Mahomes, Walker lead Chiefs to 30-27 win over Raiders in Las Vegas
In short
The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Las Vegas Raiders 30-27 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, improving to 4-0 as Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes and Kenneth Walker III rushed for 177 yards and two scores. Chiefs receiver Tyquan Thornton, who had five catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns, was carted off with a left ankle injury after a 55-yard reception that set up the go-ahead score. Raiders coach Klint Kubiak had predicted a win on national television at halftime; he said afterward that he had said what he felt.
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The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Las Vegas Raiders 30-27 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday, improving to 4-0. Patrick Mahomes passed for two touchdowns and Kenneth Walker III rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns, according to the Associated Press and Newsweek. The Associated Press reported that Mahomes said he loves playing in the stadium, where it said he has a perfect record. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
The Associated Press reported that Walker's 2-yard touchdown run with 3:21 left put Kansas City ahead for good at 23-19, set up by a 55-yard reception by Tyquan Thornton on the previous play. Thornton, who had five catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns, suffered what the AP described as a gruesome-looking left ankle injury on the play and was carted off. Mahomes said of the back-and-forth game, “I think you have to stay with it.” [ 1 ]
Fox News reported that Raiders first-year head coach Klint Kubiak predicted a victory in a halftime interview with CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson, saying, “We're going to win the game.” After the loss, Fox News reported, Kubiak said: “That's how I felt. I just said what I felt.” Fox News also reported that the Raiders had led at halftime, that officials ruled a completion on a Las Vegas incomplete pass without consulting replay in the final seconds, and that Kirk Cousins followed with a game-ending interception. Fox News said Kubiak's halftime remark was out of character for a coach it described as reticent. [ 3 ]
The outlets gave differing figures for Mahomes's passing yardage: the Associated Press reported 225 yards, while Newsweek reported 255 yards. Newsweek also reported that Walker ranks second in the NFL in carries with 87, first in rushing yards with 537 and first with 6.2 yards per carry, with four rushing touchdowns. [ 1 , 4 ]
Newsweek reported that former tight end Rob Gronkowski, speaking with Julian Edelman on “The Gronk & Jules Show,” first credited Mahomes with winning the game, then changed his assessment after Edelman noted Walker's statistics, calling Walker “maybe best addition of all time” among free agents in the Mahomes era. Newsweek said the Chiefs' other notable former free-agent acquisitions in that period include safety Tyrann Mathieu and offensive lineman Joe Thuney. [ 4 ]
Kansas City entered the game 4-0 and the Raiders 3-0, with both teams unbeaten before the game, according to Fox News and Newsweek. The Associated Press reported the Raiders were trying to show their quick start was not a fluke. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The result keeps Kansas City unbeaten in the early NFL season and hands the Raiders their first loss after a 3-0 start, a swing in the AFC West standings. The coverage also focused on an injury to a Chiefs receiver and on a late officiating ruling and interception that ended Las Vegas’s final drive. Beyond the NFL audience, the event has limited relevance outside the United States.
Key facts
- The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Las Vegas Raiders 30-27 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes in the win. [ 1 , 4 ]
- Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns. [ 1 , 4 ]
- Walker's 2-yard touchdown run with 3:21 left put Kansas City ahead for good at 23-19, according to the Associated Press. [ 1 ]
- Chiefs receiver Tyquan Thornton had five catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns before suffering a left ankle injury and being carted off. [ 1 ]
- The Chiefs improved to 4-0; the Raiders had entered the game 3-0. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Raiders coach Klint Kubiak told CBS at halftime that his team was going to win the game. [ 3 ]
- Kirk Cousins threw a game-ending interception for the Raiders. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Mahomes's passing yardage in the game: the Associated Press reported 225 yards, while Newsweek reported 255 yards. The two outlets give different figures for the same statistic and neither is an official game book.
- The severity of Tyquan Thornton's left ankle injury. The Associated Press described it as gruesome-looking and said he was carted off, but no diagnosis or recovery timeline was given.
- The officials' ruling on a Las Vegas pass in the final seconds. Only Fox News reported that officials ruled a completion on an incomplete pass and did not ask for replay; no other document mentions it.
- The details of the game's remaining scoring after Kansas City went ahead 23-19, and how the final 30-27 margin was reached. The Associated Press article provided is truncated after that point.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The Associated Press publishes its report on the Chiefs' 30-27 win, including Walker's 2-yard go-ahead touchdown with 3:21 left and Thornton's ankle injury. [ 1 ]
- The Associated Press publishes a Spanish-language report on the same result. [ 2 ]
- Fox News publishes a column on Klint Kubiak's halftime prediction and the game's finish, including Cousins's game-ending interception. [ 3 ]
- Two days later, Newsweek publishes a report on Rob Gronkowski's comments about Kenneth Walker. [ 4 ]