KC Chiefs vs. Raiders: Instant insights from an AFC West showdown

Big plays for role players

Some of the opportunities came because the Chiefs blew the game wide open by the fourth quarter, but it was a big night for several role players for the Chiefs, which was good to see not only because of the results but also because of the experience it provides them at this point in the season.

On one red zone set of downs, Patrick Mahomes seemed intent on getting rookie tight end Noah Gray his very first touchdown. Besides the fumble we discussed earlier, Hughes looked sharp on returns. Rashad Fenton and Dan Sorensen came up with key turnovers to put the game away for the Chiefs. Derrick Nnadi had a sack. Tommy Townsend threw a nice pass for a first down on a fake punt. Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle both had big catches on the night.

If those guys can be this productive, you know the Chiefs had a good night. And that they did in Week 10 against the Raiders.

Josh Who?

It feels like something we say each and every week at this point, but it remains a surprise that even on a night where the Chiefs were going for fake punts, the team was having fun, and guys like Noah Gray were finding ways to score, the Chiefs still couldn’t find a way for Josh Gordon to get involved. After signing him in the first few weeks of the season, Gordon made his debut with the Chiefs back in Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills but he’s yet to make any sort of impact at all.

Ever since joining the Chiefs, Gordon has been targeted a total of four times despite the Chiefs having a clear need for another reliable wideout to emerge and take advantage of the numerous one-on-one opportunities provided on defense. The Chiefs even chased Odell Beckham Jr. in the last week but came up empty. Yet on Sunday, Gordon still didn’t earn a single target.

Hard to say what’s going on here, but it’s clear that trust has not been earned and something is not clicking. We’ll remain surprised for as long as that’s the case and he remains on the active roster.