Live coverage: Las Vegas gets demolished, embarrassed in Kansas City

By Case Keefer (contact)

Published Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021 | 2 a.m.

Updated Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021 | 1:02 p.m.

Pregame, the Raiders drew scorn from the Geha Field at Arrowhead crowd by gathering on the Chiefs’ logo at midfield. Postgame, they slinked off the locker room trying to escape the glee of the red-and-gold faithful.

In between, they sent a lot of fans dressed in silver-and-black heading for the exits early — as early as the second quarter. The Raiders hit their lowest on-field point of the season Sunday on the road, falling 48-9 to their archrivals for a fifth loss in six games.

They appeared to challenge the back-to-back AFC champions with their pregame posturing, but couldn’t back it up with anything of substance once the game kicked off. The Chiefs scored on the first play from scrimmage, and it wasn’t even their offense on the field.

Chiefs defensive tackle Jarran Reed punched the ball out of Raiders running back Josh Jacob’s hands, and cornerback Mike Hughes scooped it up for a 22-yard touchdown run. The hits never stopped coming once the Chiefs’ offense got involved in the obliteration.

Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes played as well as he did earlier this season in a 41-14 victory in Las Vegas, throwing for 258 yards and two touchdowns on 20-for-24 passing. Running back Darrel Williams caught the first touchdown pass, a 23-yarder, on the Chiefs’ second drive of the day.

The recently-returned back ahead of him on the Chiefs’ depth chart, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, scored two of the team’s next three touchdowns before halftime. Even veteran receiver Josh Gordon got in on the action, getting his first score since a short 2019 stint with the New England Patriots on a 1-yard screen pass.

It was 35-3 at halftime after what amount to a concession 26-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. Las Vegas played better in the second half, but that was far too late and with the Chiefs sitting on a big lead to feel no urgency.

The Raiders had problems all over the field, but the offensive line was particularly poor and give neither Jacobs and the run game nor quarterback Derek Carr any room to operate. Las Vegas ran for 44 yards on 12 carries, while Carr threw for 266 yards on 33-for-45 passing and was sacked four times.

In addition to Jacobs’ giveaway, the Raiders committed five more turnovers including an interception and lost fumble by Carr.

The loss drops Las Vegas to 6-7 on the year and likely means it needs to win its remaining four games to even have a shot at reaching the postseason. The Raiders will say they’re confident, but they also said that coming into the second game against the Chiefs.

They even showed it with pregame hijinks that surely seemed to backfire.

Check back to lasvegassun.com later for full coverage and read below for live updates from throughout the game.

A fourth Raiders’ turnover turned into a seventh Chiefs’ touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.

Kansas City running back Derrick Gore went 51 yards on a first-down play to put the home team up 48-9. The Chiefs had the ball at midfield after defensive end Alex Okafor forced a fumble on Derek Carr that safety Armani Watts recovered.

Carr was initially called down by contact but replay overturned the initial call. Las Vegas has lacked energy and looked terrible all day, and now the game can’t end quickly enough for it.

Raiders finally score touchdown

For the second straight week, the Raiders couldn’t find the end zone until the second half.

Last week’s first touchdown was enough to momentarily give them the lead. A 4-yard touchdown catch by Hunter Renfrow from Derek Carr moments ago was not even close.

Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson missed the extra point to boot, leaving the Raiders still trailing the Chiefs 38-9 with 3:29 left in the third quarter. The drive was the Raiders’ best yet as they methodically went down the field 65 yards on 10 plays in five minutes.

It just all feels too late.

Chiefs reign at halftime

Kansas City added on a fifth first-half touchdown for good measure before heading to the locker room. Las Vegas responded with a none-too-helpful field goal.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s second touchdown rush, this one a 6-yard score, put the Chiefs up 35-0 before Daniel Carlson made a 26-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. It’s 35-3.

The accompanying statistics are every bit as bad as the score indicates they would be.

Kansas City holds a +3 turnover margin, 221-142 yardage edge and 14-9 advantage in first downs. The final 30 minutes feel like a formality; the Raiders will almost surely fall to a losing record for the first time this season.

Josh Gordon joins in on the onslaught

The Chiefs beat the Raiders by 27 points earlier this season. They’re up 28 midway through the second quarter the second time around.

Kansas City just scored its fourth touchdown on a 1-yard screen pass from Patrick Mahomes to Josh Gordon. The Chiefs got the ball back in quick fashion when Foster Moreau bobbled a pass from Derek Carr that Tyrann Mathieu intercepted and went 34 yards in nine plays for the touchdown.

It’s somewhat of a surprise it took that long given just how much better they look than the Raiders this afternoon.

The rout is on

The Raiders are more and more looking completely outmatched at Geha Field at Arrowhead.

Kansas City now leads Las Vegas 21-0 after a 7-play, 80-yard touchdown run capped by a 5-yard touchdown run by Clyde Edwards-Helaire. It’s only the start of the second quarter, so the Raiders need to show some life to avoid being completely embarrassed.

They’re well on their way to that fate so far.

Chiefs get offensive touchdown to pair with defensive score

The Raiders’ season feels like it’s on life support with the team now trailing the Chiefs 14-0 at Geha Field at Arrowhead Stadium in the first quarter.

The Las Vegas defense forced a three-and-out on Kansas City’s first drive, but the home team marched 80 yards in five plays on the second drive. Darrell Williams ultimately scoring, taking in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes.

The other key play of the drive saw Mahomes connect with Mecole Hardman for a 44-yard gain when returning cornerback Trayvon Mullen slipped. The Raiders desperately need an offensive answer on their next drive.

One play, one touchdown

The Chiefs scored on the opening play of the game, and it wasn’t even their offense.

Raiders running back Josh Jacobs was stripped on a handoff by Chiefs linebacker Jarran Reed with cornerback Mike Hughes scooping the fumble and returning it 22 yards for a touchdown. Chiefs 7, Raiders 0.

A game start worse, but it somehow feels even more dire for a 10-point underdog that came into the morning having lost four of five games. The Raiders have now been outscored 48-14 by the Chiefs on the season.

Inactives released

If the Raiders are to knock off the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium for the second consecutive year, they’ll have to do it without both one of their best offensive players and one of their best defensive players.

Tight end Darren Waller and linebacker Denzel Perryman were both on the recently-released inactive list. They were both previously announced out so it was no surprise, but it’s still a major handicap the Raiders will have to overcome.

Backup defensive end Carl Nassib joins the pair as out with an injury, as does reserve linebacker Patrick Onwuasor. The healthy scratches are cornerback Amik Robertson, guard Jermaine Eluemunor and defensive tackle Kendal Vickers.

The Chiefs will come into the second meeting of the year with the Raiders as the fuller squad.

Pregame

The Raiders’ biggest win since moving to Las Vegas came in Kansas City last year when they snapped the Chiefs’ franchise-record 13-game winning streak, 40-32. Even though the Raiders would miss the playoffs, the win against their archrivals was franchise-affirming, a proof of concept that they were headed in the right direction. And that’s why last month’s 41-14 loss to the Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium was one of the Raiders’ most demoralizing since coming to Las Vegas. Unlike last year, the gap between the Chiefs and Raiders looked wider than ever — and it hasn’t appeared to shrink since then. The loss is part of a stretch that’s seen Las Vegas lose four of five games since its bye week, with a combined scoring margin of -52. Kansas City has won five straight with a margin of +60. Not many are picking the Raiders to beat the Chiefs on the road, but not many were last year either.

Favorable matchup: Running back Josh Jacobs vs. Chiefs’ defense

The Raiders’ Pro Bowl running back is coming off two of his best games of the season in terms of total yardage. He had 22 touches for 90 yards in last week’s 17-15 loss to Washington and 24 touches for 112 yards in a 36-33 win against Dallas. Jacobs said the offensive line opened some of the biggest holes he’s seen in years against Washington. If that continues in Kansas City, Jacobs should be set up for another big day. Rush defense was the Chiefs’ Achilles heel despite reaching the Super Bowl in each of the past two years, and it’s remained that way this season. Kansas City is tied for second-to-last in the NFL in giving up 4.7 yards per rushing attempt. Aside from the win at Dallas, Las Vegas’ offense has recently lacked the explosiveness that led to the victory in Kansas City last year. The Raiders could shift their strategy to focus on long drives and ball control to keep the Chiefs’ offense off the field this time.

Problematic matchup: Tight end Travis Kelce vs. Raiders’ defense

Few receivers in the NFL have tormented a single team the way Kelce has the Raiders. Kansas City’s veteran All-Pro had eight catches for 119 yards in the first game against Las Vegas this year, and that was arguably a below-average performance compared with what he’s done in the matchup recently. The Raiders at least kept him out of the end zone for only the second time since they’ve faced Kelce with Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback. In seven games with Mahomes, Kelce is averaging eight catches and 111 yards against the Raiders. Mahomes seems to religiously target Kelce when he’s matched up against linebackers, a trend that could continue today, especially given Las Vegas’ cluster of injuries at the position. Starting middle linebacker Denzel Perryman hasn’t practiced all week with an ankle injury while starting weakside linebacker Cory Littleton has been limited with a shoulder injury. Rookie third-round pick Divine Deablo will likely play a bigger role for the second consecutive week, and said he’s been preparing specifically for going against Kelce.

Gamebreaker: Slot receiver Hunter Renfrow

The Chiefs have been one of the league’s better teams against slot receivers, but no one would know it based on the first game against the Raiders. Renfrow looked like Las Vegas’ best player, hauling in seven catches for 46 yards and a touchdown. And he figures to play an even bigger role in the rematch. Tight end Darren Waller is expected to miss his second straight game with back and knee injuries, leaving Renfrow as quarterback Derek Carr’s primary receiving option. The third-year player out of Clemson already leads the Raiders in receptions (73), receiving yards (760) and receiving touchdowns (4). He also has a team-best 342 yards after the catch because, as Carr stated, “the first guy always misses and he’s super-hard to tackle.” Carr also said he’s spent more time working with Renfrow than any receiver he’s ever played with, and the hours logged together have started to pay off.

Big Number: 390

That’s how many defensive snaps it took before the Raiders broke a five-game interception-less streak last week when cornerback Nate Hobbs picked off a deflected pass from Washington quarterback Taylor Heinecke. That moved the Raiders to second-to-last in the NFL with five interceptions on the year. They’ve dropped several potential interceptions including a pair that could have turned the game against the Chiefs earlier this season while it was still close. The near misses were even more damaging with the Raiders committing two turnovers themselves, a Carr interception and a lost fumble by receiver DeSean Jackson. Winning the turnover battle will be vital this time around, and Las Vegas should have its opportunities. Mahomes’ freewheeling ways have finally caught up to him this season as he’s already tied a career-high with 12 interceptions. Las Vegas grabbed an interception off Mahomes in each of last year’s two games.

Best Bet (5-7): Darrel Williams over 17.5 receiving yards

With second-year back Clyde Edwards-Helaire back from injury for the Chiefs, Williams won’t get as many touches as the 20 he compiled in the first game against the Raiders. But he should still be active in the passing game especially with the Chiefs moving him back into his traditional role as a third-down back in the two games since Edwards-Helaire returned. And that’s where he can thrive the most against the Raiders anyway. Las Vegas hasn’t covered running backs well in the passing game all year, which Williams put into focus with nine catches for 101 yards at Allegiant Stadium.