Photo credit: chiefswire.usatoday.com
By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor
OAKLAND, Calif. — There’s no question that after watching quarterback Patrick Mahomes in his first head-to-head matchup against the Raiders, he will be a thorn in the Silver and Black’s side for years to come.
Mahomes, who completed 23-of-38 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns, led the Chiefs to a wild 40-33 victory over the Raiders on Sunday that moved Kansas City to an AFC-best record of 10-2. Mahomes did miss a couple of deep passes to blazing wide out Tyreek Hill at various points of the game that could’ve really put the game away early for the Chiefs, but didn’t seem rattled by the 54,255 paid crowd at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.
Oakland’s 31st ranked defense couldn’t find any answers in stopping Mahomes and the Chiefs’ 2nd ranked offense all day, as the Raiders allowed 442 yards of total offense to the Chiefs and didn’t generate a sack against Mahomes in the contest.
After the Raiders cut Kansas City’s lead to 13-7 behind running back Doug Martin’s 1-yard touchdown shortly before halftime, Mahomes and Chiefs would run five plays in 57 seconds to drive the length of the field.
Mahomes found wide receiver Demarcus Robinson for a 38-yard catch, scrabbling the entire width of the field before going out of bounds with 12 seconds remaining in the second quarter. On the next, Mahomes would find tight end Travis Kelce on a 6-yard score for Kelce’s second touchdown of the day. Arden Key would block the extra point, keeping the score 19-7.
Kelce was the main beneficiary of Mahomes’ passes, hauling in 12 catches for 168 yards, eclipsing 1,000 yards receiving for the third-straight season. Kelce joined Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen (2014-16) as the only tight ends in NFL history to accomplish that feat per the Elias Sports Bureau.
The sixth-year tight from the University of Cincinnati rebounded nicely after fumbling on Kansas City’s first play of scrimmage following a 24-yard catch-and-run.
Mahomes has now thrown 41 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions on the season through 12 games played for Kansas City, joining future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (44 in 2004, 41 in ’13) and Tom Brady (44 in 2007) as the only quarterbacks with at least 40 touchdowns in the first 12 games this season, according to ESPN Stats and Information Research.
With 4,207 passing yards on the season, Mahomes became the fastest quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 4,000 yards through 12 games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
As he continues to grow under head coach Andy Reid, one of the NFL’s best creative offensive minds, the second-year pro in Mahomes will only get better and that much harder to stop.
The Raiders will continue to see Mahomes’ progression for years to come, having to play the Chiefs twice a season. The two teams wrap up the regular season at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City in Week 17.
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