Chiefs-Raiders rapid reaction: It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs bounced back to defeat their AFC West division rival — the Las Vegas Raiders — 31-17 at Allegiant Stadium. With the win, the Chiefs improved to 8-3, and the Raiders dropped to 5-7.

Let's get into some initial thoughts about Kansas City's victory.

The Chiefs bounced back from about as awful a start as you can have. Kansas City righted the ship in this game — but the beginning sequence would make you think it was going to sink. Unlike nearly every other 2023 game, the Chiefs' defense did not come out looking sharp.

The Raiders' rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell showed the poise of a veteran, showing decisiveness on the first two drives as he led the team to convert its first five third-down tries. Las Vegas scored touchdowns on two of its first three drives — and if not for a questionable coaching decision (to kick a would-be missed field goal on fourth-and-1), it might have led 21-0.

Instead, the Raiders jumped out to a 14-point lead — and considering how the offense has looked recently (and on the first two drives of this contest), it would not have been surprising to see Kansas City keel over and die.

But from that point forward, quarterback Patrick Mahomes moved the ball around. He re-involved tight end Travis Kelce (after a few quiet games by his standards), which always helps other pass-catchers to get open. As the defense woke up, Kansas City gave Isiah Pacheco 20 touches — a volume that usually equates to an offense in rhythm. Rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice finished with a career-high 107 receiving yards and a score.

It's not time to say the Chiefs' offense is "back" — not by any means — but this outing was rather encouraging.

And oh, yeah... the second-half scoring drought is over.

Maybe Isiah Pacheco is that second option the Chiefs have been looking for — hiding in plain sight. And maybe Rashee Rice is a very good third. And maybe with this defense, that's enough. Have I ever mentioned how much I like the Chiefs' offense when it actually utilizes its running back? You can make a case that he runs harder than anyone in the NFL.

Pacheco is an absolute bulldozer (sorry, Blake Bell) — a player who can keep the opposition honest, opening things up for the passing game. And then there's the short-yardage aspect: on Sunday, the Chiefs used Pacheco four times when there was one yard to go. He converted every time.

And maybe that means Rice isn't the second option behind Kelce in this offense. Maybe he is the third option — and he can thrive in that role. Every week, it seems that Rice is more and more confident — while Mahomes becomes more and more confident in him.

Beyond these three, the Chiefs have enough role players to win big games — especially if the defense is playing as well as it did after Sunday's second Las Vegas touchdown.

In the second half, the Chiefs' defense looked familiar. You know you're in a good stretch of defensive Kansas City football when it's strange to see the unit play so poorly to begin a football game.

Raiders stars Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams did get theirs — but the majority of that production came at the beginning of the game. A quick glance at the box score shows that 94 of Jacobs' 110 rushing yards (and all 73 of Adams' receiving yards) came in the first half. After halftime, Jacobs only rushed for 16 yards — and Adams was blanked.

Every unit is sometimes entitled to a slow start — especially one like the Kansas City defense, which has been so good this year. After a lot of talk leading into the game, cornerback L'Jarius Sneed was targeted early and often. As the game went along, he seemed to settle in. And his partner-in-crime Trent McDuffie was a menace to the Raiders.

McDuffie's only noticeable blemish was a 33-yard catch to Jakobi Meyers — and I actually thought he had good coverage on the play. He also knocked down a pass and had a key quarterback hit against Las Vegas.

I think a key point of the game was when newbie Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce opted for what would be a missed field goal in the first quarter. We should remember, though, that was only made possible by the effort of linebacker Drue Tranquill — who tackled Jacobs for a loss on second down — and Sneed, who got Adams down in front of the marker on third down.

The Chiefs' defense held the Raiders to three points in the second half, recording two turnovers on downs. Late in the fourth quarter, defensive end George Karlaftis had Kansas City's only sack of the game — which sealed the deal.

No matter the opponent, bouncebacks are sweet. But I know that this one — coming in a division matchup against the Raiders — is even tastier. Las Vegas has had some palpable juice since Pierce took over. Kansas City drank it all — and emerged victorious.