Winners and Losers from the KC Chiefs' Week 8 Victory Over the LV Raiders

In the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 8 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, multiple players stood out for good and bad reasons alike.

Oct 27, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

In their second trip to Allegiant Stadium this calendar year, the Kansas City Chiefs picked up right where they left off.

On Sunday, Andy Reid's crew took down one of their biggest rivals with a 27-20 triumph over the Las Vegas Raiders. Thanks to some solid contributions on offense and multiple timely stops on defense, the reigning Super Bowl champions rose to the occasion and are 7-0 on the season. It was yet another balanced win for Kansas City, with players on both sides of the ball making an impact.

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

WINNER: Leo Chenal

When the Chiefs lost Willie Gay Jr. to free agency, some wondered what that could mean for the linebacker group. As it turns out, all that did was allow Leo Chenal to evolve into the most dangerous version of himself in year three. After opening Sunday's game as a defensive end, he moved around the defensive formation all afternoon and was a factor in run defense. He also had an impressive pressure on Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew early in the second quarter. One word to describe Chenal is disruptive, which is exactly what he was once again in Week 8.

LOSER: Joshua Williams

After an offseason filled with hype surrounding him potentially being the next breakout Chiefs cornerback, Joshua Williams has been anything but that in 2024. Sunday was another example of that, with the former fourth-round pick missing a tackle in the first half and committing a pair of costly penalties in the second half. The first one was an unnecessary roughness infraction on a punt return, and then a defensive holding penalty on third down extended that same Raiders drive. With Las Vegas bringing the game to 17-13 following a field goal on that possession, Williams helped make the game closer than needed and put more pressure on the Kansas City offense to respond.

WINNER: George Karlaftis

Former first-round pick George Karlaftis is beginning to look more and more like the player who ascended to new heights last season. This may have been his best game of the year so far. He wrecked a pair of third downs for Vegas, including a pass breakup in one instance and a sack on Minshew in the other. In the second half, he and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton combined for a sack on a massive fourth-and-goal stand for the defense. Aside from biting hard on a nifty ball fake by Minshew, Karlaftis was excellent all afternoon long. It's hard to nitpick his performance too much.

LOSER: Wanya Morris

For as good as Jawaan Taylor was at right tackle (more on that in a second), Wanya Morris was that bad at left tackle in Week 8. The second-year man whiffed on an ugly sack by Tyree Wilson in the first half – getting flagged on the same play – and committed back-to-back holding penalties in the third quarter deep in the Chiefs' own territory. In the final frame, he got called for another one. Simply put, Morris's play felt eerily similar to what got second-round rookie Kingsley Suamataia benched in Week 2. Morris might still have a strong grip on the starting job, but he shouldn't after this outing.

WINNERS: Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce

Over the years, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have established themselves as one of the NFL's premier all-time duos. This season, they hadn't reminded folks of that too often. They certainly did so against the Raiders, as the two finally connected for a touchdown and Kelce piled on season-high marks for targets (12), receptions (10) and yards (90). Mahomes threw a pair of touchdowns and looked far more comfortable and confident. Football's top signal-caller and tight end were much more like themselves over the weekend, which should be a scary sight for the rest of the league.

LOSER: Jaden Hicks

On the positive side, fourth-round safety Jaden Hicks set a new personal best with nine defensive snaps and also had a tackle on Sunday. On the flip side, however, his performance on special teams won't help his case for an increased workload elsewhere. Hicks had a rough third quarter, getting called for illegal blocks on consecutive returns by Kansas City (one punt, one kickoff). The penalties cut the Chiefs from their own 15-yard line to their own 8 in both instances. Starting possessions that deep in your own territory is never a recipe for success; Hicks will have to clean that up moving forward as he looks to build on an otherwise solid debut campaign.

WINNER: Jawaan Taylor

In the days leading up to this game, the Chiefs made it perfectly clear that they respected the drive and elite talent that Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby brings to the table. Taylor was apparently included in that group, as he held Crosby without a pressure on 28 matchups between the two. All but three of those were one-on-ones according to Next Gen Stats, which makes it even more impressive. In a contest that could've been impacted by a sack or two from Crosby, he didn't make Mahomes's life much more difficult. That's a huge testament to the job the offensive line, and primarily Taylor, did.

Read More: 'Special' Defensive Stops Get Praise from Patrick Mahomes After Chiefs' Win