The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, 35-31, in a thriller at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday night in front of a national television audience as quarterback Patrick Mahomes led a game-winning drive in the closing seconds of the contest.
Taking over at the Kansas City 25-yard line with less than two minutes remaining, Mahomes led the Chiefs down the field in just one minute and 15 seconds as he hit tight end Travis Kelce for a 22-yard touchdown to re-take the lead.
It completed a wild final quarter that served as a microcosm of a back-and-forth shootout between these two classic division rivals.
Trailing by three points and facing a fourth down with just over eight minutes left in the game, Mahomes – with a defender closing in – found wide receiver Demarcus Robinson for a nine-yard gain to move the chains. That set up a go-ahead score for Kansas City five plays later, as tailback Le’Veon Bell took a quick toss for a six-yard score.
The Raiders then got the ball back with just over five minutes left in regulation and marched right down the field – re-claiming the lead as quarterback Derek Carr found tight end Jason Witten for a 1-yard score – before Mahomes got the ball back with one minute and 48 seconds left.
The reigning Super Bowl MVP then did the rest, leading Kansas City down the field to claim a huge victory.
Kansas City moved to 30-3 in its last 33 matchups against divisional opponents with the victory as Head Coach Andy Reid tallied his 19th win in 22 career games immediately following the bye week.
It certainly wasn’t easy though as these two teams traded punches all night long.
Las Vegas was on the board first as tailback Josh Jacobs plunged ahead for a 2-yard score. It punctuated a strong opening drive for the Raiders that included four first downs and two big passing plays of more than 20 yards.
The Chiefs then answered with a long scoring drive of their own, as Mahomes found wide receiver Tyreek Hill for a 3-yard touchdown to complete a 14-play, 85-yard series. It marked Hill’s fifth catch of the drive – which included a fourth-down grab that kept the possession alive – to help the Chiefs tie things up.
The back-and-forth continued a drive later, when Carr found wide receiver Nelson Agholor for a 17-yard touchdown to re-claim the advantage in favor of Las Vegas. Kansas City then immediately answered yet again, however, as Edwards-Helaire powered forward for a 3-yard touchdown to knot the score at 14 points apiece.
Las Vegas looked poised to keep the scoring frenzy going on their following possession, driving the ball all the way down to Kansas City’s 1-yard line, but while the Raiders still managed to re-take the lead, Las Vegas only came away with three points.
The Chiefs were then later in position to find the end zone once again themselves, marching inside the Raiders’ red zone in the closing seconds of the first half, but Raiders’ cornerback Trayvon Mullen picked off Mahomes and preserved Las Vegas’ lead heading into halftime.
Kansas City did manage to cash in on its next trip to the end zone, as Edwards-Helaire broke free for a 14-yard touchdown on the Chiefs’ opening drive of the second half. It finished another long series for the Chiefs, who covered 93 yards on 16 plays to open the third quarter.
The Raiders then kept the shootout going on their ensuing possession, pulling back in front when Carr found tight end Darren Waller for a 3-yard touchdown to tally yet another lead change.
The Chiefs were back in front two drives later with Bell’s score, and after Witten found the end zone to put Las Vegas back on top, Mahomes did the rest with his game-winning drive.
Mahomes finished the game with 348 passing yards and two scores, finding Kelce for a team-high 127 yards on eight grabs. Hill was also productive throughout the contest, matching a career-high with 11 catches for 102 yards.
It all helped Kanas City win its eighth-straight road game – the second-longest streak in franchise history – and the Chiefs’ 30th victory in their last 33 AFC West matchups. Kansas City now owns a three-game lead in the division with six games to go.
The Chiefs return to action next Sunday with a highly anticipated bout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
