Chiefs report card: Great finish helped push this game’s grades to positive territory
Maybe it didn’t play out the way it was scripted, but the Chiefs pulled out a 35-31 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday night.
The Chiefs started their game-winning touchdown drive with 1:43 left on the clock and scored on Travis Kelce’s 22-yard touchdown reception with 22 seconds remaining.
“Players make plays,” Mahomes told NBC after the game.
This was a sweat-it-out game, but the Raiders gave Mahomes too much time to operate down the stretch.
KC STAR OF THE GAME
Mahomes was good for 3 1/2 quarters. Then he was great leading two touchdown drives in the final six minutes, touchdown possessions that went 91 and 75 yards. Any doubt that he’s the NFL’s MVP leader?
Reason to hope:
The Chiefs pulled out a victory that appeared lost at several junctures. They couldn’t shake the pesky Raiders, and it looks like the rivalry is back in a big way with Jon Gruden’s improving team.
Reason to mope:
The lack of a pass rush is detailed later. But penalties were maddening. The Chiefs were penalized 10 times for 89 yards, including three times on special teams.
Next: The Chiefs remain on the road and visit Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The game on CBS (Ch. 5) kicks off at 3:25 p.m.
REPORT CARD
Passing offense: A
In the end, Mahomes made the plays to win the game. But that’s what he does. The touchdown pass that covered 22 yards to Kelce was the Chiefs’ longest play of the night — an amazing stat when you consider they collected 460 total yards. And his second interception of the season is all but forgotten. But at the time, it seemed huge. The Chiefs were in the red zone and were in an excellent position to at least tie the game before halftime. Demarcus Robinson appeared to turn the wrong way on the pass.
Kelce has longed to throw another pass. He hadn’t thrown one since 2017 against the New York Giants. This one went for 3 yards, an underhand scoop to Byron Pringle.
Rushing offense: A
After two weeks with a combined 86 rushing yards, the Chiefs looked to establish the running game and had success. Clyde Edwards-Helaire powered in for a second-quarter touchdown and added a 14-yard scoring run from the edge to cap the Chiefs’ first possession of the second half. It was the rookie’s first multi-touchdown game as a pro. Le’Veon Bell looked good on an 11-yard run run in the second quarter, and picked up his first touchdown with the Chiefs on a 6-yard run in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs tied a franchise record with 36 first downs, and Edwards-Helaire finished with 69 yards.
Passing defense: D
The pass rush was practically non-existent, just as it was the first time these teams met. Carr was hardly pressured by Chris Jones, Frank Clark and company. Credit where it’s due: The Raiders have a superb offensive line and center Rodney Hudson, the former Chief, excels at pass blocking. Blown coverage accounted for the Raiders’ touchdown pass to tight end Darren Waller to open the second quarter. Cornerback Charvarius Ward had an excellent pass breakup in the end zone.
Rushing defense: B
The Raiders were having so much success running the ball, they didn’t use Josh Jacobs as much. And the Chiefs’ middle bottled up the running game for much of the night. Jacobs finished with 55 rushing yards on 17 attempts. The Chiefs outgained the Raiders on the ground 108-89.
Special teams: C
After the Chiefs’ first touchdown, Harrison Butker kicked the ball out of bounds. And can the Chiefs return a kickoff or punt without a penalty? Where is the return team’s discipline?
This story was originally published November 22, 2020 at 10:51 PM with the headline "Chiefs report card: Great finish helped push this game’s grades to positive territory."