The Raiders received a pair of defensive touchdowns for the second straight week, together with a pick-6 in opposition to the struggling Patrick Mahomes, and resurgent Las Vegas held off the sloppy Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, 20-14, on Monday to maintain their slim postseason hopes alive — and ship a significant warning signal for Kansas Metropolis’s prospects of reaching a sixth straight AFC Championship Recreation.
Huge defensive sort out Bilal Nichols returned a fumble eight yards for a landing, and Jack Jones took an interception 33 yards for an additional rating seven seconds later, serving to the Raiders (7-8) snap a six-game dropping streak to the Chiefs.
Kansas Metropolis (9-6) squandered a possibility to clinch the AFC West for the eighth consecutive yr with considered one of their worst performances of the Mahomes period.
Together with two defensive touchdowns, Harrison Butker missed a chip-shot area aim, penalties and dropped passes had been once more an issue, and twice they didn’t convert on fourth down within the second half.
The Chiefs had an opportunity after Mahomes hit Justin Watson for a landing with 2:42 to go. However on the following possession, the Raiders’ Zamir White received unfastened for a 43-yard acquire, choosing up a primary down that allowed them to expire the clock.
Mahomes completed 27 of 44 for 235 yards and an interception; he almost threw a second decide, however it was overturned upon overview.
The Raiders, taking part in with out injured operating again Josh Jacobs, received regardless of a dismal day from their very own offense.
Aidan O’Connell was 9 of 21 for 62 yards, by no means finishing a move after the primary quarter, whereas White had 145 yards on the bottom.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid had spent the previous few weeks lamenting the sloppy play that stored costing the Tremendous Bowl champs.
They could not have been a lot sloppier on Christmas Day.
They went three-and-out on consecutive collection to begin a recreation for less than the second time with Mahomes at quarterback. They had been held to minus-18 yards within the first quarter, the second-worst whole for the membership since at the very least 1991. And the reigning league MVP was sacked twice in these two collection, whereas two extra offensive penalties solely made issues worse.
The Chiefs lastly pulled forward when Isiah Pacheco took a direct snap 12 yards for a landing, and Las Vegas had given the ball proper again after a punt. Pacheco once more took a direct snap, however this time tried handy off to Mahomes — who misplaced the change — and the 315-pound Raiders defensive sort out Nichols was there to scoop it up and run for the landing.
On the following offensive play for Kansas Metropolis, Mahomes was picked off by Jones, who returned it 33 yards for his second pick-6 in consecutive weeks. The Raiders’ fourth defensive landing within the two weeks, and their second in a span of seven seconds, gave them a 17-7 lead over their longtime divisional nemesis.
Then, Jones appeared to play the Grinch when he faked giving the ball to a child carrying Chiefs garments within the crowd.
It was nonetheless 17-7 when the Chiefs’ Butker, one of many NFL’s most correct kickers, missed a chip-shot area aim earlier than halftime, and the Raiders tacked on a area aim late within the third quarter to take a 20-7 lead heading to the fourth.
Reporting by The Related Press.
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