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Raiders’ D denies Chiefs chance to clinch eighth straight AFC West title
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Paul Gutierrez
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Paul Gutierrez
ESPN Staff Writer
- Paul Gutierrez joined NFL Nation in 2013 and serves as its Las Vegas Raiders reporter. He has a multi-platform role – writing on ESPN.com, television appearances on NFL Live and SportsCenter, and podcast and radio appearances. Before coming to ESPN, Gutierrez spent three years at CSN Bay Area as a multi-platform reporter, covering the Raiders and Oakland Athletics as well as anchoring the SportsNet Central cable news show. Gutierrez votes for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Professional Football Writers of America and currently serves as the PFWA’s Las Vegas chapter president. He is also a member of the California Chicano News Media Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Gutierrez has authored three books: Tommy Davis’ Tales from the Dodgers Dugout, 100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die and If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Raiders Sideline, Locker Room and Press Box with Lincoln Kennedy. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PGutierrezESPN
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Adam Teicher
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Adam Teicher
ESPN Staff Writer
- Covered Chiefs for 20 seasons for Kansas City Star
- Joined ESPN in 2013
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs had a chance to capture their eighth consecutive AFC West title Monday with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium.
Instead, the Raiders’ defense stifled Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense, holding them to just two scores in a 20-14 win. The defense had two touchdowns within a seven-second span to close out the first half and keep their own AFC West hopes alive.
Las Vegas Raiders
Monday’s win marked the Raiders’ second against the Chiefs since 2019, with both coming at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Raiders improved to 7-8, keeping their faint playoff hopes alive. It also kept interim coach Antonio Pierce’s dream of removing the interim tag alive.
Describe the game in two words: Stayin’ Alive: The Raiders have a shot at winning the AFC West, so long as they win at the Indianapolis Colts and at home against the Denver Broncos, and the Chiefs lose at home against the Cincinnati Bengals and at the Los Angeles Chargers.
Breakout performance: Malcolm Koonce as a game-changing pass-rusher. The third-year defensive end became the first player ever to sack Mahomes three times in a game. Koonce, operating opposite NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate Maxx Crosby, has five sacks in the past two games and seven sacks on the season.
QB breakdown: Aidan O’Connell again showed the highs and lows of riding with a rookie quarterback. He went 9-of-21 for 62 yards and did not complete a pass in the second, third or fourth quarters. Luckily for him, the defense carried the day and O’Connell’s up-and-down season continued.
Pivotal play: RB Zamir White, starting for the second straight game in place of injured All-Pro Josh Jacobs, essentially ended the game with a 43-yard burst up the right sideline on second-and-4 with 2:35 to play. White finished with 145 yards rushing on 22 carries. — Paul Gutierrez
0:18
Mahomes, Kelce both get heated on sidelines after tough first half
Patrick Mahomes gets animated toward the Chiefs’ offensive line, and Travis Kelce smashes his helmet on the sideline after a rough first half.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have had season-long problems with offensive penalties, turnovers and dropped passes. Monday’s loss to the Raiders featured both Las Vegas touchdowns coming on defense off Chiefs turnovers — within seven seconds of one another.
The Chiefs had a chance to clinch the AFC West with a victory. But wrapping up an eighth straight division title will have to wait for another week.
Describe the game in two words: Offensive meltdown. The Chiefs took their sloppiness to new levels, including Raiders touchdowns on back-to-back turnovers.
Troubling trend: The Raiders were able to get consistent pressure on Mahomes without blitzing and mostly gave the Chiefs little room to run. Five of the Chiefs’ first 11 plays went for negative yardage.
Eye-popping stats: The first: the Chiefs’ minus-18 yards in the first quarter, which was the lowest for any NFL team since the Chiefs had minus-19 in the opening period of a 2011 game against the New York Jets. The second: the Chiefs’ 3-4 record this season at Arrowhead Stadium, where they have lost three in a row.
Pivotal play: The Chiefs led 7-3 in the second quarter when running back Isiah Pacheco took the snap, but fumbled as he attempted to hand the ball to Mahomes. The Raiders recovered and returned it for a touchdown, which allowed them to take the lead for good. — Adam Teicher
