Chiefs’ sweep of Raiders all but locks up division title
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A fourth straight AFC West championship is not yet in the possession of the Kansas City Chiefs, but they took a huge step toward securing it with their 40-9 win over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
The 8-4 Chiefs are two games ahead of the 6-6 and second-place Raiders in the AFC West. They swept the season series, having also won in September when the teams played in Oakland.
That means the Chiefs have the tiebreaker, so they need just two wins in their final four games to clinch their fourth straight AFC West championship. Just one of the Chiefs’ remaining four regular-season opponents has a winning record as of today.
That opponent is defending Super Bowl champion New England. The Chiefs are at the Patriots next Sunday, and beating the Raiders gives the Chiefs some room for error heading into that most challenging assignment.
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QB breakdown: Patrick Mahomes had his second straight subpar game. Mahomes completed just 15 of 29 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders, following a sluggish passing performance in a Week 11 win over the Chargers. It wasn’t a great day at Arrowhead for the passing game because of gusty winds. Travis Kelce in particular seemed to struggle with the conditions. But the Chiefs figure to need more from Mahomes next week against the Patriots and beyond.
Owning Derek Carr: The Chiefs have dominated the Oakland quarterback, particularly when the teams meet at Arrowhead Stadium, and Sunday’s game was no different. The Chiefs intercepted Carr twice in the first half with Juan Thornhill returning one for a touchdown to help Kansas City take a 21-0 lead. Carr and the Raiders didn’t break the shutout until early in the fourth quarter and scored their only touchdown in the game’s final minute.