-
Adam Teicher, ESPN Staff Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs secured a playoff spot for the tenth straight season with their 19-17 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday, however to a few of the gamers, this clinching did not essentially really feel just like the others.
The Chiefs needed to go to the wire to outlast the 2-10 Raiders, with the sport being determined when Kansas City recovered a Las Vegas fumble with 11 seconds remaining. The Chiefs then ran out the clock with one snap to safe one other victory.
They are 11-1, however 5 of their wins had been determined even later than this one. Those video games weren’t settled till the ultimate snap.
“It’s not excellent, and we have had a variety of video games this yr the place we did not play the best way we needed to play,” Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie stated. “The factor a few championship staff is video games like this the place issues aren’t excellent. You’re grateful that you just received, however you already know that you have set the usual. And when we now have video games like this and do not feel like we have performed to the usual that we have set, it is at all times somewhat disappointing, somewhat irritating.”
The Chiefs can clinch a ninth straight AFC West championship by beating the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 8 at Arrowhead Stadium. They padded their lead over the 9-2 Buffalo Bills for the No. 1 seed within the AFC.
They had many anxious moments in getting there. The Chiefs held what appeared to be a snug 16-3 lead late within the third quarter.
The Raiders, who entered Friday having misplaced seven straight, put collectively back-to-back landing drives to take the lead. The Chiefs grabbed it again with a subject purpose, solely to see the Raiders attain the sting of subject purpose vary on the Kansas City 32-yard-line once they fumbled.
“When you clinch a playoff spot, that is your first purpose, to get into the playoffs and provides your self an opportunity to go for that Super Bowl,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes stated. “But we all know we now have an extended methods to go. We acquired to proceed to work to get higher, to proceed to be a greater soccer staff.
“It retains you hungry. You’re not glad with the place we’re at despite the fact that we’re profitable soccer video games and so we all know we now have to get higher. I feel everyone within the locker room is aware of we now have to get higher, however we wish to go on the market and do this and show that.”
The Chiefs final week survived in the same method in opposition to one other sub-.500 opponent. They led the Carolina Panthers by 14 factors late within the first half however wanted a walk-off subject purpose to ship a kind of last-play victories.
Defensive sort out Chris Jones had two sacks, his first since Week 4. He stated the Chiefs would keep in mind the numerous issues they did unsuitable in opposition to the Raiders — permitting two lengthy landing passes, his two offside penalties, yielding 434 yards — as a lot as what they achieved.
He additionally indicated that one more slim end can be good for Kansas City.
“When you take a look at the playoffs, most video games are shut, down-to-the-wire kind of video games, so there’s quite a bit we will construct from this as a staff general,” Jones stated. “We’re simply going to maintain on profitable, carry on profitable. You can study quite a bit from profitable.
“It is healthier to win than have a fairly loss. We’ll take an unsightly win, construct from it and proceed to get higher.”
