The Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Las Vegas Raiders, 40-32, at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday afternoon for their first loss of the year.
The two squads traded scoring blows throughout the first thirty minutes of play, but Las Vegas took the lead early in the fourth quarter and didn’t let go.
Leading by six points and facing a third-and-18 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr found wide receiver Hunter Renfrow for 42 yards to move the chains into Kansas City territory.
Las Vegas turned that big play into a field goal – and a nine-point lead – soon after with just under five minutes left, and on the Chiefs’ ensuing drive, Raiders’ safety Jeff Heath picked off quarterback Patrick Mahomes to re-claim possession for Las Vegas.
Raiders’ tailback Josh Jacobs punched in a 2-yard touchdown one play later, and despite a late rally by Kansas City that narrowed the deficit to eight points with just under four minutes left as Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce for a 7-yard score, the Chiefs ultimately couldn’t make up the difference.
Las Vegas went for it on fourth-and-one at midfield with two minutes remaining, and as Carr plunged ahead for the first down, the victory was effectively sealed for the Raiders.
Mahomes completed 22-of-43 passes for 340 yards and three total touchdowns in the contest, scrambling for a 3-yard score early in the first quarter to establish Kansas City’s initial lead. The Chiefs then added to that advantage soon after, as wide receiver Tyreek Hill took an end around for a 10-yard touchdown – his fifth score in as many games – on the Chiefs’ next drive.
The latter scoring series was made possible by cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who was playing in his first game this season and wasted no time getting his hands on the ball. Breeland picked off Carr on third down at midfield before racing ahead for a 28-yard return, ultimately setting up Hill’s touchdown just over a minute of game time later.
Hill’s score had the Chiefs up by double-digits early in the second quarter, but the offensive fireworks in this one were just getting started.
The two teams traded touchdowns in the two drives immediately following Hill’s touchdown, which included an 8-yard scoring grab by wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Las Vegas then responded with 14 unanswered points to take the lead in the closing minutes of the first half.
Kansas City tallied a field goal in the final seconds before halftime – knotting up the score at 24 points apiece – and just as the second quarter was chock full of action, the third quarter didn’t feature a single point from either team.
Las Vegas managed to break through in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter when Jacobs plowed ahead for a go-ahead, 7-yard touchdown to punctuate an eight-minute possession.
The Chiefs couldn’t get anything going on their next series and Carr found Renfrow on third down a possession later, setting the stage for the game’s final moments.
Kansas City will return to action next week with a high-profile showdown between two of the top teams in the AFC as they travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills.
