Four Takeaways From the KC Chiefs' 20-14 Loss to the Raiders
The Kansas City Chiefs came into Week 16 looking to lock up the AFC West with a win over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders. Yet another slow start made that outlook a murky one early on, and Andy Reid's team was unable to recover in time to complete its comeback.
Heading into the halftime locker room down 10 points, there was a ton of pressure on the home team to get its act together quickly in half No. 2. It just never manifested. More sloppy play ensued, leading to a 14-point overall output in front of the home crowd. With the loss, Kansas City drops to 9-6 on the season with only two games left to play.
Here are four takeaways from Monday's game.
The Chiefs' defense turned in yet another quality first half of football
Las Vegas may have scored 17 points in the first half, but that's not at all a reflection of Steve Spagnuolo's defense. The unit surrendered just a single field goal on 25 plays against the Raiders' attack, doing all it could to keep the other side of the ball in the game. After allowing 78 net yards and 4.6 yards per play in the first quarter, the Chiefs' defense stepped up and locked down in the second frame.
Rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell didn't complete a single pass in the second quarter, with the offense being held to a measly 3.4 yards per carry. Las Vegas mustered just 17 total yards as a team and went without a single third-down conversion, keeping possession of the ball for only 3:01 in that quarter. The Las Vegas offensive line didn't have quite the same push as the half unfolded and the Chiefs truly settled in on defense. Chris Jones, L'Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie and company certainly weren't to blame for how things looked after 30 minutes of play.
It didn't matter due to more offensive ineptitude
Stop me if you've heard this before: Kansas City started slow and couldn't get out of its own way. Back-to-back possessions resulted in a three-and-out scenario playing out and the Chiefs logged -18 net yards in the first quarter of play. Averaging negative yards per play is a nearly guaranteed way to dig yourself into a hole. Giving up a fumble return for a touchdown and then a pick-six to start your next drive adds even more fuel to the fire.
The Chiefs were able to score a touchdown in the second quarter and gained 139 net yards, but things didn't seem that easy. Andy Heck's offensive line struggled to generate a consistent push, skill-position players weren't on the same page as their quarterback and everyone generally was out of sorts. This was one of the worst halves of football Kansas City has had in recent memory. The second half didn't bring much improvement despite a late comeback attempt — the Chiefs simply didn't appear to have their heads in this one.
The Chiefs once again failed to crush a divisional opponent's hopes
The Denver Broncos' loss to the New England Patriots on Christmas Eve dropped Sean Payton's squad to 7-8 on the year. While that still puts them well on the outside looking in as far as the AFC playoffs are concerned, Kansas City could have clinched an eighth-straight division title with either a tie or a win. With the loss at the hands of the Raiders, they have to play the "what if" game for another week and hold off on celebrating with hats and t-shirts.
Speaking of the Raiders, Antonio Pierce's bunch continues to fight hard late in the season. They, too, need a ton of fortune in order to make the playoffs but rising to 7-8 keeps their hopes alive. The Chiefs essentially had control over a bitter rival's destiny and instead of defending their home turf and sending Las Vegas back home with lumps of coal, they gifted them new life as a Christmas present. Monday afternoon was a missed chance in a season filled with them.
Patrick Mahomes is potentially playing his first career road playoff game soon
Per the in-game broadcast on CBS, the Chiefs are no longer alive in the race for the AFC's one-seed due to their loss. That distinction projects to belong to either the Baltimore Ravens or Miami Dolphins, both boasting some of the most explosive offensive talent in the sport. Kansas City defeated Miami earlier this season and while a potential tiebreaker for the two-seed could eventually factor in, that won't be the case with a first-round bye hanging in the balance.
Ignoring the Super Bowl, Patrick Mahomes will be making his first true playoff start on the road in January if the Chiefs want to advance deep in the postseason. That's a difficult pill to swallow. Road environments are always tougher to win in, which isn't good news for an offense that has struggled with communication and execution all season long. Kansas City was already behind the proverbial 8-ball for a bye; those hopes are officially extinguished now.
