Winners and Losers From KC Chiefs' Week 16 Game vs. Las Vegas Raiders

In the Chiefs' sixth loss of the 2023 campaign, multiple players stood out for good and bad reasons alike.

The Kansas City Chiefs had a set of massive opportunities in Week 16, but their Christmas ended up getting spoiled by a bitter division rival.

Rolling into town, the Las Vegas Raiders secured a 20-14 victory on Monday afternoon. Fueled by a stout defensive performance and plenty of mistakes from the home team, Antonio Pierce's squad outplayed Andy Reid's and kept its playoff hopes alive. In the process, Kansas City's hopes for the AFC's No. 1 seed were extinguished and the Chiefs were sent back to the drawing board for the sixth time this season. 

With that in mind, let's point out some of the Chiefs' biggest winners and losers from the 16th week of the NFL season.

Winner: Chris Jones

After not recording a sack since a Nov. 20 outing against the Philadelphia Eagles, Chris Jones got back in the winner's circle with a great performance on Monday. This was hands down one of Jones's best games of the 2023-24 campaign, as the All-Pro was a consistent force against the pass and made Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell's life difficult. If the Chiefs are going to turn things around, they need more games like this from their best defensive player. 

Loser: Patrick Mahomes

Another week, another underwhelming performance from the reigning NFL MVP and someone who is still the best quarterback in the league. Mahomes certainly hasn't played like it this season, however, and Week 16 was one of his worst games. A miscommunication with running back Isiah Pacheco led to a fumble that was returned for a touchdown; Mahomes and Justin Watson not being on the same page led to a pick-six and Mahomes had a pair of other turnover-worthy throws that were dropped. The face of the franchise seemed to be pressing on Monday.

Winner: Richie James

Wide receiver Richie James made his most profound impact of the year on Christmas in multiple areas. In addition to bringing back three kickoffs for 68 yards, he also logged a season-high three receptions for 54 yards and saw his snap count increase overall. Despite most of those yards coming on a chunk play, this was a productive week for James after Reid hinted at getting his veteran wideout more involved before Monday's game. 

Loser: Kansas City's offensive line

Mahomes got sacked four times against the Raiders, which is the most he's been taken down dating back to Week 8 of last season. Both offensive tackles had rough performances on Monday, with the interior also struggling at times. Center Creed Humphrey accidentally kneed Pacheco in the head and gave him a concussion, and right guard Trey Smith dealt with an injury during the game and looked out of sorts. This was a very disappointing week for the Chiefs' front five in both the run and pass games.  

Winner: Clyde Edwards-Helaire

While Clyde Edwards-Helaire only got four opportunities to carry the ball on offense via the ground, he did make the most of his chances through the air. The fourth-year halfback made a huge impact play for the second week in a row by hauling in a short pass, ignoring a defender's tackle attempt and rumbling 32 yards down the field. Kansas City ended up turning it over on downs in the red zone later on that drive, but they wouldn't have even been there if it weren't for Edwards-Helaire's big play. He's made an argument in recent weeks to maintain a notable role in the offense. 

Losers: Harrison Butker and Tommy Townsend

For the second week in a row, Harrison Butker missed a field goal. The timing of Week 16's miss was terrible, as the Chiefs had just driven down the field and set him up for a very makeable 36-yard boot to bring things closer heading into the half. In the punting game, Tommy Townsend's 22-yard shank in the third quarter gave Las Vegas a short field that ultimately led to a field goal being made. Townsend gets a bit of a pass considering he helped convert a fake punt and was otherwise solid, but this was undoubtedly a less-than-ideal week for kicking operations overall. 

Winner: Jaylen Watson

The Chiefs' cornerback duo of L'Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie generally gets the praise for what they do every week, but Jaylen Watson performed admirably on Monday afternoon. His second half featured a pair of huge plays. The first one was a deep ball on third-and-7 intended for Jakobi Meyers that Watson knocked away, with the second being another third-down stop against a pass to Hunter Renfrow. Kansas City's secondary had a nice afternoon overall, and their second-year cornerback was a big part of that success down the stretch. 

Loser: Andy Reid

Each time the Chiefs lose, the same tidbits about needing to clean things up and be better are echoed. Reid took the blame for not putting his offense in good positions to thrive on Monday, which is fitting. The future Hall of Fame head coach didn't have any responses to what the Raiders threw at him on Christmas Day, leading to another bad offensive performance in a season filled with them. If anyone can get the team to fully move past its struggles, Reid is the man, but it's becoming more and more likely that it may not be possible.

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