turnovers, including a 54-yard pick-6 by safety Dan Sorensen on the Raiders’ second drive. The turnover ended Oakland quarterback Derek Carr’s lengthy interception-free streak that began in October.
“We know what we’re capable of,” Jones said. “We kind of fell short on doing it during the last two past games, so we knew we had to make a statement this game.”
The defense, usually so maligned, feasted on the Raiders beginning with Oakland’s first possession. That one, which lasted just four plays, ended when defensive lineman Allen Bailey stripped the ball from running back Doug Martin and deftly recovered the fumble. Though Bailey’s heads-up play gave the offense the ball at the Raiders’ 45, the Chiefs gave the ball back just three plays later as the offense stalled out.
The next time around, the Chiefs defense took matters into their own hands with Sorensen’s pick-6 to give Kansas City a 14-0 lead with 5:44 to go in the first quarter.
After Sorensen’s score, the Raiders’ offense returned to the field. But Oakland again had its drive thwarted by another big-time defensive play. On second-and-10, Justin Houston terrorized Carr, swatting the ball out of his hand as he sacked him. Houston jumped on the loose ball, sealing the Raiders’ third turnover of the day.
Mahomes and Co. made good on this momentum swing, stringing together a drive that ended with running back Damien Williams, only a few days removed from signing a two-year contract extension, returning to the end zone for his fourth rushing touchdown this season. Williams’ score pushed the Chiefs to a 21-0 lead with 9:31 to go until halftime.
Like the Raiders’ first three drives, the fourth also ended prematurely. Linebacker Reggie Ragland intercepted another Carr throw, this one intended for Jordy Nelson, and returned it 67 yards to Oakland’s 4-yard-line. The offense, though, couldn’t finish the job and turned the ball over on downs to set up Oakland’s lone scoring drive.
The Raiders (4-12) finally got on the board with a 50-yard field goal with a minute to go until halftime after a third-down stop by the defense. Oakland’s score coupled with a Mahomes’ interception on a deep pass for Hill in the final minute, the Chiefs carried a 21-3 lead into halftime.
After an inconsistent first half with two-near interceptions by Tahir Whitehead, Mahomes found his rhythm in the second half and helped the Chiefs outscore the Raiders 14-0 to preserve the win and finally clinch the AFC title that had eluded them the previous two weeks.
With the win, the Chiefs will have a first-round bye and will begin the playoffs in the divisional round on Jan. 12 at 3:35 p.m. against either the Chargers, Ravens or the winner of the late Sunday night Colts-Titans game.
Before Sunday, most of the Chiefs’ players had never heard an NFL stadium full of fans shout an MVP chant in sync. But with Kansas City hosting throughout the playoffs, it likely won’t be the last time it’s heard.
“He’s a playmaker,” Houston said. “He makes plenty of plays. I’m glad he’s on my team.”
This story was originally published December 30, 2018 at 6:19 PM.