Former Oakland Raiders Owner, Al Davis always told his team to ‘just win baby’ because he didn’t care about the final score, or which players made the key plays, just get the victory, and move on to the next game. After trailing 14-0 in the first quarter, the Kansas City Chiefs put the hammer down to crust the Raiders 31-17.
It wasn’t always pretty but the Kansas City Chiefs shook off a rough first quarter start that found themselves down 14-0. That deficit appeared to be a wake-up call as the good guys in Red defeated the Silver and Black in Sin City 31-17. For the first time in three games, the Chiefs scored points in the second half, and the defense, also after a slow start, shut down the Raiders offense for a much-needed team victory.
After struggling Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chiefs didn’t turn the ball over against the Raiders and their star quarterback found his mojo. On the afternoon, Patrick Mahomes threw for 298 passing yards and completed 27 of 34 of his attempts with two touchdowns, one to Rahsee Rice and another to Justin Watson. Mahomes wasn’t fazed by the slow start, and he came alive in the second quarter, leading the Chiefs to a pair of touchdowns that knotted the score at 14-14 at halftime.
Still, the. Chiefs had some anxious moments in this game, but give credit to Head Coach, Andy Reid, and Defensive Coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo who made several adjustments that paved the way for the comeback win.
The Raiders should have been up 17-0 when Mahomes found his groove in the second quarter, but a missed field goal gave the Chiefs a reprieve and a reset. It was at that point Mahomes started firing missiles at Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice. They also did just enough in the run game to keep the Raiders defense honest. For the first time in his career, Isiah Pacheco scored two rushing touchdowns in the Chiefs win.
It’s hard to analyze what this win means to the confidence of this football team. The slow start on both sides of the ball was concerning enough to put forth some doubt the Chiefs could overcome such a sluggish first quarter.
However, the better team won the game, and honestly, the Chiefs answered a lot of questions about the offense. Rashee Rice stepped up big time as the team’s top wide receiver. His 39-yard catch and run sealed the win for the Chiefs at the onset of the fourth quarter. In the game, he caught eight passes and had 107 receiving yards. Rice did have a pair of drops, one of them was not his fault, but the other cost the Chiefs a chance for a first down.
Still, the goal heading into this game, as has been every game since the season started, was to find a receiver opposite Tight End Travis Kelce that can produce in the clutch. Rice appears to be that man.
In scoring his fifth touchdown of the season, he continues to put in the extra work to get more comfortable in the offense. If that continues, perhaps the Chiefs offense can play consistent football because it’s clear Mahomes trusts his rookie receiver.
Now before we get too far ahead of ourselves the Chiefs go back on the road next week to face the suddenly resurgent Packers in Green Bay. The Sunday Night matchup is yet another test for Kansas City that faces a similar team like the Raiders who are playing their best football of the season.
Even with the win, the Chiefs can’t take the peddle off the gas offensively. After this victory, I think Reid and Mahomes are relieved they found their rhythm offensively, but they have more work to do to maintain it for the rest of the season.
The focus now is to build upon the positives and ensure they don’t regress next Sunday.
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