KC Chiefs vs. Raiders recap: Seven crucial takeaways from a dominant win in Week 14
By Matt Conner
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The Las Vegas Raiders came into Arrowhead limping on Sunday afternoon. They left on a stretcher.
The Kansas City Chiefs weren’t fooling around in Week 14 against a division rival and when given the chance to deliver a knockout blow on the Raiders’ hopes for any postseason showing, Andy Reid‘s team took care of business in front of a rowdy home crowd. From the outset, the Chiefs were in total control and the final score of 48-9 is kinder than the actual game played looked for fans.
Before the game, the Raiders tried to inspire some sort of “ruin their house” mojo by gathering at midfield on the Chiefs logo at Arrowhead, but seconds into the game, the Chiefs had a fumble recovery for a touchdown for a 7-0 lead and they would never look back.
While the score itself says a lot, there were some vital takeaways from this game that need to be addressed. Here are our more important takeaways from Week 14.
A pro football focus
If there was a single game that the Chiefs could have potentially overlooked, it was this one. They had already owned the Raiders by 27 points in their last meeting just a few weeks ago. They’d won five straight games coming into this one, including one on the Raiders’ home field, and it didn’t help that the Raiders were coming in without their best offensive playmaker in Darren Waller as well as their leading tackler in linebacker Denzel Perryman.
Instead, the Chiefs could have been caught looking ahead to their upcoming visit with the L.A. Chargers in a game that could determine the final AFC West standings. It’s a Thursday Night Football matchup in primetime on only a few days rest and should be the talk of Week 15.
It turns out any such thought was for nothing. The idea of a “trap game” was nowhere in sight at Arrowhead on Sunday afternoon. Instead, the Chiefs looked dominant and focused from the outset. They were executing on all levels. They were focused and ready for everything the Raiders had to offer them. They minimized mistakes and forced the Raiders to make several. It was a lopsided affair from one team that was clearly ready and another that looked like they’d not prepared for this game at all.
The lesson learned: These Chiefs are well-prepared and focused for each and every game and they know their margin has been reduced significantly. They’re ready for the stretch run and don’t need anyone to tell them otherwise.