St. Joseph Post
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Las Vegas got a pair of defensive touchdowns for the second straight week, including a pick-6 of the struggling Patrick Mahomes, and the resurgent Raiders held off the sloppy Kansas City Chiefs 20-14 on Christmas Day to keep their slim postseason hopes alive.
Defensive tackle Bilal Nichols returned a fumble eight yards for a touchdown, and Jack Jones took an interception 33 yards for another score seven seconds later, helping the Raiders (7-8) snap a six-game losing streak to the Chiefs.
Kansas City (9-6) squandered an opportunity to clinch the AFC West for the eighth consecutive year with one of their worst performances of the Mahomes era.
Along with two defensive TDs, Harrison Butker missed a chip-shot field goal, penalties and dropped passes were again a problem and twice they failed to convert on fourth down in the second half.
The Chiefs had a chance after Mahomes hit Justin Watson for a touchdown with 2:42 to go. But on the ensuing possession, the Raiders' Zamir White got loose for a 43-yard gain, picking up a first down that allowed them to run out the clock.
Mahomes finished 27-of-44 for 235 yards and an interception. He nearly threw a second, but it was overturned upon review.
The Raiders, playing without injured running back Josh Jacobs, won despite a dismal day from their own offense.
Aidan O'Connell was 9-of 21-for 62 yards, never completing a pass after the first quarter, while White had 145 yards on the ground.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid had spent the past few weeks lamenting the sloppy play that kept costing the Super Bowl champs.
They couldn't have been much sloppier on Christmas Day.
They went three-and-out on consecutive series to start a game for only the second time with Mahomes at quarterback. They were held to minus-18 yards in the first quarter, the second-worst total for the club since at least 1991.
And the reigning league MVP was sacked twice in those two series, while two more offensive penalties only made matters worse.
The Chiefs finally pulled ahead when Isiah Pacheco took a direct snap 12 yards for a touchdown, and Las Vegas had given the ball right back after a punt. Pacheco again took a direct snap but this time tried to hand off to Mahomes, who lost the exchange, and the 315-pound Raiders defensive tackle Nichols was there to scoop it up and run for the touchdown.
On the next offensive play for Kansas City, Mahomes was picked off by Jones, who returned it 33 yards for his second pick-6 in consecutive weeks.
The Raiders' fourth defensive TD in the two weeks, and their second in a span of seven seconds, gave them a 17-7 lead over their longtime divisional nemesis.
Then, Jones appeared to play the Grinch when he faked giving the ball to a kid wearing Chiefs clothes in the crowd.
It was still 17-7 when the Chiefs' Butker, one of the NFL's most accurate kickers, missed a chip-shot field goal before halftime, and the Raiders tacked on a field goal late in the third quarter to take a 20-7 lead heading to the fourth.
INJURIES
Chiefs CB L'Jarius Sneed left after making a tackle late in the third quarter. Pacheco went into the concussion protocol in the third quarter when his helmet popped off and he was kicked in the head. RG Trey Smith hurt his leg in the fourth quarter.
UP NEXT
The Chiefs host AFC playoff contender Cincinnati (8-7) this coming Sunday at 3:25 p.m. The game will be on KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3) and Q Country 92.7 FM in St. Joseph.
