Winners and Losers from the KC Chiefs' Week 13 Victory Over the Las Vegas Raiders

In the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, multiple players stood out for good and bad reasons alike.

Nov 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Wanya Morris (64) is introduced against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

It wasn't pretty, but how many of the Kansas City Chiefs' wins this season have been?

Andy Reid's squad got another victory on Friday, this time holding off a comeback attempt by the Las Vegas Raiders and coming away with a 19-17 triumph in Week 13. It took just about everything on both sides of the ball – and special teams – to put up enough points and keep the Las Vegas offense away from taking a late lead. Nonetheless, Kansas City has win No. 11 on the year and remains in the driver's seat for the top playoff seed in the AFC.

With that in mind, let's point out some of the Chiefs' biggest winners and losers from the 13th week of the regular season.

WINNER: Chris Jones

Friday marked two months exactly since Chris Jones had last notched a sack for the Chiefs. In Week 13 against the Raiders, he had two of them for good measure. Both of his big plays came on third down, with the first being a third-and-goal takedown to force a field goal and the next being a sack to force a punt. Jones got both of his sacks rushing from the edge, which is always an intriguing possibility for him when matchups are favorable. The game's best interior pass rusher got back to his ways on Friday, finding avenues to win all over the defensive line.

LOSER: Wanya Morris

As it has all season, Kansas City's left tackle play left plenty of questions on the table this week. Wanya Morris struggled a ton on Friday, committing a pair of ugly false start penalties and also losing to K'Lavon Chaisson multiple times. Like Jones, Morris also impacted the game on third down but did so in a negative way. Two specific instances where he got torched in pass protection led to a sack of Patrick Mahomes and either a punt or field goal attempt. Reid even benched Morris late in the game in favor of left tackle Joe Thuney, later explaining why he made the move. It was a game to forget for Morris in what's turning into a season to forget for him.

WINNERS: Travis Kelce and Noah Gray

The disclaimer for praising both of the Chiefs' leading tight ends is noting that they did open one of the team's second-half drives with back-to-back drops. With that out of the way, it's worth tipping a cap to both Travis Kelce and Noah Gray for their work in Week 13. Kelce led all Kansas City pass catchers with seven receptions on Friday, adding 68 yards to his yearly total. Gray, not to be outdone by too much, had his third game in a row with at least four targets and four receptions. With Peyton Hendershot, Jared Wiley and Jody Fortson all on the injured reserve list, the Chiefs are relying on their best at tight end. it worked out against the Raiders.

LOSER: Nazeeh Johnson

Just over a month ago, the Chiefs were giving Nazeeh Johnson a vote of confidence as someone who was ready to replace Jaylen Watson as the club's No. 2 starting cornerback. Before November came to a close, the third-year man got benched in a game and has multiple poor reps on tape. Friday, specifically, saw him get burned by Jakobi Meyers for a 43-yard gain to start the second quarter. That led to the subsequent trip to the bench and Joshua Williams replacing Johnson down the stretch. Kansas City desperately misses Watson, and its only hope now is that Williams can be a bit more stable than Johnson has been.

WINNER: Drue Tranquill

Since signing a multi-year contract during the offseason, Drue Tranquill's play hasn't justified it at the linebacker position. Friday, though, was the best he's looked in weeks. The veteran defender seemed a lot more fluid in coverage, making a nice play on second-and-16 on the opening drive that stood out. He also matched up about as well as he could with Raiders tight end Brock Bowers on what was otherwise an excellent day for the rookie. Tranquill stepped up in Week 13 and resembled his 2023 self, which is good news for the Chiefs if he can parlay it into more frequent success.

LOSER: Jawaan Taylor

After coming out of the gates hot this season, Jawaan Taylor's pass protection on the right side of the offensive line has waned. That includes a difference from the first Chiefs-Raiders matchup of the year to Friday's game. On top of that, the veteran tackle was called for a pair of illegal formation penalties that gave shades of last season. The first one turned a second-and-15 into a second-and-20, and the last one partially contributed to him losing his rep and Patrick Mahomes getting lost trying to scramble away. Taylor can flush this game and get back on track, but the penalties centered around his alignment are at least a bit concerning.

Read More: Four Takeaways from the Kansas City Chiefs' 19-17 Win Over the Las Vegas Raiders