Patrick Mahomes, Kenneth Walker III and the Kansas City Chiefs planted their flag atop the AFC West with a 30-27 victory over the Raiders in Las Vegas on Sunday.
The Chiefs (4-0) roll into their bye week as the last undefeated team in the AFC, Mahomes improved to 7-0 at Allegiant Stadium and head coach Andy Reid became the winningest coach in the stadium’s history.
Walker III had 22 carries for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Mahomes won his 99th regular-season game and threw two TD passes to wide receiver Tyquan Thornton but was only 15 of 30 for 225 yards and faced heavy pressure from the Raiders’ defensive front.
Kirk Cousins got the Raiders (3-1) back within three with 1:46 on the clock. He escaped R Mason Thomas and hurled a 20-yard TD to Brock Bowers, then zipped a two-point pass to Cody White just over the reach of Nick Bolton to set up an onside kick attempt. Xavier Worthy recovered, but the Raiders weren’t done, getting the ball back inside their own 1 with 1:16 left.
Cousins threw into the face of Kansas City’s relentless four-man rush most of the second half, and the Chiefs shifted their fortunes in the fourth quarter.
Mahomes found Thornton in single coverage for a 55-yard reception on 3rd-and-5 with 3:35 on the clock. Thornton got behind Raiders free safety Treydan Stukes. Stukes’ weight came down on Thornton’s left foot and ankle as he pulled him down at the 5. Thornton was injured on the play. His leg was placed in an air cast and he was carted away from the field in no mood to celebrate a career day (five catches, 111 yards).
Walker strolled in for a 2-yard touchdown on the next play. With a 23-19 lead, the Chiefs attempted a two-point pass to Walker but Mahomes fired high and left of his target.
The Raiders coughed up the ensuing kickoff. Jeffrey Bassa punched the ball out of Dareke Young’s hands as he crossed the 20 and Jack Cochrane recovered for the Chiefs with the clock reading 3:10.
On the next play, Walker scored his second touchdown of the game, flying around right end and diving inside the pylon into the endzone for the second time in 19 seconds to boost the Chiefs’ lead to 30-19.
Walker scored multiple touchdowns for the third time in four games with the Chiefs. He leads the NFL in rushing with 537 yards.
Trailing 17-16, Las Vegas popped two big plays — 27 yards from Cousins to wide receiver Cody White down the left sideline and a 19-yard Jeanty run — to quickly move into KC territory. The Chiefs stiffened to stop Jeanty on third down and the Raiders opted for Matt Gay’s 48-yarder with 4:53 remaining to jump back in front 19-17.
Kansas City was scoreless in the third quarter and generated only 18 yards before Walker broke a 76-yard run — the longest in the NFL this season — over the right side before being tracked down from behind by nickel back Taron Johnson at the Raiders’ 8. On the second play of the fourth quarter Mahomes connected with Thornton for their second TD of the game and a 17-13 advantage.
Las Vegas cut the deficit to 17-16 on the next drive. Gay nailed a 44-yard field goal with 11:17 to play.
With a three-point lead, the Raiders opted to take points off the board on the opening possession of the second half. Gay kicked a field goal early in the third quarter, making it 16-10, but the Chiefs were flagged for an illegal hold. Kubiak decided to accept the penalty — and take points off the board — to go for it on 4th-and-2. Cousins’ pass to Jeanty was broken up, turning the ball over on downs to Kansas City.
Gay gave Las Vegas the halftime lead, 13-10, with a 48-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter. The kick came after a first down via penalty on defensive back Nohl Williams for holding, which negated an apparent third-down stop with 22 seconds left before half.
Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice left the game with a hamstring injury in the first quarter.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s first reception in the opening quarter was No. 1,095 in his career, good for seventh all-time in NFL history. The catch nudged Kelce ahead of former Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown (1,094). Former Vikings wide receiver Cris Carter (1,101) and Colts’ great Marvin Harrison (1,102) are next on the list. Kelce ended the contest with 1,096.
