Chiefs Clinch Playoff Spot After Wild Finish Against Raiders
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs are heading to the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season, but Friday night’s 19-17 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders wasn’t exactly a celebration-worthy performance. In fact, it left some players feeling more frustrated than elated.
Despite their 11-1 record, the Chiefs have made a habit of keeping fans on the edge of their seats this season. Friday’s game was no exception, as Kansas City needed a last-second fumble recovery to seal the win against a struggling Raiders team that now sits at 2-10. With just 11 seconds left on the clock, the Chiefs pounced on a botched snap by Las Vegas, allowing them to run out the clock and secure the victory.
Here’s the kicker: this wasn’t the first time the Chiefs have had to grind out a win in dramatic fashion. In fact, five of their victories this season have come down to the final snap. For a team with championship aspirations, that’s both a testament to their resilience and a cause for concern.
“It’s not perfect, and we’ve had a lot of games this year where we didn’t play the way we wanted to play,” said Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie. “The thing about a championship team is games like this where things aren’t perfect. You’re thankful that you won, but you know that you’ve set the standard. And when we have games like this and don’t feel like we’ve played to the standard that we’ve set, it’s always a little disappointing, a little frustrating.”
Playoff Bound, But Not Satisfied
With the win, the Chiefs punched their ticket to the postseason and now have their sights set on clinching a ninth straight AFC West title. They can lock it up next Sunday night with a win over the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium. The victory also gave Kansas City some breathing room in the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, as they now hold a two-game lead over the 9-2 Buffalo Bills.
But let’s not sugarcoat it: this game was far from a masterpiece. The Chiefs appeared to be in control with a 16-3 lead late in the third quarter, only to see the Raiders storm back with two consecutive touchdown drives to take the lead. Kansas City managed to regain the advantage with a field goal, but the Raiders were marching into field goal range when disaster struck for Las Vegas. A fumbled snap at the Kansas City 32-yard line ended their hopes of pulling off the upset.
“When you clinch a playoff spot, that’s your first goal, to get into the playoffs and give yourself a chance to go for that Super Bowl,” said quarterback Patrick Mahomes. “But we know we have a long ways to go. We got to continue to work to get better, to continue to be a better football team.
“It keeps you hungry. You’re not satisfied with where we’re at even though we’re winning football games, and so we know we have to get better. I think everybody in the locker room knows we have to get better, but we want to go out there and do that and prove that.”
Lessons From Close Calls
If this game felt like déjà vu, that’s because it was. Just last week, the Chiefs needed a walk-off field goal to escape with a win over the Carolina Panthers, another sub-.500 team. In that game, Kansas City blew a 14-point lead late in the first half before pulling out yet another nail-biter.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones, who recorded two sacks against the Raiders (his first since Week 4), acknowledged that the Chiefs have plenty to clean up. Kansas City allowed 434 yards of offense, gave up two long touchdown passes, and committed costly penalties, including two offsides calls on Jones himself.
Still, Jones believes these close games could pay dividends when the stakes are higher.
“When you look at the playoffs, most games are close, down-to-the-wire type of games, so there’s a lot we can build from this as a team overall,” Jones said. “We’re just going to keep on winning, keep on winning. You can learn a lot from winning.
“It is better to win than have a pretty loss. We’ll take an ugly win, build from it and continue to get better.”
Takeaways From the Chiefs’ Win
- The Chiefs are now 11-1 and have clinched a playoff spot for the 10th straight season.
- Five of their wins this season have come down to the final snap, including Friday’s victory over the Raiders.
- Kansas City can clinch the AFC West title next week with a win over the Chargers.
- Despite their success, players like Mahomes and McDuffie believe the team has plenty of room for improvement.
As the Chiefs march toward the postseason, one thing is clear: they’re finding ways to win, even when it’s not pretty. But if they want to hoist another Lombardi Trophy, they’ll need to clean up their mistakes and start playing to the high standard they’ve set for themselves. For now, though, they’ll take the win—and the playoff berth that comes with it.
Originally Written by: Adam Teicher
