The KC Chiefs turned in a perfect performance vs. Raiders. Do the grades bear that out?
It’s time to break out the brooms because the Chiefs utterly overwhelmed the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kansas City jumped out to early lead and never took their foot off the gas en route to a convincing 48-9 win, which gave the Chiefs a sweep of the annual two-game divisional series. Sunday also marked the Chiefs’ sixth straight victory.
It was essentially a perfect ending to the two-game set ... and the grades that follow reflect that.
KC STAR OF THE GAME
With L’Jarius Sneed inactive, reserve cornerback Mike Hughes found out Saturday morning that he would start in Sneed’s place on the right side of the defense.
And Hughes made sure the Chiefs didn’t miss a beat. In fact, he made an impact on the Chiefs’ first defensive series by scooping up a fumble by Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, forced by defensive tackle Jarran Reed, and returning it 23 yards for a touchdown.
Hughes also helped account for two of the Chiefs’ fumble recoveries by punching out the ball from Raiders’ ball carriers. He finished the game with a team-high nine tackles.
“(No.) 21 had an unbelievable day,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.
REPORT CARD
Passing offense: A
Mahomes had it going Sunday, too, completing 20 of 24 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns for a 139.2 passer rating, a nice rebound from last weekend’s career-low 57.3 passer rating. He is now 7-1 as a starter against the Raiders.
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill was Mahomes’ favorite target Sunday with four catches for 76 yards on four looks, while wide receiver Mecole Hardman chipped in with two catches for 59 yards. Josh Gordon caught his first touchdown in a Chiefs uniform and first since the 2019 season. Tight end Travis Kelce had a quiet day, totaling three catches for 27 yards on four targets.
Rushing offense: A
Clyde Edwards-Helaire had two rushing touchdowns, but he found the going tough otherwise, with 37 just yards in 10 attempts — an average of 3.7 yards per carry. Darrel Williams tallied 8 yards rushing on two carries but helped out in the passing game with three catches for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Derrick Gore entered the game in the second half with the game in hand and produced 66 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, while Mahomes chipped in 20 yards himself on four carries. As a team, the Chiefs totaled 132 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries against a Raiders defense ranked 26th in the league (124.8 yards allowed per game) against the run.
Passing defense: A
In addition to Hughes’ big day, safety Tyrann Mathieu recorded an interception and a fumble recovery. The Chiefs held Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to 263 yards through the air. Along with throwing a pick, Carr also lost a fumble. The Chiefs’ pass rush consistently harassed Carr throughout the game, totaling four sacks and 11 quarterback hits.
Defensive end Frank Clark paced the frontal assault with a half sack and four quarterback hits, while Alex Okafor got in the game late and tallied 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hits.
Rushing defense: A
The Chiefs stuffed the Raiders’ ground game, holding Jacobs to 24 yards on nine carries. As a team, the Raiders managed just 44 yards rushing on 12 attempts, averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
Special teams: A
Kicker Harrison Butker was perfect on all six extra-point attempts and drilled two field goals, including one from 54 yards. Tommy Townsend was on the field once to punt, and it went for 52 yards, landing inside the Raiders’ 20-yard line. Mecole Hardman had one return for 11 yards as a punt returner, while Byron Pringle had one kickoff return for 24 yards.
This story was originally published December 12, 2021 at 5:36 PM with the headline "The KC Chiefs turned in a perfect performance vs. Raiders. Do the grades bear that out?."
