Chiefs steamroll Raiders on way to record-setting victory

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Patrick Mahomes threw his first two touchdown passes in nearly a month, Clyde Edwards-Helaire added two more scores on the ground, and the Kansas City Chiefs forced five turnovers in rolling to a record-setting 48-9 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

Derek Gore’s 51-yard TD run with 7:19 left in the fourth quarter allowed Kansas City (9-4) to eclipse the largest margin of victory in a series that began in 1960 and has been played 126 times. The previous record was 35 points in 1964.

Tyrann Mathieu had an interception and fumble recovery, Mike Hughes returned another fumble 23 yards for a touchdown, and the reigning AFC champion Chiefs built a 35-0 first-half lead before cruising to their sixth consecutive win.

They’ve won eight of their last nine against the Raiders (6-7), outscoring them 89-23 in two meetings this season.

Derek Carr finished with 266 yards passing, much of it going to Hunter Renfrow, who caught 13 of 14 targets for 117 yards and a score. But Renfrow also had one of four fumbles and five turnovers total for Las Vegas.

It was the sixth straight game that the much-maligned Chiefs defense held an opponent to 17 points or fewer, the biggest reason for their turnaround from a mediocre 3-4 team to Super Bowl contender. They held Josh Jacobs to 24 yards rushing and the Raiders to 293 yards of total offense.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid improved to 15-3 against the team’s most bitter rival. In doing so, the longtime Eagles coach joined Marty Schottenheimer and Hank Stram as the only coaches to win 100 games with Kansas City.

The Kansas City dominance began with the game’s first play, when Jacobs was shoved back about 3 yards and lost the ball in the process. Hughes alertly picked it up and waltzed 23 yards to give the Chiefs a 7-0 lead.

The real onslaught began a few minutes later.

Mahomes capped a five-play, 80-yard drive with a 23-yard pass to Darrel Williams, the first touchdown pass thrown by him since the last of his five in mid-November in Las Vegas. After a quick punt, he marched the Chiefs another 80 yards in seven plays, and Edwards-Helaire scooted into the end zone to make it 21-0.

Then the Chiefs’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award got into the act.

Mathieu was there to pick off Carr when his pass slipped through Foster Moreau’s hands, and the Chiefs needed a mere nine plays before Mahomes hit Josh Gordon in the end zone. It was the first TD scored by the oft-troubled wide receiver since Sept. 8, 2019, when he caught a pass from Tom Brady for New England in a game against Pittsburgh.

On the next drive, Mathieu was in the right spot when Renfrow coughed up the ball for the Raiders’ third turnover of the first half. The Chiefs breezed downfield again and Edwards-Helaire’s second TD run made it 35-0, putting the game out of reach before the teams even hit the halftime locker room.

BLOWN CALL

The Chiefs should have had another scoop-and-score by Armani Watts midway through the fourth quarter, when Carr was clocked from behind by Alex Okafor. The ball came loose but the officials whistled that Carr was down. Referee Brad Allen sheepishly reversed the call after a video review, but it still cost Kansas City a touchdown.

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS

Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed remained in his hometown of Minden, Louisiana, after his oldest brother was killed in a stabbing Friday night. T’Qarontarion Harris was 32. With both of Sneed’s parents in prison, Harris was largely responsible for raising him as a child. Sneed had played more snaps this season than any other Chiefs defensive player.

INJURIES

Raiders: CB Trayvon Mullen was helped off the field in the third quarter. He’d been out since Week 4 with a toe injury.

Chiefs: CB Rashad Fenton (knee) was active but did not play in anticipation of a short week before facing the Chargers.

UP NEXT

The Raiders visit the Browns on Saturday. The Chiefs visit Los Angeles on Thursday night.