Chiefs create some AFC West breathing room ... and the Raiders feel like a rival again
Throughout the season a fifth straight AFC West championship seemed a forgone conclusion for the Chiefs. Earlier this fall, there didn’t seem to be a serious challenger in the division.
Then the Raiders got hot, recording a victory at Arrowhead Stadium, and kept pace with the division leaders in Kansas City. A victory Sunday night might have turned the race into a toss-up.
But the Chiefs pulled it out in dramatic fashion, 35-31, starting their game-winning touchdown drive with 1:43 remaining and completing it with Patrick Mahomes’ 22-yard touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce.
Now, look at the standings. Instead of the Chiefs holding a one-game lead over Las Vegas, with the Raiders owning the tie-breaker edge thanks to a season series sweep, the Chiefs stand 9-1 with three-game lead over the Raiders (6-4).
Three games up with six remaining is huge for this reason: By record, the Raiders have the easiest schedule left in the AFC. Their remaining games include just two against teams with winning records, the Colts and Dolphins.
The Chiefs’ remaining schedule includes just three against teams with winning records, the Buccaneers, Saints and Dolphins.
Sunday’s outcome gives the Chiefs some breathing room in the division. It also allowed the Chiefs to keep pace with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who remained undefeated after Sunday’s victory over Jacksonville.
The Steelers have four games remaining against teams with winning records, starting with a division battle against the Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh also has games remaining against the Bills, Colts and Browns.
The stakes are high. If the season ended today, the Steelers would be the No. 1 seed in the AFC and the Chiefs would be No. 2. The playoff bracket now includes seven teams, which means only the top seed gets a bye. The second seed must play a first-round game.
The Chiefs hold a two-game lead over the other two division leaders. Buffalo leads the East at 7-3, with the Chiefs having the tiebreaker advantage there. The Titans and Colts stand 7-3 in the South.
Sunday night, the Chiefs trailed five different times. They responded each time with a go-ahead score, and although there was plenty of talk this past week about a revenge edge for the Chiefs, there was no emotional advantage in the game. Jon Gruden’s Raiders came out hot and led the entire first half.
“This is the best Raiders team I’ve faced since I’ve been here,” Kelce said.
And Chiefs coach Andy Reid expects more games like the ones the original AFL teams played this season.
“The rivalry between the Raiders and the Chiefs, I think, is a good thing for football,” he said. “I look forward to more future challenges like the one they presented the last couple of times we’ve played them.”
It wouldn’t be shocking to see these teams meet for a third time ... in the playoffs. If the season ended today, the teams would meet at Arrowhead in the first game with the Chiefs as the No. 2 seed and the Raiders the seventh seed.
This story was originally published November 22, 2020 at 11:46 PM.