The Chiefs get the job done on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders, but was it really an away game? There was a ton of red throughout that stadium. With the win, the Chiefs officially clinch the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs. KC also finishes the regular season with a 6-0 record against their division opponents who tried so hard over the offseason to beat them. Another crazy stat about the Chiefs and division opponents, Patrick Mahomes is now 16-0 against the AFC West on the road.
The Chiefs started the game with a bang. On the second play from scrimmage, Mahomes connected with Justin Watson for a 67-yard completion. The opening drive was capped off by another receiving touchdown by McKinnon! The Raiders would be able to go down and kick an FG and then force a KC punt. However, on their drive on 2nd and 18, Stidham would Chuck up a prayer that would be intercepted by Juan Thornhill. The Chiefs would make quick work and go 44 yards in just 3 plays for a touchdown when RoJo ran it in from 2 yards out. The Raiders would then drive and take almost 9 minutes off the clock but still not score after they turned it over on downs at the Kansas City 2. The Chiefs would then go 98 yards in 12 plays to add a TD to their lead. The Raiders would then have a chance to score before the half, but Stidham would be hit and he fumbled the ball so instead of LV being able to cut into the Chiefs’ lead before the half, the Chiefs added 3 to it. Going into half it was 24-3.
The Raiders would start the 2nd half by tacking on a field goal. Each team would then have 2 punts each on the next 4 drives before the Chiefs got it going again. The Chiefs would find the end zone for the final time when Pacheco ran it in from a yard out. The Raiders, however, would answer with their first TD of the game. LV would force a punt but couldn’t do much and turned it over on downs after getting just 16 yards on the drive. The Chiefs would then be able to kill the remaining 4:24 on the clock and officially clinch the #1 going into the playoffs.
Notables:
– Patrick Mahomes breaks Drew Brees’ single-season total offense record.
– All 3 active Chief running backs scored a touchdown. (McKinnon-receiving, Jones & Pacheco- rushing)
– The Chiefs’ defense would force 2 turnovers, a fumble, and an interception, while the KC offense protected the ball and didn’t have any turnovers.
– The Chiefs’ defense would sack Stidham a total of 6 times. Chris Jones- 2.5 sacks, Mike Danna- 2 sacks, Justin Reid- 1 sack, and George Karlaftis- 0.5 sacks.
– With his 16 tackles against the Raiders yesterday, Nick Bolton broke the franchise record for tackles in a season with 180, passing Derrick Johnson’s 179 from 2011.
– A little less notable but still notable. A struggling Harrison Butker went 4-4 on XPs and 1-1 on field goals.
-Liam M