Five things that stood out about the Kansas City Chiefs’ blowout of the Raiders
The league had figured out the Chiefs. The Cover-2 concepts had closed off their speed, and for the first time in his career, quarterback Patrick Mahomes looked rather ordinary. And don’t even get started on a historically bad defense that couldn’t carry its weight, either.
These were the conversations we were having just earlier this month. All of them warranted, too.
But after the unfamiliarity seeped into the 2021 Chiefs, they now, already, are back in a familiar spot.
First place in the AFC West.
The Chiefs beat the Raiders 41-14 their second trip to Las Vegas on Sunday, moving to 6-4 and squeezing slightly ahead of the 5-4 Raiders and Chargers. Four games within a tight division remain.
Here’s what stood out about how they arrived there Sunday:
1. The vintage Chiefs?
Hey, remember these guys?
The ones who looked borderline unstoppable on offense? Whose quarterback played like the best at his craft? Whose star talent arrived in big moments?
That team is back. Or at least it came back for one night in Las Vegas.
The stars played like stars.
Mahomes tossed aside a rare slump and threw five touchdowns. He played with emotion and swagger, steering an offense that never looked remotely out-of-sync.
The Chiefs looked recognizable after a month appearing lost. Tyreek Hill caught two touchdowns. Travis Kelce topped 100 yards. (More on him in a minute.)
The Chiefs won the third straight, but unlike the previous two, this one looked like a return to character, like a return to the team that reached two straight Super Bowls.
2. Can we call this is a defensive turnaround yet?
Sure, the Chiefs defense played well the past two weeks, but it was against Daniel Jones and Jordan Love. How reliable is that data?
Pretty reliable ... maybe?
You’d still like to see more before making conclusions, but the Chiefs defense just completely shut down the league’s sixth-best offense for a half and then forced two turnovers in the second half.
The pass rush appears to be a real force, aided by some imaginative blitzes. Jarran Reed and Derrick Nnadi had sacks, and the Chiefs hit Derek Carr three other times and pressured him often.
It helped that Tyrann Mathieu erased the Raiders’ most reliable weapon in tight end Darren Waller.
3. Travis Kelce back on track
It’s been tough sledding for Kelce over the past few weeks. He’s been playing with aches after a brutal hit to conclude the Buffalo loss in Week 5, but there have been dropped passes, too.
He looked like himself on Sunday, particularly in the first half, when he caught 7 of 8 targets for 89 yards. He needed only two quarters to gain more yards than he had in any of the previous three games.
The Chiefs were creative in getting him the ball, too, using him in their screen game — perhaps a recognition that because of the attention he’s drawing, they’ve needed to get creative.
The Chiefs at their best includes Kelce at his best. He finished with eight catches for 119 yards.
4. At long last, a new look
The Chiefs essentially see the same defensive concept week after week after week — two deep-lying safeties, restricting the deep pass.
Finally, the Raiders supplied Mahomes a fresh look — or a refreshingly new look, you might say. Rather than playing two safeties deep in the defensive backfield, the Raiders played mostly with a single-high safety, occasionally dropping into cover-3.
Is it a coincidence the Chiefs looked more comfortable than they have a month? Probably not.
They topped 500 yards of total offense for the first time this season.
5. The specials
The Chiefs offense completed its second straight game without a turnover — after giving it away 19 times in their first seven games.
The special teams, however, is still contributing to the total.
After a deceptive punt return that sprung Mike Hughes loose for 37 yards, Hughes fumbled while being tackled. He’s the third Chiefs punt or kick returner to fumble this year, joining Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle.
The Chiefs’ defense had been rolling until the turnover, which offered the Raiders a short field. They pounced with a touchdown to Hunter Renfrow, scoring on just a 50-yard drive.
A week after serving as the team’s most efficient unit in a win against Green Bay, the special teams had an eventual day. Punter Tommy Townsend fired a dart on a fake punt, and Harrison Butker missed a field goal to close the first half.
This story was originally published November 14, 2021 at 10:36 PM.