While watching the Kansas City Chiefs’ 31-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, did you feel like you were watching a college matchup between a small school and an FBS powerhouse?
NFL teams rarely win like Kansas City did on Sunday. But in the NCAA, we see these kinds of games every season. Power conference teams play those from smaller schools to prepare for conference play. This season’s matchup between Ohio State and Grambling is a good example. The Buckeyes are arguably the country’s best team, while the Tigers are a middling member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Ohio State won 70-0.
That matchup’s box score somehow seemed less lopsided than Week 7’s Chiefs -Raiders contest.
Grambling finished with 10 first downs, 165 total yards and 29 minutes of possession. Las Vegas collected three first downs, 95 total yards and held the ball for fewer than 18 minutes.
The Raiders didn’t just lose. They were completely and utterly humiliated. And the Chiefs didn’t just win. They made a statement:
The Chiefs are back.
No disclaimers or qualifiers are needed; the statement is simply true. Kansas City is once again FanDuel Sportsbook’s favorite to win the Super Bowl — and quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the favorite to win this season’s MVP award.
And yet… if the season ended today, the Chiefs wouldn’t get a playoff spot.
How can these two things be true? Because the people who built those big casinos in the desert see what we see:
The Chiefs are back — and they’re not likely to be stopped.
An offense in full flight
Patrick Mahomes is playing what is arguably the best football of his career. He’s operating with a ruthless efficiency rarely seen at any level. According to Pro Football Reference, he is the first player in the Super Bowl era to record back-to-back regular-season games with at least 250 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, no interceptions and 25 or more rushing yards.
But the past two weeks have also marked the first time since 2020 that Mahomes posted consecutive games with 250 passing yards, three touchdowns and no picks. It’s no coincidence that this streak arrived just as the Chiefs finally got Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, Travis Kelce, and Isiah Pacheco back on the field.
The secondary contributors are also back in their ideal roles. Players like Brashard Smith, Tyquan Thornton, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Noah Gray may not be primary targets, but they each bring something valuable in the right situation.
The difference is visible. The offense once again looks fast. The operation feels smooth.
Sunday’s first four possessions read like a symphony of precision:
- 9 plays, 92 yards, 5:46 — touchdown
- 17 plays, 84 yards, 8:40 — touchdown
- 16 plays, 94 yards, 6:22 — touchdown
- 11 plays, 65 yards, 6:00 — touchdown
The next drive went nine plays for 66 yards. It ended with a 38-yard field goal after a failed third-and-7 that snapped a streak in which Kansas City converted 11 of its first 12 third- and fourth-down opportunities — including conversions of 13 and 14 yards.
Imagine how deflating that must have felt for Las Vegas to face third down again and again… and fail every single time.
The Chiefs were so dominant that they didn’t attempt a single pass in the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew took a knee with more than two minutes remaining.
It was the NFL equivalent of what happens in a college blowout: the powerhouse gives its freshmen some snaps before the game mercifully comes to an end.
Back at the top
Sunday’s performance pushed Kansas City’s season totals back toward the top of the league. The Chiefs now rank second in both points and yards per drive. That success stems largely from their ability to stay on the field.
According to Pro Football Reference, the Chiefs lead the NFL in both plays and time of possession per drive — and, impressively, are one of just four teams in the Super Bowl era to commit two or fewer turnovers through the first seven games of a season.
The first quarter of Kansas City’s campaign was a roller coaster — a strange stretch that made some fans wonder whether the Chiefs were entering a new era. But the past month has made one thing clear:
The Chiefs are back — and they’re here to stay.
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