What we learned from Chiefs’ win in Las Vegas Sunday night against the rival Raiders
Forget any potential victory bus ride around Allegiant Stadium.
The Chiefs earned a well-deserved rest on the plane ride home.
The Chiefs and Raiders traded punches Sunday night while seeking the knockout blow in an AFC West heavyweight fight.
In the end, it was the Chiefs who survived with a thrilling 35-31 win in one of the more entertaining games around the NFL for Week 11 — and potentially beyond, given the nature of the two games between the divisional foes this fall.
“The rivalry between the Raiders and the Chiefs, I think, is a great thing for football,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after the game. “It’s great to be a part of it and I know that team is well-coached and I know they’ve got good players. I look for more future challenges like the one that they presented here in the last couple of times we played them.”
The two teams exchanged early touchdowns and the Chiefs found themselves down 17-14 at halftime before taking a 28-24 lead in the fourth quarter. Las Vegas battled back and retook the lead at 31-28 when tight end Jason Witten hauled in a 1-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, however, stepped on the field with less than two minutes remaining in the game and led the team on a game-winning drive. Mahomes finished it with a 22-yard touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce.
The win ensured the Chiefs, now 9-1, kept pace with the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-0) in the chase for the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC. The Chiefs also opened a three-game lead over the Raiders (6-4) in the division and split the annual regular-season series.
Here’s what we learned from Sunday night’s game.
DÉJÀ VU?
The late-game drama produced good feelings for Kansas City, but if there’s a big takeaway from Sunday night, it’s that the Raiders have figured out the Chiefs’ defense this season.
In two games, the Raiders have produced 854 total yards and 71 points, earning the respect from from one of the Chiefs’ top offensive stars.
“This is the best Raiders team that I’ve played since I’ve been in the league,” Kelce said. “Very well-coached. They’ve got a whole lot of great players over there and they play well together.”
The Chiefs allowed seven explosive plays, defined as 20 yards or more, in their Week 5 loss to the Raiders, and apparently didn’t fully apply any lessons they’d learned early in Sunday’s game.
Las Vegas had a 26-yard catch by tight end Darren Waller and a 29-yard catch by wide receiver Nelson Agholor on its opening possession to set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Josh Jacobs.
Throughout the first half, the Raiders’ offense had moments in the spotlight. They scored on their first three possessions en route to a 17-14 halftime lead. The Chiefs’ inability to apply pressure on Carr had a lot to do with that, as he completed 13 of 16 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown with a 135.2 passer rating before intermission. Carr wasn’t sacked in the game and the Chiefs recorded just one quarterback hit.
Hopes of positive halftime adjustments from Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo didn’t materialize in the third quarter. Wide receiver Hunter Renfrow came up with a 21-yard catch to set up Waller’s wide-open 3-yard touchdown catch. Waller proved a thorn in the Chiefs’ side throughout the game, with seven catches for 88 yards.
Agholor also came up with another play for 20 yards in the fourth quarter on a third-and-5.
Defensive penalties also haunted the Chiefs in the fourth quarter. Defensive tackle Chris Jones was flagged as offsides and cornerback Bashaud Breeland drew a pass-interference infraction in the end zone on the same drive as the Raiders took a short-lived 31-28 lead.
Ultimately, the Chiefs won. But they can’t feel good about their overall defensive effort.
CHIEFS’ OFFENSE DOES ITS PART
While the defense had issues, the Chiefs’ offense didn’t have trouble keeping pace with the Raiders. KC produced an eye-popping 36 first downs, averaging 6.3 yards per play.
Mahomes completed 34 of 45 passes for 348 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, just his second of the season. Both of his picks this season have come against the Raiders. Mahomes extended his streak of games with a touchdown to 20, the longest active streak in the NFL.
With the game in doubt with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, the Chiefs knew they were in good hands.
“I’ve got Pat Mahomes,” Reid said. “So, I know if you give me a minute and a half and I’m pretty good right there.”
Kelce continued to feast on the Raiders, producing eight catches for 127 yards. Kelce closed out the two-game annual series with a combined 16 catches for 235 yards and two touchdowns. The star tight end also completed a 4-yard pass to wide receiver Byron Pringle on a play that Kelce revealed was named “Slot Machine Right.”
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill was plenty involved in the passing attack, too, totaling 11 catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. Hill now has a team-high 10 receiving touchdowns this season.
CLYDE PLOWS THROUGH VEGAS
Rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire made up for a meager 40-yard rushing performance in the season’s previous matchup against the Raiders.
He gashed the Raiders with 69 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, averaging 4.9 yards per carry.
“I felt comfortable out there,” Edwards-Helaire said. “I fell like I did my job.”
The Raiders didn’t have an answer for the Chiefs’ main rusher, who showed power on his first touchdown run from 3 yards out. Edwards-Helaire took the handoff and appeared to be stopped a yard short of the goal line, but he kept his legs moving and bounced off the contact before powering through at least two more attempted tackles for the score.
Le’Veon Bell also got into the action with a 6-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, marking his first trip into the end zone in a Chiefs uniform. Bell finished the game with 25 yards rushing and the score on seven carries.
COVID REPURCUSSIONS
Wide receiver Mecole Hardman spent the past two weeks on the COVID-19 list and missed all game-week preparation before being activated Saturday.
Sammy Watkins’ hamstring and calf injury might have forced the Chiefs’ hand in activating Hardman for depth, but Hardman’s absence from practice meant he didn’t have the opportunity to absorb the game plan.
Hardman didn’t step on the field until the fourth quarter, when Byron Pringle, who started the game alongside Tyreek Hill and Demarcus Robinson, suffered an ankle injury. His ability to be included in the game scheme was affected by his missed time.
Hardman did come up big late in the fourth quarter with a 15-yard catch that helped extend the Chiefs’ game-winning drive.
THORNHILL’S ROLE
Second-year free safety Juan Thornhill didn’t see a full load of action and was part of a rotation with Tyrann Matheu and Daniel Sorensen on the back end of coverage.
Reid pointed out after the game that the approach was by design. He said Thornhill is not hurt.
“That was part of the plan,” Reid said. “He’s a situational guy right now. We’re just kind of bringing him back slowly.”
Thornhill suffered a torn ACL in Week 17 of the 2019 regular season, so his light duty makes sense. He remains less than a year removed from the injury. He finished the game with a single tackle.
INJURIES
Pringle was the only injury of note for the Chiefs Sunday, according to Reid.
UP NEXT
The Chiefs travel to Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12.
This story was originally published November 22, 2020 at 10:45 PM.
