It wasn’t remotely pretty – yet again – but the Kansas City Chiefs will officially defend their Super Bowl crown and continue their quest to become the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
K.C. outlasted the Las Vegas Raiders 19-17 on Friday, becoming the first team this season to clinch a playoff berth while establishing a new league record (postseason included) with 14 consecutive victories in one-possession games. However, as has been the case throughout much of the 2024 campaign, the result didn’t come without warts.
The winners and losers from the league’s second (now annual) Black Friday game:
WINNERS
Patrick Mahomes
The two-time league MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP wasn’t pinpoint precise Friday, completing 26 of his 46 throws, but nevertheless notched his 100th win (playoffs included) to match Tom Brady for the most by a quarterback in his first eight NFL seasons. (Interestingly, both Mahomes and Brady played sparingly as rookies, so their copious success effectively occurred over seven campaigns.) This is yet another metric that continues to legitimize Mahomes’ inclusion with TB12 in the debate regarding who’s the greatest QB in league history … even if the Chiefs star, who passed for 306 yards and a TD against Las Vegas, still needs four more rings to meet the GOAT standard. As for K.C. GOATs, Mahomes’ 238th career touchdown throw gave him the franchise record – breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Len Dawson, who served the organization for 14 seasons.
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Brock Bowers
He’s definitively established himself as the Raiders’ best offensive player and might challenge DE Maxx Crosby as the team’s MVP sooner than later. Friday, Bowers’ sterling Silver and Black rookie campaign continued with another circus catch among his 10 receptions (for 140 yards and a TD). Now three snatches from breaking the rookie tight end record of 86 (set by the Detroit Lions’ Sam LaPorta last year) – and two weeks after Bowers’ 13 grabs set a single-game mark for freshmen at his position – Bowers should very much remain in consideration for 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year … unlikely as it is a non-quarterback will win. But currently with a league-high 84 receptions and on his way to 100, Bowers most certainly must be in the conversation.
Chiefs reinforcements
Kansas City RB Isiah Pacheco, a bruising runner who tends to set the tone for this offense, played for the first time since he suffered a broken leg 11 weeks ago. He rushed seven times for a team-high 44 yards in what seems likely to be a backfield committee the rest of the way. Also back in the lineup was DE Charles Omenihu (1 tackle), who made his season debut after tearing an ACL in the 2023 AFC championship game. Given the Chiefs’ relative struggles – aside from their glittering 11-1 record to this point – getting fresh, (relatively) healthy bodies at key positions can only help.
Sincere McCormick
An undrafted rookie out of the University of Texas at San Antonio two years ago, he led the Raiders in rushing for the second straight week – notching career bests with 12 carries for 64 yards. Maybe the league’s least-productive running game has finally bound a spark.
Chiefs holiday hex
It seems exorcised after they suffered a fairly fluky 20-14 loss to the Raiders at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas last year, also Kansas City’s most recent defeat in a one-score game … though that did also fuel the Chiefs’ internal drive on the way to the Super Bowl 58 sprint. Losing Friday hardly would have been disastrous, but just as well to avert another unsightly upset to their hated AFC West rivals in front of the home fans – and one that would have opened the door for the Buffalo Bills to assume the top seed in the projected playoff picture.
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LOSERS
Wanya Morris
The Chiefs’ struggling left tackle was benched midway through the fourth quarter after being repeatedly schooled by edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, a first-round washout of the Jacksonville Jaguars who collected just five sacks in his first four seasons. He had 1½ Friday. All-Pro G Joe Thuney kicked outside to take over for Morris, but it seems like recently signed veteran D.J. Humphries better get ready to make his Chiefs debut pronto given neither Morris nor rookie Kingsley Suamataia has proven ready to safeguard Mahomes, who’s been sacked five times in each of the past two games. (Prior to Week 12, Mahomes had been sacked five times in a contest … once in his entire career.)
Daniel Carlson
In fairness, all three of the Raiders kicker’s missed field goals were from at least 55 yards. But All-Pro expectations from this position are what they are, even at a tough venue like Arrowhead … and especially given the backdrop of a two-point loss.
Chiefs defense
What is supposed to be this championship franchise’s new backbone has allowed 74 points over the past three games. Normally, surrendering 17 would represent a good effort. But given K.C. was up 16-3 late in the third quarter before permitting a 33-yard touchdown to Bowers and then a 58-yarder to Tre Tucker – and before looking completely helpless on the Raiders’ game-ending drive, which was botched by an unexpected snap from rookie C Jackson Powers-Johnson – DC Steve Spagnuolo needs to tighten his unit up.
Chiefs balance
Fifty-one dropbacks against 16 rushes and just nine touches for RB Kareem Hunt? C’mon, Andy.
Aidan O’Connell
In his first start since suffering an injured thumb on his passing hand six weeks ago, the second-year Raiders quarterback − taking the reins from injured veteran Gardner Minshew II − put up loftier numbers than Mahomes, throwing for a career-best 340 yards and a pair of touchdowns. (In last year’s Yuletide upset, it seemed like Las Vegas prevailed in spite of O’Connell, who passed for 62 yards.) Still, Friday’s indelible image will be the Raiders’ final snap hitting an unexpecting AOC, who said he mistakenly confused Powers-Johnson, in the chest before it was recovered by the Chiefs to seal the win.
Ken Stabler
Every time you watch O’Connell – especially as Las Vegas’ promising final drive collapsed so spectacularly – it’s a reminder that the Raiders have yet to retire the No. 12 jersey made famous by Hall of Famer “Snake” Stabler (RIP). Why? Basically because the franchise hasn’t put anyone’s jersey in the rafters. Strange policy for what’s historically been one of the NFL’s (and AFL’s) iconic franchises. Seems like owner Mark Davis should remedy that.
This story has been updated to include new information.
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Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.