LAS VEGAS (AP) — Patrick Mahomes said he loves playing in Allegiant Stadium, and it’s no wonder, given his perfect record in one of the NFL’s newer venues.
He’s rarely been pushed as much as he was Sunday against a Raiders team out to show its quick start wasn’t a fluke.
As he has so often, Mahomes came through, passing for 225 yards and two touchdowns. He got a big assist from Kenneth Walker III, who rushed for 177 yards and two TDs to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a 30-27 victory over Las Vegas.
Walker’s 2-yard touchdown run with 3:21 left put the Chiefs (4-0) ahead for good at 23-19. It was set up by Tyquan Thornton’s 55-yard reception on the previous play. Thornton, who had five catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns, suffered a gruesome-looking left ankle injury on the play and was carted off.
“I think you have to stay with it,” Mahomes said, describing the back-and-forth game. “I keep saying it, but it’s not always going to be pretty. That’s a good football team, a good defense. It’s not going to always be light it up and go out there and scoring 50 points or whatever. It’s if you stay with the process, it’s going to come.”
Kirk Cousins passed for 365 yards and two touchdowns for the Raiders, ending his seven-game winning streak that included the final four games last season with Atlanta. Brock Bowers, who played with an illness, caught six passes for 86 yards and a TD.
Las Vegas’ running game produced just 72 yards, averaging 2.8 per carry.
“We’ve got to find that answer,” Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said of the run game struggles. “That will be a big factor in us being a better football team.”
One of the NFL’s early-season surprises, the Raiders put up a strong fight against their AFC West rivals, and Kubiak expressed confidence in his team at halftime.
“We’re winning,” Kubiak said on the CBS broadcast. “We’re going to win the game.”
Las Vegas certainly gave it a shot, taking a 13-10 advantage into the fourth quarter.
The lead didn’t last long. Walker ended the third by busting free for a 76-yard run before he was chased down from behind by Raiders cornerback Taron Johnson at the 8-yard line. Walker ran 21.21 mph on that play, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
“(Johnson) probably was going 23,” Walker said. “I thought I was out of there until I started hearing breathing.”
Two plays later, the Chiefs took their first lead on Mahomes’ 8-yard scoring pass to Thornton.
It was the first time the Raiders’ defense had been scored on in the fourth quarter this season.
Las Vegas came right back, with Matt Gay making field goals of 44 and 48 yards for a 19-17 lead with 4:53 left.
But it’s hard to count out Mahomes in Las Vegas — or most places.
He led the go-ahead touchdown drive and then took advantage of a fumble on the ensuing kickoff by handing the ball to Walker for another TD. Mahomes has won all six of his starts at Allegiant Stadium against the Raiders, plus the Super Bowl after the 2023 season.
“I trust him to do that,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I don’t expect anything, but I do trust that he’s going to do the right thing when the ball’s in his hand.”
Reid, amazingly, has the most wins of any coach at Allegiant with seven. He broke a tie with former Raiders coaches Josh McDaniels and Antonio Pierce. Reid is 7-1 at the stadium, which opened in 2020.
Backed by plenty of their red-clad fans, the Chiefs held off a frantic comeback attempt in the final minutes. Cousins hit Bowers for a 20-yard touchdown with 1:46 left and the Raiders got the ball back, moving to midfield before Cousins was intercepted.
Chiefs left guard benched
Reid said left guard Kingsley Suamataia didn’t start for disciplinary reasons. Mike Caliendo took his place.
“That’s between Kingsley and I,” Reid said. “We’ll figure it out, and down the road, we’ll be better as a team for it and Kingsley will be better for it.”
Injuries
Chiefs: WR Rashee Rice (hamstring) pulled up limping in the first quarter and didn’t return.
Up next
Chiefs: Are off next weekend before hosting the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 18.
Raiders: Visit New England next Sunday for their third road game in four weeks.
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