National Football League

Raiders stun sloppy Chiefs, 20-14, with two defensive TDs on Christmas Day

Published Dec. 25, 2023 5:20 p.m. ET

The Raiders got a pair of defensive touchdowns for the second straight week, including a pick-6 against the struggling Patrick Mahomes, and resurgent Las Vegas held off the sloppy Kansas City Chiefs, 20-14, on Monday to keep their slim postseason hopes alive — and send a major warning sign for Kansas City's prospects of reaching a sixth straight AFC Championship Game.

Big defensive tackle Bilal Nichols returned a fumble eight yards for a touchdown, and Jack Jones took an interception 33 yards for another score seven seconds later, helping the Raiders (7-8) snap a six-game losing streak to the Chiefs.

Kansas City (9-6) squandered an opportunity to clinch the AFC West for the eighth consecutive year with one of their worst performances of the Mahomes era.

Along with two defensive touchdowns, Harrison Butker missed a chip-shot field goal, penalties and dropped passes were again a problem, and twice they failed to convert on fourth down in the second half.

The Chiefs had a chance after Mahomes hit Justin Watson for a touchdown with 2:42 to go. But on the ensuing possession, the Raiders' Zamir White got loose for a 43-yard gain, picking up a first down that allowed them to run out the clock.

Mahomes finished 27 of 44 for 235 yards and an interception; he nearly threw a second pick, but it was overturned upon review.

The Raiders, playing without injured running back Josh Jacobs, won despite a dismal day from their own offense.

Aidan O'Connell was 9 of 21 for 62 yards, never completing a pass after the first quarter, while White had 145 yards on the ground.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid had spent the past few weeks lamenting the sloppy play that kept costing the Super Bowl champs.

They couldn't have been much sloppier on Christmas Day.

They went three-and-out on consecutive series to start a game for only the second time with Mahomes at quarterback. They were held to minus-18 yards in the first quarter, the second-worst total for the club since at least 1991. And the reigning league MVP was sacked twice in those two series, while two more offensive penalties only made matters worse.

The Chiefs finally pulled ahead when Isiah Pacheco took a direct snap 12 yards for a touchdown, and Las Vegas had given the ball right back after a punt. Pacheco again took a direct snap, but this time tried to hand off to Mahomes — who lost the exchange — and the 315-pound Raiders defensive tackle Nichols was there to scoop it up and run for the touchdown.

On the next offensive play for Kansas City, Mahomes was picked off by Jones, who returned it 33 yards for his second pick-6 in consecutive weeks. The Raiders' fourth defensive touchdown in the two weeks, and their second in a span of seven seconds, gave them a 17-7 lead over their longtime divisional nemesis.

Then, Jones appeared to play the Grinch when he faked giving the ball to a kid wearing Chiefs clothes in the crowd.

It was still 17-7 when the Chiefs' Butker, one of the NFL's most accurate kickers, missed a chip-shot field goal before halftime, and the Raiders tacked on a field goal late in the third quarter to take a 20-7 lead heading to the fourth.

Reporting by The Associated Press.