Raiders’ D denies Chiefs chance to clinch eighth straight AFC West title

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs had a chance to win their eighth straight AFC West title Monday with a victory over the Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium.

Instead, the Raiders' defense stifled Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense, limiting the Chiefs to 14 points in a 20-14 victory. The defense scored two touchdowns in seven seconds to close out the first half and keep its own AFC West hopes alive.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders spoiled the Chiefs' Christmas with a 20-14 upset victory at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday.

It was just the Raiders' second win over the Chiefs since 2019, with both victories coming at Arrowhead Stadium as the Raiders improved to 7-8 and kept their faint playoff hopes alive.

It also helped keep interim coach Antonio Pierce's dream of removing the interim title alive.

Describe the game in two words: Stayin' Alive: The Raiders have a chance to win the AFC West, provided they win against the Indianapolis Colts and at home against the Denver Broncos, and the Chiefs lose at home against the Cincinnati Bengals and against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Buy on exceptional performance: Malcolm Koonce as a game-changing passer. The third-year defensive end became the first player to sack Mahomes three times in a game. In fact, Koonce, opposite NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate Maxx Crosby, now has five sacks in the last two games and seven sacks this season.

QB breakdown: Aidan O'Connell once again showed the ups and downs of driving a rookie quarterback. He did not complete a pass in the second or third quarters, and did not complete the fourth quarter. Fortunately for him and the Raiders, the defense took over and O'Connell's up-and-down season continued with a 62-yard passing day while completing 9 of 21 attempts.

Crucial game: RB Zamir White, starting for the second straight game in place of injured All-Pro Josh Jacobs, essentially ended the game with a 43-yard blast down the right sideline on second-and-4 with 2:35 left. and the Chiefs offense. having found its rhythm. White finished with 145 rushing yards on 22 carries. –Paul Gutiérrez

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Mahomes and Kelce both warm up on the sidelines after a rough first half

Patrick Mahomes rushes toward the Chiefs offensive line and Travis Kelce breaks his helmet on the sideline after a rough first half.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have had issues throughout the season with offensive penalties, turnovers and dropped passes. Monday's 20-14 loss to the Raiders featured Las Vegas' two defensive touchdowns following Chiefs turnovers – seven seconds apart.

The Chiefs had a chance to clinch the AFC West championship with a win. But to win an eighth consecutive division title, we will have to wait another week.

Describe the game in two words: Offensive collapse. The Chiefs took their sloppiness to new levels, including Raiders touchdowns on back-to-back turnovers.

Disturbing trend: The Raiders managed to put constant pressure on Mahomes without blitzing and above all gave the Chiefs little room to maneuver. Five of the Chiefs' first 11 plays ended in negative yardage.

Mind-blowing statistics: The first is that the Chiefs totaled -18 yards in the first quarter, which was the lowest of any NFL team since the Chiefs had -19 in the first half of a 2011 game against the Jets from New York. The second: The Chiefs are 3-4 this season at Arrowhead Stadium and have lost three straight.

Crucial game: The Chiefs led 7-3 in the second quarter when running back Isiah Pacheco took the play, but fumbled as he tried to hand the ball to Mahomes. The Raiders recovered and returned it for a touchdown, giving them the lead for good. –Adam Teicher