Arrowhead Pride
Can the Chiefs win in dominant fashion... in the EA Universe?
Here’s what happened in our simulation:
It was a slow start for both offenses as the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders punted on their opening drives.
Patrick Mahomes found his rhythm, spreading the ball to Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, Kareem Hunt and DeAndre Hopkins, who hauled in a touchdown pass to put the first points on the board.
The Raiders answered with a field goal by Daniel Carlson, cutting the lead to four points.
End of the first quarter: Chiefs 7, Raiders 3
Mahomes recognized the Raiders were in man coverage and connected with JuJu Smith-Schuster on an in-route. Smith-Schuster secured the edge and sprinted 57 yards to the end zone.
Aiden O’Connell struggled to find time in the pocket to locate open receivers. While he completed passes occasionally, it wasn’t enough to string together first downs and sustain drives. O’Connell faced heavy pressure from Chris Jones and Tershawn Wharton, who combined to sack him.
Smith-Schuster turned on the afterburners again, catching a slant pass for 43 yards to reach the 1-yard line.
On the next play, Hunt took a handoff out of the backfield, found a hole and powered into the end zone for a touchdown.
The Raiders responded with another field goal.
End of the second quarter: Chiefs 21, Raiders 6
The Chiefs’ defense seems to step up when the opposing team threatens to score. Twice in the last quarter, the Raiders reached the red zone but managed only a field goal.
The Raiders’ first drive of the second half followed a similar pattern. A sharp pass from Aiden O’Connell to Cole Bowers brought the ball to the 16-yard line, but the drive stalled, leading to another field goal.
The Chiefs answered before the end of the quarter, with Mahomes connecting with Xavier Worthy for a touchdown.
End of the quarter: Chiefs 28, Raiders 9
The Chiefs continued to dominate the Raiders, with Hunt diving into the end zone for another touchdown.
Jakobi Meyers hauled in a late touchdown during garbage time, giving the Raiders a small consolation.
Patrick Mahomes 25/27, 328 yards, 3 TD
Aiden O’Connell 22/34, 228, 1 TD
Kareem Hunt 8 att, 29 yards, 2 TD
Alexander Mattison 14 att, 51 yards
Brock Bowers 9 rec, 121 yards
DeAndre Hopkins 7 rec, 68 yards, 1 TD
JuJu Smith-Schuster 6 rec, 117 yards, 1 TD
Travis Kelce 6 rec, 85 yards
Drue Tranquill 7 total, 5 solo
Nick Bolton 10 total, 5 solo
Tershawn Wharton 3 solo, 2 sack
Chris Jones 2 solo, 2 sack
*In Week 14, the Chiefs are back home under the lights for Sunday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers....
