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The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, 27-20, on Sunday afternoon to move to 7-0 on the season for the first time since 2013.
Kansas City grabbed the lead late in the second quarter and didn’t look back due in part to a stellar defensive performance that held the Raiders to just three points on two second-half possessions that began deep in Chiefs’ territory.
Las Vegas settled for a field goal midway through the third quarter despite taking over at the Chiefs’ 28-yard line, and just one series later, Kansas City held the Raiders out of the end zone following an interception that set Las Vegas up at Chiefs’ 3-yard line.
“[That was] unbelievable,” said Head Coach Andy Reid. “Offensively, we put the defense in a bad position, but we held up as a defense. We came out, put our foot down and did a nice job there. That was important.”
Indeed, the Chiefs’ offense made the most of its second chance after the goal-line stand, too, by tallying a 19-play, nine-minute and 43-second drive that culminated in a 24-yard field goal by kicker Harrison Butker that extended Kansas City’s lead to seven points.
Then, on the Raiders’ ensuring series, defensive tackle Mike Pennel stripped the football free from Raiders’ quarterback Gardner Minshew for a fumble. Linebacker Drue Tranquill scooped up the loose football, and eight offensive plays later, quarterback Patrick Mahomes found wide receiver Xavier Worthy for what essentially amounted to a game-sealing touchdown.
The score wrapped up an efficient day for the Chiefs’ offense, which racked up 334 yards of offense across eight possessions. Kansas City scored on five of those drives while going 12-of-16 on third down and 3-for-4 in the red zone.
“I thought Pat had a good day, [and] I thought the guys were running good routes,” Reid said. “The protection was good, and when it wasn’t, he moved around and made some plays. I think [Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy] had a great plan on third down, and the guys believe in what we’re doing there. That’s a positive thing.”
The Chiefs’ first score was courtesy of running back Kareem Hunt, who completed Kansas City’s opening drive with a 1-yard scoring run. The series nearly ended before it even really began, however, until newly-acquired wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins caught a 13-yard pass on third down early in the series for his first catch as a Chief.
Hopkins, who only joined the Chiefs last Thursday, finished the game with two catches for 29 yards.
“I thought he was good,” Reid said. “He wanted to be in there, which was a positive…He’ll get more chances the next game.”
The Raiders answered Hunt’s touchdown with 10 points of their own, but Mahomes put the Chiefs back in front with a 5-yard scoring strike to tight end Travis Kelce late in the second quarter. It was the first touchdown of the year for Kelce, who ended the game with 10 catches for 90 yards.
Mahomes then led the Chiefs into Butker’s range for a 42-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the first half, and despite some opportunities for the Raiders’ offense in the third quarter, the Chiefs’ defense never surrendered the lead.
In fact, after piling up 120 yards of offense on their first two possessions, the Raiders recorded just 108 yards throughout the remainder of the game. The Chiefs’ run defense, specifically, held Las Vegas to just 33 yards on the ground.
That defensive performance, coupled with the Chiefs’ efficiency offensively, all led to a 19th victory on the road against AFC West opponents for Mahomes, and overall, Kansas City moved to a perfect 7-0 to open the campaign.
“No matter what the records are, [when] you come into this football game, you know it’s going to be a fight,” Mahomes said. “We did a good job of executing. They made some plays, we made some plays, and at the end of the day, we found a way to get a win.”
In terms of injuries, cornerback Nazeeh Johnson (concussion) and tight end Jody Fortson (knee) left Sunday’s game early.
The Chiefs will now turn their attention to a prime-time showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football next week.