The Chiefs entered Monday’s game against the Raiders needing one more win to capture the club’s eighth straight AFC West title.
The Raiders made sure that didn’t happen.
With a great defensive performance, Las Vegas spoiled Christmas Day for Kansas City with a 20-14 victory.
The Chiefs’ offense struggled throughout the game, but in the second quarter they started attacking in quick succession. Running back Isaiah Pacheco and quarterback Patrick Mahomes fumbled an exchange deep in Kansas City territory after Pacheco took a direct snap, and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols returned the loose ball for an 8-yard run. Scored a touchdown.
Then, on the first play after the kickoff, cornerback Jack Jones picked off a pass to Justin Watson and returned it 33 yards for his second defensive touchdown with seven seconds to play.
Trailing 17-7, the Chiefs tried to make it 17-10 heading into halftime, but Harrison Butker missed a 36-yard field goal.
Whatever went wrong, it appears to have gone wrong for the Chiefs on the offensive end. The club lost Pacheco to a concussion when his helmet came off while playing and he was hit with a knee to the head by his teammate.
Las Vegas forced Kansas City to come back with two attacks in the second half. His second came with 9:47 left in the fourth quarter. On the fourth point, a pass from Mahomes to Laci Rice was deflected.
With 2:42 remaining, the Chiefs finally got back into the game with a 7-yard touchdown on third-and-goal from Mahomes to Justin Watson. But it was too late. Raiders running back Zamir White had a 43-yard carry on the ensuing possession, forcing Kansas City to take its final timeout. And after another 15-yard run before the two-minute warning, the Raiders ended the game with three knee kicks.
The Chiefs defense allowed just six points. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell completed 9 of 21 for 62 yards and finished the game with 10 consecutive attempts. But White, who started in place of the injured Josh Jacobs, sped up the offense with 145 yards on 22 carries.
Mahomes was frustrated throughout the game, but finished 27-of-44 for 235 yards with a touchdown and one interception. Rice led the way with six catches for 57 yards. Kelce had five catches on seven targets for 44 yards.
The Chiefs had 308 yards to the Raiders’ 205, but Kansas City was only 5-of-16 on third down. Mahomes was sacked four times as Las Vegas racked up 10 quarterback hits. The defense also had seven tackles for losses and five passes defended.
Malcolm Koonce led the way with 3.0 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, and 4 total QB hits.
Kansas City’s defense squandered another strong performance, allowing just six points.
Given Monday’s win, it’s hard to imagine interim head coach Antonio Pierce not being given strong consideration for the Raiders’ permanent job. The team is currently 4-3 under Coach Pierce and has won two district championships in the past two weeks.
At 7-8, Las Vegas is still in contention for a playoff spot. The team will play in Indianapolis in Week 17 and finish the year at home against Denver.
The Chiefs, currently 9-6, still have a chance to win the AFC West if they beat the Bengals next week. However, even if they win their postseason games, I don’t think they are a team that can seriously compete for the title. This is the first time the Chiefs have lost at least six games with Mahomes as their starting QB.
Kansas City will end the year on the road against the Chargers.