KC Chiefs vs. Raiders recap: Seven crucial takeaways from a dominant win in Week 14
By Matt Conner
Patrick Mahomes is not broken
It took one drive to work out the kinks. The Chiefs might have went three-and-out on their first drive, but the team put up 48 total points on the afternoon and Patrick Mahomes looked great for the Chiefs under center coming off of a stretch in which he’s been questioned, termed disappointing, and even called “broken” by one NFL analyst.
Here’s the truth: Mahomes hasn’t been as sharp as he has looked in previous seasons, yet even that performance is still among the best in the game. Mahomes’ mistakes are, for odd reasons, overemphasized on a national level, such as when a pass of his will bounce off of the hands of a receiver into the waiting arms of a defender and then blamed on him.
On Sunday, Mahomes looked sharp to all areas of the field and made wise decisions with the football all game long. He knew when to take off and run and he knew when to take shots deep. The end result was an efficient and effective afternoon with a final line of 20 completions on 24 attempts for 258 passing yards and 2 touchdowns to go with zero interceptions. He also had a 139.2 passer rating.
Tyreek Hill‘s consistency is incredible
The Raiders did what they could to slow or outright stop Tyreek Hill on Sunday, just like most teams, but no one has been able to find an answer yet.
On Sunday, Hill caught 4 passes for 76 yards to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark receiving on the season for the fourth time in his career. If not for a clavicle fracture that cost him four games-plus in 2019, Hill would likely be looking at five consecutive seasons eclipsing the 1,000 yard mark (he had 860 yards that season). Still the Chiefs will take this from a former fifth round pick who has paid incredible dividends on the original investment.
The Chiefs still have five games to play this season, which means Hill will have plenty more opportunities to add to his receiving total, but to have this sort of top-tier production on such a consistent basis is why Hill is going to make it six-for-six in terms of Pro Bowl nods per number of seasons played. Only A.J. Green has put up as many to open a career as Hill among receivers in NFL history.