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By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports activities Author
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Even after Jason Witten’s landing put the Las Vegas Raiders forward with 1:43 to play, the temper on the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ sideline was calm and funky.
Not a lot can cease the Tremendous Bowl champs recently. Not once they have the quarterback who makes the whole lot go.
“We’ve bought Patrick Mahomes,” working again Clyde Edwards-Helaire mentioned. “I’m not nervous about something.”
Mahomes threw a 22-yard landing cross to Travis Kelce with 28 seconds to play, and the Chiefs avenged their solely loss within the final 12 months with a 35-31 victory over the Raiders on Sunday evening.
Mahomes handed for 348 yards and led two go-ahead scoring drives within the frantic fourth quarter for the Chiefs (9-1), who cut up their season collection with Las Vegas (6-4) in dramatic style. Kansas Metropolis additionally took agency management of the race for its fifth straight AFC West title with an assertive comeback in its closest rivals’ house constructing.
“I’d take him over everyone,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid mentioned of Mahomes. “And I’m fortunate to have him, as we’re as a soccer workforce, as we’re as a metropolis. If you’re behind, he could make issues occur.”
The Chiefs’ supreme confidence of their Tremendous Bowl MVP wasn’t shaken once they misplaced 40-32 at house to Las Vegas final month, prompting the Raiders to take a celebratory victory lap round Arrowhead Stadium of their buses.
Kansas Metropolis additionally did not fear when Mahomes threw solely his second interception of the season late within the first half of the rematch.
And when Derek Carr discovered Witten for the Raiders’ go-ahead rating, Mahomes mentioned he knew what would occur subsequent.
“We’re going to attain,” Mahomes mentioned. “I simply didn’t know if it was going to be time beyond regulation, or we had been going to win it.”
The Chiefs did not want a tying discipline aim: They solely wanted 75 seconds to march 75 yards, with Mahomes going 6 of seven on the drive.
Kelce, who caught eight passes for 127 yards, slipped freed from Las Vegas’ safeties for the simple successful catch after which went again to the sideline to present a joking shoulder therapeutic massage to Reid. The Chiefs can snicker at fourth-quarter pressure, because of the person behind heart.
“He turns it up when it issues essentially the most, and he was on the market displaying out tonight,” Kelce mentioned about Mahomes.
Carr handed for 275 yards and three touchdowns, however the Raiders couldn’t match their offensive excellence in Kansas Metropolis final month. The Chiefs have gained 5 straight since that defeat, and the Raiders made simply sufficient minor errors to forestall them from getting out of attain of Mahomes’ comeback potential.
“It’s pretty much as good as you possibly can play,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden mentioned of Carr. “He had 4 or 5 balls that had been magnificent throws that we may have caught that we didn’t make the play on. He performed large tonight. He performed virtually flawless.”
The Raiders led 24-21 on Darren Waller’s TD catch on the primary play of the fourth quarter, however Mahomes led a 91-yard scoring drive halfway by way of the interval capped by Le’Veon Bell’s first TD for Kansas Metropolis on a 6-yard pitch.
Carr and the Raiders replied with a crisp drive ending on Witten’s 1-yard catch simply contained in the aim line for his second TD with the Raiders and the 74th of his profession.
“You’re actually excited,” Carr mentioned. “(However) they’re an actual good offense, too. They go down the sector, they rating. The wave, the vary of emotion — you attempt your greatest to remain even-keeled. You attempt your greatest to not get annoyed.”
That is not straightforward when your counterpart is Mahomes.
Daniel Sorensen picked off a heave to midfield by Carr with 19 seconds left, and the Chiefs kneeled out their 18th win within the final 19 video games since Nov. 10, 2019.
Nelson Agholor caught a TD cross and Josh Jacobs rushed for a rating for the Raiders, who dropped to 2-Three at Allegiant Stadium of their new hometown.
Tyreek Hill caught an early landing cross for the Chiefs, and Edwards-Helaire rushed for 69 yards and two TDs in a fierce rivalry recreation. These groups’ mutual distaste was apparent, with loads of confrontations and yapping after whistles. Kelce and Johnathan Abram had significantly lively mouths.
“The rivalry between the Raiders and the Chiefs, I believe, is a superb factor for soccer,” mentioned Reid, who improved to 19-Three after his bye week. “It’s nice to be part of it. I sit up for extra future challenges like those they introduced in opposition to us.”
The groups traded landing drives on the opening 4 possessions. Agholor made an distinctive toe-tap 17-yard TD catch to finish the primary quarter, however Edwards-Helaire’s first TD evened it at 14.
Mahomes drove the Chiefs deep into Raiders territory proper earlier than halftime, however Trayvon Mullen snared a cross meant for Demarcus Robinson on the Raiders Three to protect Vegas’ 17-14 lead. Mahomes had matched Drew Brees’ NFL file by throwing 26 landing passes this season earlier than his second interception.
Las Vegas’ protection hung in in opposition to the high-powered Chiefs regardless of having 9 gamers on the reserve/COVID-19 record earlier this week, primarily stopping the protection from training for its hardest opponent. Six of these gamers returned for the sport, however the Raiders nonetheless performed with out starters Cory Littleton and Clelin Ferrell.
Chiefs: WR Byron Pringle damage his ankle, however returned to the sport.
Raiders: RT Sam Younger missed the sport with a knee harm, forcing Vegas to make use of its seventh offensive line mixture in 10 video games. … DL David Irving injured his knee.
Chiefs: Go to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers subsequent Sunday.
Raiders: Go to the Atlanta Falcons subsequent Sunday.
Extra AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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