LAS VEGAS (AP) ā Even after Jason Wittenās touchdown put the Las Vegas Raiders ahead with 1:43 to play, the mood on the Kansas City Chiefsā sideline was calm and cool.
Not much can stop the Super Bowl champs lately. Not when they have the quarterback who makes everything go.
āWeāve got Patrick Mahomes,ā running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire said. āIām not worried about anything.ā
Mahomes threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce with 28 seconds to play, and the Chiefs avenged their only loss in the last 12 months with a 35-31 victory over the Raiders on Sunday night.
Mahomes passed for 348 yards and led two go-ahead scoring drives in the frantic fourth quarter for the Chiefs (9-1), who split their season series with Las Vegas (6-4) in dramatic fashion. Kansas City also took firm control of the race for its fifth straight AFC West title with an assertive comeback in its closest rivalsā home building.
āIād take him over everybody,ā Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of Mahomes. āAnd Iām lucky to have him, as we are as a football team, as we are as a city. When youāre behind, he can make things happen.ā
The Chiefsā supreme confidence in their Super Bowl MVP wasnāt shaken when they lost 40-32 at home to Las Vegas last month, prompting the Raiders to take a celebratory victory lap around Arrowhead Stadium in their buses.
Kansas City also didnāt worry when Mahomes threw only his second interception of the season late in the first half of the rematch.
And when Derek Carr found Witten for the Raidersā go-ahead score, Mahomes said he knew what would happen next.
āWeāre going to score,ā Mahomes said. āI just didnāt know if it was going to be overtime, or we were going to win it.ā
The Chiefs didnāt need a tying field goal: They only needed 75 seconds to march 75 yards, with Mahomes going 6 of 7 on the drive.
Kelce, who caught eight passes for 127 yards, slipped free of Las Vegasā safeties for the easy winning catch and then went back to the sideline to give a joking shoulder massage to Reid. The Chiefs can laugh at fourth-quarter tension, thanks to the man behind center.
āHe turns it up when it matters the most, and he was out there showing out tonight,ā Kelce said about Mahomes.
Las Vegasā defense hung in against the high-powered Chiefs despite having nine players on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier this week, essentially preventing the defense from practicing for its toughest opponent. Six of those players returned for the game, but the Raiders still played without starters Cory Littleton and Clelin Ferrell.
INJURIES
Chiefs: WR Byron Pringle hurt his ankle, but returned to the game.
Raiders: RT Sam Young missed the game with a knee injury, forcing Vegas to use its seventh offensive line combination in 10 games. ... DL David Irving injured his knee.
UP NEXT
Chiefs: Visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday.
Raiders: Visit the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday.