By Terrance Turner
The Kansas City Chiefs met the Las Vegas Raiders in Vegas tonight for what became a wildly competitive match. The Raiders scored first, but the Chiefs weren’t far behind. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes found wide receiver Tyreek Hill for a touchdown, capping a 14-play drive. The Raiders responded with another scoring drive; Raiders QB Derek Carr connected with WR Nelson Agholor for the touchdown. The Raiders led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Raiders defense jumped offside twice, then got hit with a pass interference penalty. That flag propelled the Chiefs to 1st and goal. Then they scored, with running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire finding the end zone. That tied the game at 14.
On their ensuing drive, the Raiders flew down the field, with the Chiefs defense utterly unable to stop the run. Las Vegas picked up one first down after another, soon advancing to first and goal. But on fourth and goal, the refs threw a flag. Las Vegas was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. (The cause was team coaches being outside their coaches’ box, according to the announcers.) That 15-yard penalty forced them to attempt a field goal. That 35-yard kick was good, giving them a lead of 17-14.
The Chiefs were hit with a 15-yard penalty of their own, for a facemask. Both the Chiefs and Raiders went three-and-out on their drives. On the Chiefs’ next drive, Mahomes ran to the first-down marker, and a holding flag on Las Vegas added five yards. Another five yards were added from another holding penalty, but Mahomes got intercepted near the end of the second quarter. The Raiders led 17-14 at the half.
In the second half, the Chiefs rackedup one first down after another, driving down the field. A second touchdown by Edwards-Helaire to make it 21-17. The Raiders took over and proceeded to run over the Chiefs defense. At the start of the fourth quarter, Carr connected with tight end Darren Waller to make it 24-21.
But Las Vegas went three-and-out on its next drive. On 3rd and 5, Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill made a crucial first down catch, and the Raiders were flagged for unnecessary roughness. That added 15 yards to the catch-and–run. Later, on 4th-and-1, Mahomes found receiver Demarcus Robinson; as the drive continued, running back Le’Veon Bell rushed in for the touchdown.
With the score 28-24, the Raiders took over. Once again, the Chiefs defense struggled to contain them. They added to their woes with two huge penalties — one for offsides, another for unnecessary roughness. Then Las Vegas was hit with a false start penalty. After a lengthy drive filled with drama, Carr hit tight end Jason Witten for the touchdown.
The Chiefs got the ball with barely a minute to spare. Mahomes fired one pass after another, rallying his team down the field. With just 28 seconds left, Mahomes threw into the end zone, finding TE Travis Kelce for the touchdown. That gave the team a three-point lead. The Raiders tried to mount a comeback drive. But then, after hours of struggling, the defense stepped up in a major way. Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen intercepted Carr with just seconds left, sealing the game. The Kansas City Chiefs won, 31-28. They improve to 9-1 for the season.
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