The Raiders’ disastrous fumble helps the Chiefs win another nail-biter

KANSAS CITY Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs accomplished the first of their 2024 goals on Black Friday, clinching a playoff spot with their 19-17 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

It was another ugly, too-close victory for the defending Super Bowl champions after they turned a 13-point fourth-quarter lead into a one-possession lead in the third quarter. The Raiders appeared poised to pull off a major upset when they moved into field goal position with 14 seconds left in the game, trailing by two points. But an illegal penalty and a turnover by the offense cost them the chance to score a game-winning field goal.

Next, the Chiefs hope to win the AFC West Division championship for the ninth straight year. They can clinch the division title by beating the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs also lead the rest of the AFC in the battle for the conference’s playoff spot at 11-1.

Describe the game in two words: Pacheco is back. Running back Isiah Pacheco played in a Week 2 game for the first time since breaking his leg. Pacheco delivered the big play with a 34-yard run in the third quarter.

Promising trend: The Chiefs, who had just two sacks in their last two games, sacked Las Vegas quarterback Aidan O’Connell three times. Chris Jones hasn’t had a sack since a Week 4 game against the Chargers, but did drop O’Connell twice.

Amazing statistics: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ second-quarter touchdown pass to receiver Justin Watson had a completion probability of 26.6%, according to Next Gen Stats. That’s his lowest touchdown pass completion probability since 2021, when he had a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Darrel Williams in Week 10 against the Raiders (22%).

Forecast for next week: CB Josh Williams remains in the starting lineup. He replaced Nazeeh Johnson in the second quarter against the Raiders after Johnson was badly hit on a long pass. Williams, who has played well for the Chiefs at times in the past, was an improvement over Johnson. — Adam Teicher

Next game: vs. Chargers (December 8, 8:20 p.m. ET)

Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce raised more than a few eyebrows when he acknowledged a certain narrative surrounding the Black Friday game, saying it was “the best team in football against the worst team in football.” However, neither team seemed to play their part in the Chiefs’ victory. Everything goes out the window in rivalry games, and there’s something special about holiday week games at Arrowhead, for example because the Raiders upset the Chiefs here last Christmas. Pragmatically speaking, spooking the two-time defending Super Bowl champions is the definition of a moral victory for Las Vegas, while the loss keeps the Raiders, who need reinforcements for a rebuild, on track for a top-three draft pick.

Most surprising performance: Kicker Daniel Carlson missed three field goals. Sure, there were three long attempts – from 56, 55 and 58 yards – and all in the cold. The surprising thing about the misses, however, was that Carlson had already made 18 straight field goals before narrowly missing on his first and third attempts and missing the second ball to the left side.

Promising trend: The Raiders entered the game with the worst rushing attack in the NFL, averaging 74.6 yards on the ground per game. They rushed for 116 yards against the Chiefs, who started the day with the No. 3 rush defense.

Forecast for next week: More deep balls. In fact, vertical play is ingrained in the Raiders’ DNA, so it shouldn’t be a surprise for Las Vegas to get more deep shots in Tampa Bay. But with the return of Aidan O’Connell and his ability to throw the ball deeper than the injured Gardner Minshew, expect a Back-to-the-Future vibe from the Buccaneers with Speedy from interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner written and supported by his father Norv was receiver Tre Tucker, who scored a 58-yard touchdown in Kansas City.

QB distribution: O’Connell is who we thought he was. In his first appearance since breaking the thumb on his right (passing) hand on October 20, O’Connell was comfortable in the pocket and throwing deep, but also showed his trademark lack of mobility. He passed for 340 yards and completed 23 of 35 passes but took three sacks, including one that knocked the Raiders out of field goal range.

Key game: O’Connell wasn’t ready for Jackson Powers-Johnson’s snap at the Chiefs’ 38-yard line with 14 seconds left in the game, and as the Raiders were in position for a game-winning field goal attempt, the ball bounced off his Chest and off was recovered by Chiefs LB Nick Bolton. Ball game. — Paul Gutierrez

Next game: on Buccaneers (December 8, 1 p.m. ET)