Crunched on Christmas, Kansas City Chiefs draw Grinch-like grades from loss to Raiders
Bah humbug.
The Chiefs entered their Christmas Day showdown at home against the Las Vegas Raiders needing one victory in their final three games to clinch the AFC West.
It will have to happen later. The Chiefs played one of the poorest games of the Patrick Mahomes era in a 20-14 loss on Monday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
The outcome keeps alive the playoff chances of the Raiders and Denver Broncos.
KC STAR OF THE GAME
Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed always gets the toughest assignment, and once again he came up big. This time his stingy play was important against Raiders receiver Davante Adams, who finished with one reception for 4 yards on six targets.
Next: The Chiefs will play their final regular-season home game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Dec. 31. The game will be broadcast on CBS (Channel 5 in Kansas City) and will kick off at 3:25 p.m.
REPORT CARD
Passing offense: F
Patrick Mahomes experienced the worst 12-second stretch of his career in the second quarter.
The Chiefs had gone ahead 7-3 and forced a punt. But a direct snap to Isiah Pacheco, who attempted to hand off to Mahomes, was fumbled and Bilal Nichols returned it for a touchdown. On the next snap, Mahomes threw a pick-six to Jack Jones.
Disasters on consecutive snaps.
Mahomes had little time for routes to develop, and when that happened, Chiefs targets couldn’t find separation. Finally, a too-little, too-late touchdown pass to Justin Watson closed the gap. But the Chiefs didn’t get the ball back.
It’s stunning how far the Chiefs’ passing offense has fallen. One of the best plays on Monday came when running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire broke a tackle on a screen and turned it into a 32-yard gain to the 9. But the Chiefs were turned away from the end zone once again.
Rushing offense: D
There was a reason Mahomes was yelling at the offensive line in the second quarter. They were getting dominated by the Raiders’ defensive front. Pacheco, back for the first time in three weeks, found no daylight, and the running game went nowhere.
Jerick McKinnon is out for the rest of the regular season with an injury, and Edwards-Helaire didn’t see much action until late in the third quarter, when Pacheco left the game with a concussion.
Mahomes’ 53 yards led the Chiefs on the ground.
Passing defense: A
In his last game, Raiders quarterback Aiden O’Connell passed for four touchdowns in a Las Vegas romp over the Chargers. And he was effective against the Chiefs in Week 12.
The Chiefs held O’Connell in check most of the afternoon on Monday. He didn’t complete a pass after the first quarter. Chris Jones and Charles Omenihu picked up sacks.
Rushing defense: C
The Chiefs were having a decent day until Zamir White ripped off a 43-yard run with 2 1/2 minutes remaining. That put the game on ice. White finished with 145 yards.
Raiders running back Josh Jacobs had 110 rushing yards, including a 63-yard touchdown, in the teams’ first 2023 matchup. He was out with an illness and quad injury Monday.
Special teams: C
Punter Tommy Townsend’s 11-yard strike on a fake, to Justin Watson, gave the Chiefs a first down and new life. But the possession ended in a missed 36-yard field goal by Harrison Butker.
The Chiefs’ first possession ended in a punt that the Raiders fumbled twice, but the Chiefs couldn’t fall on the ball. Another reminder why the Chiefs rank at the bottom in turnover margin (minus-10).
This story was originally published December 25, 2023 at 3:12 PM.