Chiefs-Raiders Rapid Reaction: A near-perfect beatdown of the Raiders

PLEASE NOTE: With today’s Rapid Reaction column, we officially welcome our old friend Ron Kopp Jr. back to Arrowhead Pride. After taking a short sabbatical to take care of some family business, Ron has returned as our Contributing Editor. We are thrilled to have him back with us! — JD

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 31-0 on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Chiefs wasted no time putting the Raiders to bed

The Raiders entered Sunday with significant injuries and a 2-4 record that is actually better than their statistics would suggest. The Chiefs entered this game with positive momentum from the return of wide receiver Rashee Rice — and also because of the rhythm the offense has built up over the last few weeks.

Rice immediately improved on it.

The Chiefs scored touchdowns on the first four possessions of the game. The fifth drive (the last for starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes) ended in a field goal. Kansas City led 31-0 as he walked off the field late in the third quarter. He was orchestrating the offense with tempo that varied from possession to possession:

• The 92-yard opening drive required nine plays and less than six minutes to score the opening touchdown.
• The second touchdown drive used 17 plays and almost nine minutes of game time.
• The third consecutive touchdown drive needed 16 plays to go 94 yards, but only required 6 minutes and 22 seconds of clock.
• The fourth touchdown was a more standard possession: 11 plays, 65 yards and six minutes of possession.

On Sunday, the Chiefs’ offense demonstrated that it can operate in any way that becomes necessary.

Mahomes played with a full deck of cards

The unit chipped away with the passing game, leaning on the running game simply as a filler between pass calls. Mahomes took advantage of the full health of his receiving corps with confidence — but began with the most tried and true target to start the show: tight end Travis Kelce gained 44 yards on a catch-and-run during the initial drive, taking advantage of Mahomes’ gravity as he approached the line of scrimmage as a runner. He drew the nearest defender to Kelce in zone coverage, opening a lane for Kelce to run down the sideline.

Two plays later, the Chiefs faked a screen to the outside, once again opening up a lane down the sideline for tight end Noah Gray. That set Rice up to take his second catch in three goal-to-go plays into the end zone on a touch-pass jet sweep motion.

The tone-setting drive to start the game was followed up with even more methodical possessions. During the 17-play possession that followed, the Chiefs avoided any third down needing more than two yards — and in a memorable moment, converted a fourth-and-short with a little NSFW fun.

Mahomes’ second touchdown pass of the day was a layup allowed by the Raiders’ defense. On second and goal...