Chiefs Defeat Raiders, 35-3, to Lock Up the Top Seed in the AFC

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Oakland Raiders, 35-3, on Sunday afternoon to secure a third-straight AFC West title and the top seed in the postseason.

The Chiefs jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back, finding the end zone five times behind quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ 281 passing yards and two touchdowns.

The 23-year-old Mahomes found wide receiver Tyreek Hill for Kansas City’s first score, firing a 67-yard yard strike downfield for the speedy Hill’s 12th touchdown of the year. The play pushed Hill into the top spot in franchise history for receiving yards during a single season.

Hill went on to tally five catches for 101 yards, recording his sixth game of the year with triple-digit yards through the air.

Fellow receiver Demarcus Robinson was on the other end of Mahomes’ second touchdown pass, hauling in an 89-yard grab on the Chiefs’ first possession of the second half.

Tight end Travis Kelce, meanwhile, caught five passes for 62 yards to take over the top spot in franchise history for catches (103) and set an NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end during a single season.

It all helped Mahomes complete his first regular season as a starting quarterback with 5,097 passing yards and 50 touchdowns, becoming just the second player in NFL history to throw for 5,000+ yards and 50+ scores during a single season, joining Peyton Manning.

The defense also found the end zone on Sunday, as safety Daniel Sorensen picked off Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr and brought it back 54 yards for a score in the first quarter. It was one of four Chiefs’ takeaways on the afternoon and helped Kansas City build a sizeable lead early in the contest.

Tailback Damien Williams chipped in a four-yard touchdown plunge while Hill scampered for another 15-yard score later in the game to complete the scoring for Kansas City. Each score helped Kansas City become the first team in NFL history to tally at least 26 points in all 16 games of a season.

The Chiefs will now have a week off before returning home for the Divisional Round of the postseason. The road to the Super Bowl will run through Arrowhead Stadium.