LAS VEGAS — Three games in a row without a point in the second half.
A two-touchdown deficit not even an hour into Sunday’s game at Las Vegas.
This is the vaunted Patrick Mahomes-led offense?
Well, yes, as it turned out. The Kansas City Chiefs began to look more like their Super Bowl selves in the second quarter, and by the end, Mahomes had passed for 298 yards and two touchdowns to rally past the Raiders 31-17.
“We’re so used to Pat scoring 30 points a game,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “We’ve been so spoiled with that as a team. It might not have started (this season) the way we wanted it to start, but as this offense continues to play, they’re going to continue to get better. We’re going to get back in that rhythm of Pat scoring 30.”
Andy Reid won his 125th career game as the Chiefs coach, passing Hank Stram for the team record. That also made Reid the first NFL coach to hold that distinction for two teams — he won 130 games in Philadelphia.
Kansas City (8-3) fell behind 14-0 in the second quarter but tied it by halftime and pulled away after that. Isiah Pacheco rushed for two touchdowns, and Rashee Rice caught eight passes for 107 yards and a TD.
“We still have stuff to learn from this game,” Mahomes said. “There were some situations where we didn’t execute at a high enough offensive level, but we obviously took a step in a positive direction. Now it’s just continuing to do that throughout the rest of the season.”
Josh Jacobs rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders (5-7), ending a 12-game streak in which the Chiefs did not allow a 100-yard rusher.
The NFL’s reigning rushing champion also broke 1,000 yards from scrimmage this season to become the only player to reach that mark each year since 2019. He joined Hall of Famer Marcus Allen as the only Raiders backs to accomplish that in their first five seasons.
Las Vegas’ Aidan O’Connell passed for 248 yards and a touchdown.
The Chiefs have held 11 consecutive opponents to 24 or fewer points, just three off the team record. They shut down the Raiders in the second half, holding them to 113 yards after Las Vegas picked up 245 in the first two quarters.
“Defensively, our guys put the hammer down when needed,” Reid said.
Kansas City extended its winning streak to six games over the Raiders, and the Chiefs have beaten their AFC West rival in 16 of the past 18 meetings.
More importantly for the Chiefs, they bounced back from a 21-17 loss Monday night to Philadelphia, a Super Bowl rematch in which several receivers dropped passes.
“It’s a tough thing to do to win a game like this after a big Monday night game and then Thanksgiving,” Reid said. “You get the tryptophan hangover, so you’ve got to work through that.”
Kansas City’s receivers did a much better job against Las Vegas with just one drop, especially after the Chiefs fell into an early 14-point hole.
The Raiders took the lead on an 18-yard pass from O’Connell to Jakobi Meyers and a 63-yard run by Jacobs in which he stiff-armed safety Mike Edwards. But Las Vegas also left points on the board when interim coach Antonio Pierce eschewed going for it on fourth-and-1 and Daniel Carlson missed a 30-yard field goal to the right.
Kansas City answered with short two touchdowns in the second quarter to tie the game and end a three-period scoreless stretch. Pacheco rushed for a 1-yard score and Mahomes connected with Justin Watson on a 3-yard TD 25 seconds before the break.
The Chiefs took a 21-14 lead to open the second half on another 1-yard Pacheco touchdown run. They took full control early in the fourth when Mahomes converted a third-and-6 with a short pass to Rice, who maneuvered down the left sideline for a 39-yard touchdown and a 28-17 lead.
“I think as the game went on, for four quarters, they became the better team,” Pierce said. “There’s a reason why Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in football.”
INJURIES
Chiefs: WR Mecole Hardman (thumb) and RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) did not play. … WR Skyy Moore (knee), T Donovan Smith (neck and shoulder) and G Trey Smith (foot) was injured, but Reid said none were serious.
Raiders: DE Maxx Crosby (knee) started and played after being listed as doubtful and not practicing during the week. He even had a sack. … LT Kolton Miller (shoulder) played after missing the two previous games. … S Marcus Epps (neck and shoulder) went out in the second quarter but returned in the third period.
UP NEXT
Chiefs: At Green Bay on Sunday night.
Raiders: Las Vegas is off and will return Dec. 10 to host Minnesota.
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