Chiefs first to clinch playoff spot after edging Raiders
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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson catches a touchdown pass, today, against Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jack Jones during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Patrick Mahomes passed for 306 yards and became Kansas City’s career leader in touchdown passes and the Chiefs clinched an AFC playoff spot with a 19-17 victory over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders today.
Kansas City (11-1) has played in a slew of close games this season and wrapped up this win when Raiders center Jackson Powers-Johnson unexpectedly snapped the ball. It caromed off the upper right arm of quarterback Aidan O’Connell, and Nick Bolton of the Chiefs recovered it at the Kansas City 37-yard line with 11 seconds left.
Mahomes threw one scoring pass to become the franchise leader with 238, surpassing Hall of Famer Len Dawson (237). Fill-in kicker Matthew Wright matched his career-high of four field goals for the Chiefs.
Brock Bowers and Tre Tucker caught touchdown passes for Las Vegas (2-10), which dropped its eighth straight game. Bowers had 10 receptions for a career-best 140 yards.
O’Connell completed 23 of 35 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns for the Raiders. It was his first appearance since he broke his right (throwing) thumb in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams.
O’Connell was pressed into duty after Gardner Minshew sustained a season-ending broken collarbone in last Sunday’s 29-19 loss to the Denver Broncos.
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Wright kicked a 32-yard field goal with 9:53 left in the game to give Kansas City a 19-17 lead.
The Raiders had a chance to take the lead but Daniel Carlson was short on a 58-yard field goal attempt with 2:17 remaining. Carlson also missed attempts from 56 and 55 yards.
Carlson looked in line for one final chance before the errant snap on a play from the Kansas City 32.
The Raiders trailed by 13 before stunning the Chiefs with two touchdowns in a span of 1:48.
Las Vegas moved within six when O’Connell tossed a 33-yard scoring pass to Bowers with 1:40 remaining in the third. The score was set up by a 68-yard kickoff return by Ameer Abdullah.
Then on the first play of the fourth quarter, O’Donnell threw deep and connected with Tucker on a 58-yard touchdown to give the Raiders a 17-16 edge.
Mahomes passed the mark of Dawson, who retired after the 1975 season, with a 6-yard scoring pass to Watson to give the Chiefs a 10-3 lead with 2:14 left in the first half.
Wright kicked field goals of 42 and 35 yards in the third quarter to boost Kansas City’s lead to 16-3. Wright was signed this week to handle place-kicking duties with Harrison Butker and last week’s hero, Spencer Shrader, sidelined with injuries.
