By Matt McMullen – Chiefs.com Reporter
The Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Las Vegas Raiders, 20-14, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday afternoon for their sixth loss of the season.
The crux of the game took place midway through the second quarter, when the Raiders – trailing by four points – recovered a fumble deep in Chiefs’ territory and recovered it for an 8-yard touchdown. Then, just one offensive snap later on Kansas City’s ensuing possession, Raiders’ cornerback Jack Jones picked off quarterback Patrick Mahomes and returned it for a 33-yard score.
The two plays – which took place in just seven seconds of game-action – swung the score from a four-point deficit to a 10-point advantage for Las Vegas in the blink of an eye, and it’s a hole that the Chiefs never managed to overcome.
“They played a better game than we did today,” said Head Coach Andy Reid. “We have to make sure that we learn from what took place, and move forward. That’s what you do, and that’s where we’re at right now.”
Mahomes completed 27-of-44 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown in the game, leading Kansas City on a 10-play, 74-yard scoring drive midway through the second quarter that briefly put the Chiefs in front. The series culminated with a 12-yard touchdown run by tailback Isiah Pacheco, who took the direct snap and ran around the edge for the score.
The Raiders’ two defensive touchdowns followed soon after, however, as Las Vegas secured a lead that it never relinquished. The Raiders added a field goal late in the third quarter, and while the Chiefs drove into the red zone twice during the fourth quarter – finishing one of those possessions with a 7-yard connection between Mahomes and wide receiver Justin Watson – Kansas City never managed to pull back in front.
Watson’s score certainly provided the Chiefs with a chance, as it pulled Kansas City within six points with just under three minutes remaining in the game, but Las Vegas broke off a pair of sizable runs on its ensuing drive that allowed the Raiders to run out the clock.
It was a tough ending to what had been an impressive day for the Chiefs’ defense, which held Las Vegas to just 205 yards of offense, a 3-of-12 mark on third down and only 48 net passing yards. Unfortunately for Kansas City, it just wasn’t enough in the end.
“They played better than us today, and they were the team that deserved to win,” Mahomes said. “All you can do is move on to the next day, and the next game…I still believe that we can go do what we want to do, it’s just [a matter of] correcting [our mistakes] as quickly as possible.”
In terms of injuries, Coach Reid mentioned Isiah Pacheco (concussion protocol) and offensive guard Trey Smith (left calf) following the game.
The Chiefs will now try to turn the page quickly with a matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium this upcoming Sunday.
