Game highlights: Kansas City Chiefs top Las Vegas Raiders in a Monday night thriller

The Raiders had the ball with less than 2 minutes to play in Monday night’s game, and the Chiefs leading by 1.

Would Las Vegas be able to move into field-goal range? Nope. A pair of Raiders receivers collided on a fourth-down play and Derek Carr’s pass fell to the turf with 41 seconds left, as the Chiefs won 30-29 in a battle between the AFC West rivals.

Two-point decisions

The Chiefs rolled the dice but came up short on a 2-point conversion, then made sure the Raiders did too during Monday’s game.

After Travis Kelce caught a 1-yard touchdown pass, his fourth of the night, the Chiefs went for 2 but weren’t successful. Still, that gave the Chiefs a 30-23 lead.

The Raiders struck back as Davante Adams caught a 48-yard pass over two Chiefs defenders. Rather than tie the game, Las Vegas went for two and running back Josh Jacobs was stopped at the goal line.

That led the Chiefs maintain their one-point lead.

Mahomes to Kelce, Part III

After trailing by 17 points in the first half of Monday night’s game against the Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs took their first lead late in the third quarter.

Tight end Travis Kelce caught an 8-yard touchdown pass, making several Raiders defensive players miss along the way, and gave the Chiefs a 24-20 lead. This was the third touchdown reception of the night for Kelce.

It was a 24-20 score heading to the fourth quarter.

Mahomes to Kelce, Part II

It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions for Chiefs fans in Monday night’s game against the Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium.

In a matter of seconds the mood changed late in the second quarter when Chris Jones’ strip sack/fumble recovery was nullified by a penalty.

Cheers turned to boos quickly from Chiefs Kingdom.

Given new life, the Raiders got a 50-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson that pushed their lead to 20-7 with 17 seconds to play in the half.

That was all the Chiefs needed as kicker Matthew Wright made a 59-yard field goal capped a short drive.

The Chiefs then took the opening kick of the second half and moved 75 yards in 12 plays for a touchdown that made it 20-17.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce.

Arrowhead Stadium was rocking after that touchdown.

Mahomes to Kelce, Part I

The Mahoems-to-Kelce connection delivered for the Chiefs again and again, and the duo came through again in the second quarter of Monday’s game against the Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium.

After Daniel Carlson’s 53-yard field goal gave the Raiders a 17-0 lead, the Chiefs drove 75 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown.

Jerrick McKinnon’s gritty 25-yard run was the key play and seemed to rev up the Chiefs.

Mahomes completed a pass to Clyde Edwards-Helaire that put the ball on the Raiders’ 1-yard line. On the next play, Mahomes found Kelce for a touchdown that made it a 17-7 game in the second quarter.

Penalty problems

A pair of pass-interference calls helped the Raiders drive 69 yards for a touchdown and take a 14-0 lead in the second quarter of Monday night’s game.

After Matthew Wright’s 41-yard field goal attempt was wide right, the Raiders moved the ball with the help of a 25-yard pass interference penalty on the Chiefs’ Rashad Fenton and a 23-yard interference call on Jaylen Watson that put the ball on the 1-yard line.

First points

Las Vegas rolled the dice in the first quarter of Monday’s game against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium and hit the jackpot.

The Raiders went for it on fourth-and-1 from their 42-yard line, and the Chiefs were caught expecting a run. Instead, Derek Carr threw a bomb to Davante Adams for a 58-yard touchdown.

That was the game’s first points as the Raiders grabbed a 7-0 lead with 8:27 to play in the opening period.

Protest planned

Native American leaders planned to protest on Monday outside Arrowhead Stadium in an effort to get the Kansas City Chiefs to change the team’s name.

The Chiefs released a statement, which you can read here.

Aikman-Mahomes connection?

Former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman will be on the call for the Chiefs-Raiders “Monday Night Football” game on ESPN (and KCTV-5 in KC), working alongside Joe Buck.

Aikman had his feathers ruffled in 2019 when a Twitter user compared his first 20 games in the NFL to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

“Talk to me when when he has 33% of my Super Bowl Titles,” Aikman tweeted.

Mahomes did just that five months later when he won his first Super Bowl championship with the Chiefs by beating the 49ers. Given that history, things get a bit awkward on Monday night.

Mahomes is currently tied with former Chiefs quarterback Trent Green with 162 career touchdown passes. Should Mahomes throw for four touchdowns on Monday, he will pass the following players on the all-time list:

• Green (162)

• Daryle Lamonica (164)

• Jim Plunkett (164)

• Troy Aikman (165)

Yep, that’s Aikman.

Arrowhead Pride contributor Dakota Watson was the first to notice what could be an interesting twist to Monday night’s game.

Alex Smith at Arrowhead

The Chiefs tweeted a pre-game video that showed former Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith arriving at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Smith is now an NFL analyst with ESPN.

Game referee

They referee who worked during the Chiefs’ 31-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV has been assigned to the “Monday Night Football” game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Football Zebras said it’s Carl Cheffers, who is in his 23rd season as an NFL official, including the last 15 as a referee.

Cheffers worked a pair of regular-season games at Arrowhead Stadium a year ago: the Chiefs’ 22-9 win over the Broncos and KC’s 38-20 loss to the Bills.