Patrick Mahomes didn’t make many mistakes on Sunday, but one of his few missteps nearly cost the Chiefs the game. He needed his defense to step up—and it did.
Kansas City managed to keep the Raiders from scoring, even when they had first-and-goal at the 3-yard line.
This changed the flow of the game and allowed the two-time defending champion Chiefs to maintain their strong performance in Las Vegas with a 27-20 win, keeping them undefeated.
This critical moment happened late in the third quarter while the Chiefs were holding onto a 17-13 lead.
“It’s easy in that situation to let them kind of get into the end zone because it’s not really on them,” Mahomes said. “It was on the offense that put them in position, but they stood their ground. The defense made a big-time stop and we were able to carry momentum into a win.”
The Chiefs (7-0) extended their winning streak to 13 games, including the playoffs. Their last loss was at home against Las Vegas, but the Chiefs are now 5-0 against the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium and 6-0 there, including the Super Bowl in February.
Las Vegas (2-6) has now lost four straight games, but this was the first time the Raiders scored at least 20 points since their 20-16 victory over Cleveland on September 29.
Mahomes threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns, making him the fastest quarterback in NFL history to reach 30,000 yards. He achieved this in his 103rd game, while Matthew Stafford reached that milestone in 109 games.
Mahomes’ main target was Travis Kelce, who had 10 catches for 90 yards, both of which were season highs. The last time Kelce caught double-digit passes was on October 22, 2023, and this was his highest yardage since November 26.
Kelce also caught a touchdown pass, marking his 75th, which put him ahead of Jason Witten for fifth place on the NFL tight end list. He is now just two touchdowns away from breaking Tony Gonzalez’s team record.
Gardner Minshew completed 24 of 30 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns for Las Vegas, but he was sacked five times. Jakobi Meyers, who had missed the last two games due to an ankle injury, caught six passes for 52 yards and a touchdown.
Minshew had to lead an offense that struggled with the running game, finishing with only 33 yards and averaging 1.6 yards per carry. The Chiefs came into the game with the fourth-best run defense in the NFL, allowing only 90.5 yards per game.
“For us, being able to stop the run is the primary goal every single week,” Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis said. “We make them one-dimensional, there’s where we want to be.”
Las Vegas also had trouble getting the Chiefs off the field, allowing Kansas City to convert on 12 of 16 third downs. This ties them with the Commanders for the second-highest conversion rate in a game this season, behind the Bengals, who converted 76.9% against the Eagles on Sunday.
The Raiders did make the defending champions work for this win, but they missed out on key chances.
At the end of the first half, the Raiders had the ball with 1:57 left on the clock, but they chose to run twice before an incomplete pass on third down.
Kansas City then got the ball back and drove 56 yards on nine plays for Harrison Butker’s 42-yard field goal with four seconds remaining, bringing the score to 17-10. Then there was a key moment in the third quarter.
Las Vegas was behind by four points when safety Tre’von Moehrig intercepted a pass from Mahomes, giving the Raiders the ball at the Chiefs’ 3-yard line.
Running plays by Alexander Mattison resulted in gains of 2 yards, no gain, and a loss of 2 yards before Minshew was sacked on fourth down.
“(We’re) trying to establish some physicality with our guys up front,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said. “Right there at the 3-yard line, you’ve got to pound it in. Turnover, sudden change. Should be able to punch that ball in.”
The Chiefs then marched down the field for 87 yards on 19 plays, taking 9:43 off the clock. This set up another field goal from Butker, this one from 24 yards early in the fourth quarter, giving them a seven-point lead.
A strip sack of Minshew led to the final touchdown for the Chiefs with 4:59 left, which nearly sealed the victory. However, the Raiders scored a touchdown just before the 2-minute warning, adding some excitement. Kansas City then recovered the onside kick.
