The Kansas City Chiefs delivered their most dominant performance of the season on Sunday, collecting a 31-0 shutout of their AFC West rivals: the Las Vegas Raiders.
The spark behind the blowout came from a familiar source. Making his season debut after missing six games from an NFL suspension — and nearly all of last year with a season-ending knee injury — wide receiver Rashee Rice immediately became a key contributor to the Chiefs’ offense. He had seven catches for 42 yards and two touchdowns as he re-established
his rapport with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“It was great to have him back,” said head coach Andy Reid after the game. “You saw the trust that Pat has in him, which is so important for Pat and the guys. It was great. I thought the whole receiving crew did a nice job, but it was great to have him back in there. The energy he brings is tremendous.”
That chemistry between Mahomes and Rice showed up early in the game. The quarterback — who threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns before sitting out the fourth quarter — connected with his third-year wideout on a quick two-yard pass for the first score of the game.
The duo would later follow up that score with a nice back-shoulder play in the end zone for Rice’s second touchdown — a play Mahomes says they worked on repeatedly throughout the offseason.
“We were in that situation where it had to be in the end zone and got a matchup with Rashee one-on-one,” explained Mahomes. “We worked on that throw all offseason, so to be able to do that in the season — kind of like we did in the preseason — was good to see.”
Despite his big day, Reid wants to gradually increase Rice’s workload as he adjusts to the weekly grind of the season — but he came away impressed with what Rice had been able to do.
“I was a little cautious with him on how many plays and all that,” Reid admitted, “But I thought he came out and functioned at a high level. For being gone after all this time, it’s crazy that he can come back and do what he did — and do it at the level that he did it.”
Rice’s scores were part of a near-perfect stretch in which Kansas City’s offense scored touchdowns on each of its first four drives. Then the team added a field goal near the end of the third quarter, giving it 31 points on over 400 yards of total offense.
And as sharp as the offense looked, the defense might have been even better. Kansas City held Las Vegas to just 95 total yards and only three first downs. This defensive dominance allowed Mahomes (and other offensive starters) to rest the fourth quarter; the victory was well in hand.
“Anytime you can have a win like that — a fourth quarter where you can run the ball every snap — at this level, it’s a good thing,” Reid noted. “I appreciated the energy the most. I just thought the guys — their whole frame of mind — was solid.”
The win moved Kansas City to 4–3 on the season and, more importantly, re-established the complementary brand of football that’s defined the team’s best seasons. Despite their slow start to the year, Sunday served as a reminder of what this team looks like when every phase plays in sync.
“This is probably the most consistent we’ve been able to play and kind of stack games together,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, our record is still not where we want it to be, but you can see from the offense and defense, we’ve had bright moments this season. Now it seems like we’re coming together as a team.”
