The Raiders vs Chiefs AFC West rivalry matchup on Christmas Day at Arrowhead Stadium ended up to be the best Christmas present possible for the Silver and Black fans across the nation. In a 20-14 win, Raiders running back Zamir White led his team to victory with 145 yards on the ground with quarterback Aidan O’Connell at the helm.
Raiders defensive tackle Bilal Nichols and cornerback Jack Jones both executed scoring plays in the second quarter to take and extend their team’s lead. There’s nothing more we can ask for on the defensive end with two defensive touchdowns in back to back weeks. Amazing.
“That was one of our mantras,” Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce said afterward, “by any means necessary.”
Nichols returned a fumble from Kansas City running back Isiah Pacheco with five minutes left to play in the second quarter. On the very next possession five seconds after, Jones took an interception 33 yards for a second score. This caused a very rare instance where O’Connell didn’t complete a single pass after the first quarter. Due to this, the Raiders became the first NFL team to win without completing a pass after the first quarter since 2000.
Raiders vs Chiefs Week 16 | 2023 Season Highlights
The Raiders are also the fifth team to beat the Chiefs at home without scoring a touchdown on the offensive end. Just mind blowing.
“Obviously this was a huge game. It’s a rivalry game,” said O’Connell. “We play them twice a year, every year, so to come into Arrowhead Stadium and win a game like this, it’s pretty awesome. It’s pretty special for our guys.”
“They played a better game than we did today,” said Chiefs coach Andy Reid. “On offense we struggled. That’s my responsibility to make sure we put the guys in the right position to make plays, and that didn’t happen the way we wanted it to. I take full responsibility for the way we played offensively there.”
The Chiefs did manage to take an early lead after Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson succeeded on a 24-yarder in the first quarter. Pacheco rushed in a 12-yard touchdown to put his team up 3-7. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter where the Chiefs would score their second touchdown when Patrick Mahomes found receiver Justin Watson down the middle for a 7-yard touchdown.
Keeping the holiday spirits alive, the Raiders will play on New Year’s Eve against the eIndianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Raiders vs Chiefs Week 16 Summary
Raiders vs Chiefs Matchup History
Read more Las Vegas Raiders 2023 highlights:
Week 15 – Chargers vs Raiders
Week 14 – Vikings vs Raiders
Week 12 – Raiders vs Chargers