David Bell and Laddie Morse
Chiefs win in Dominate Fashion, Closing out a Sweep of
the AFC West and Gain the Wildcard Round Playoff Bye!
At the Coin Toss
The Raiders won the toss and deferred, but after receiving the kick, Mahomes struck quickly for a 68-yard pass completion to Justin Watson, achieving a first down inside the 5.
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A couple of plays and a penalty gave them 3rd and goal inside the four. Mahomes did a quick drop, and then RPO’d to his left. He headed for the front corner of the end-zone, and the defenders (3) apparently had studied tape, and all three moved to prevent Patrick from reaching the end-zone.
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At the same time, RB Jerick McKinnon did a quick spurt as if he was an outlet, and as the three defenders moved to stop Mahomes, Patrick tossed the pass to McKinnon for the TD. The game was essentially over at halftime and the Chiefs played good football, beginning with their first possession.
Defense: Stop Number One
After the ensuing kickoff, the Chiefs’ defense forced the Raiders into an FGA with a Stidham Sack by Chris Jones. The kick was made and the score became, Chiefs 7, Raiders 3.
The Chiefs drove into Raider territory on the next possession, but the drive stalled. There was a questionable no-call for a PI against the Raiders. Mahomes, stuck in the pocket, targeted Marques Valdez-Scantling. MVS was pounded on the chest by the defender, and the pass fell incomplete. No Flag. This resulted in a Tommy Townsend punt inside which landed inside of their 5.
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The Special Teams did great work to down the ball. The Raiders tried to drive, but Jarrett Stidham threw a pass along the right sideline. Safety Juan Thornhill read it perfectly for an interception to regain possession of the ball.
On this possession, the Chiefs rode their big horse — Isiah Pacheco — who had two great carries, and then he scored on a great run between tackles for the TD. Once again, a third possession resulted in points. At this point in the game, the Chiefs led 14-to-3.
The Chiefs Defense Gets Stop #2
There were numerous stops in this game. I want to observe that Jarrett Stidham is dangerous with his feet. He was picking up yards willy-nilly. I thought either Gay or Bolton needed to be a spy for Stidham to prevent his ground gains. The Raiders have shown no give against the Chiefs squad and have played good football. After KC’s second TD, the Raiders moved the ball effectively.
The Raiders got inside the 6, and the set of downs went to 3rd and goal from the 3-yard line. A Stidham pass fell incomplete with L’Jarius Sneed defending. Las Vegas went for it on 4th and goal… Jarrett was pressured and threw a pass to Davante Adams, who was on his knees. He could not make the catch, and the ball fell incomplete.
The Chiefs began the next possession from about the three. A failed pass on 3rd down was the result, but the Chiefs were saved by a “roughing the passer” call against the Raiders. Pacheco continues to run the football like a madman. I love what Isiah brings to the table. It’s great stuff.
Another Note – WRs
Per usual, Travis Kelce (6 catches for 38 yards) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (2 catches for 35 yards) were essential targets for Patrick Mahomes. I noted above the “no-call” on the PI against MVS. Mahomes finally connected with Marques on this extended drive due to the “roughing the passer call.” Kadarius Toney (2 catches for 18 yards) also had critical receptions in the first half, including on the penalty-extended drive. At the 2-minute warning after a Toney reception, the Chief were inside the raider 40. The import here is that it was Toney and MVS making plays. Review the Chiefs fast start on a 68-yard pass to Watson.
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In the next play, Mahomes fled the backfield to the right sideline for a few yards. Then he stuck in the pocket trying to find an open receiver — that failed, and Mahomes wound out of the backfield and ran for a first down inside the 25.
The Drive Is Alive
I want to see another TD putting the Chiefs up 4-3. So what hap ens? Mahomes to Toney, TD on a great move and speed by Toney. However, the offense was called for holding. It was a trick play. A hand-off by Mahomes, who then was a receiver who took the cross-field pass and promptly threw the ball to Toney. I am telling you, Kadarius Toney is a precious acquisition. He will be a crucial Patrick Mahomes target in the playoffs and down the road in 2023’s season and beyond. In the next play, Toney was the Mahomes’ target but failed to reach the end zone. Harrison Butker made the FGA. The Chiefs led, 21-3.
Raiders Last Possession of the First Half
Another Chiefs Defensive Stop!
A pass completion and PI Call gave the Raiders the ball at the Chief’s 45-yard line. George Karlaftis got another sack to make his total 6.5 on the season. He was backing up because word for the drive for the Raiders. Then a Stidham fumble was recovered by George Karlaftis due to Stidham losing control of the ball. To their own 48, One pass completion later allowed Harrison Butker to kick a long FG. He did. At the half, the Chiefs led 4-3.
Third Q: Nil
I was not a happy camper with the Chief’s offense in the third Quarter. They’ve stubbed their toe, too, often. On the other hand, the defense held the Raiders to just a FG. Then, as the clock started the 4th Quarter, the defense had another stop. Tommy Townsend had three great punts (4 total for a 49.0 YPP average). Special Teams played well. The defense was nearly outstanding. As Chiefs fans, it’s difficult to ask for more!
The clock wound down, and the Raiders did not stop and they finally scored their 13th point. Beyond that, the Chiefs defense exerted its will vs. the Raiders. When it finally got under 4:00 minutes, the game was over. Exchanging a text message with Laddie was a highlight as the competition closed down. He wrote that in the past four games, the defense gave up:
24 +10 +24 +13 = 71 ÷ 4 = 15.25. That’s 15.25 PPG.
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Goodness, for the Chiefs heading into the playoffs with the “Bye” to begin with, that something to celebrate.
After the Half?
Although the Chiefs didn’t play very well in the 3rd quarter, they ended the game nicely. Overall, the Chiefs played a dominant football game, winning 31-13. The defense achieved prowess that cannot be denied. That’s how the season ended: a sweep of the AFC West!
Raiders Rushing Attack
The Las Vegas Raiders have had one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL but they ended this game with only 99 total rushing yards. Their leading rusher, Josh Jacobs, was held to only 45 yards rushing on 17 carries (a 2.6 YPC for the game). That’s excellent for the Chiefs D considering Jacobs was averaging more than 100 yards per game this year and about 5.0 YPC for the 2022-2023 season. Plus, up to this point in the season he had 1,608 yards rushing. The Raiders QB, Jarrett Stidham rushed for 50 yards so he was their top rusher.
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Isiah Pacheco
Pacheco was the Chiefs leading rusher with 8 carries for 64 yards. An 8.0 yards er carry average. 7th round pick RB Isiah Pacheco has had a very good year:
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960 total yards from scrimmage is not bad for a rookie. Not bad at all.
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Tweet of the Game
I think this parallels the feeling of most in Chiefs Kingdom, so here it is:
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Quote of the Game
“Did anyone other than Chiefs fans believe that
the Chiefs would be the number 1 seed in the
AFC this year? Absolutely not. Proud of those guys!”
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Play of the Game
The name of this merry-go-round play that some found silly or disrespectful is called: Arctic Circle:
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While the Arctic Circle play was disallowed by a penalty, it was not a play of consequence. I found it charming enough to call it the “Play of the Game”… mostly because I’ve never seen any part of it before.
Player of the Game: Nick Bolton
While Patrick Mahomes broke Drew Brees record for the most overall yards in a season, he did it in 17 games compared to Brees 16 games.
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And… while Chris Jones is a monster and played one of his best games by getting 2.5 sacks (and ending the year with 15.5 sacks) to help the Chiefs lock down the one-seed in the AFC by only giving up 13 points on defense, he may not have been the best player on defense on his own team on this day. That designation might go to… drum roll please…
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Nick Bolton
Nick Bolton had 16 tackles in this game to end the year with 180 combo tackles (and 2.0 sacks). My math may be off (it’s not), but Bolton deserves recognition for his excellent — incredible — play in this game, and for the season.
Time of Possession
Even though the Chiefs lost the time of possession battle by 9:06 they still came out on top by 18 points. This shows how much better the Chiefs are than the Raiders and they have a lot of work to do in the offseason — again — to try and get to the level the Chiefs are playing at.
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Song of the Game: Magic Carpet Ride
This song was chosen in honor of Patrick Mahomes and his first TD pass of the game to Jerick McKinnon. His flip pass was more magic that we have come to expect.
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David Bell and Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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