LAS VEGAS (AP) — Patrick Mahomes said he loves playing in Allegiant Stadium, and it’s no wonder, given his perfect record in one of the NFL’s newer venues.
asserted
it → say → venues
He’s rarely been pushed as much as he was Sunday against a Raiders team out to show its quick start wasn’t a fluke.
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start → push → team
As he has so often, Mahomes came through, passing for 225 yards and two touchdowns.
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Mahomes → come → yards
He got a big assist from Kenneth Walker III, who rushed for 177 yards and two TDs to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a 30-27 victory over Las Vegas.
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who → get → Vegas
Walker’s 2-yard touchdown run with 3:21 left put the Chiefs (4-0) ahead for good at 23-19.
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run → leave → 23
It was set up by Tyquan Thornton’s 55-yard reception on the previous play.
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It → set → play
Thornton, who had five catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns, suffered a gruesome-looking left ankle injury on the play and was carted off.
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who → have → play
“I think you have to stay with it,” Mahomes said, describing the back-and-forth game.
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Mahomes → think → game
“I keep saying it, but it’s not always going to be pretty.
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it → keep → it
That’s a good football team, a good defense.
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That → ’ → ?
It’s not going to always be light it up and go out there and scoring 50 points or whatever.
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It → go → points
It’s if you stay with the process, it’s going to come.”
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it → ’ → process
Kirk Cousins passed for 365 yards and two touchdowns for the Raiders, ending his seven-game winning streak that included the final four games last season with Atlanta.
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that → pass → Atlanta
Brock Bowers, who played with an illness, caught six passes for 86 yards and a TD.
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who → play → yards
Las Vegas’ running game produced just 72 yards, averaging 2.8 per carry.
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game → produce → carry
“We’ve got to find that answer,” Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said of the run game struggles.
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Kubiak → get → struggles
One of the NFL’s early-season surprises, the Raiders put up a strong fight against their AFC West rivals, and Kubiak expressed confidence in his team at halftime.
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Kubiak → put → halftime
“We’re winning,” Kubiak said on the CBS broadcast.
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Kubiak → win → broadcast
“We’re going to win the game.”
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We → go → game
Las Vegas certainly gave it a shot, taking a 13-10 advantage into the fourth quarter.
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Vegas → give → quarter
The lead didn’t last long.
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lead → last → ?
Walker ended the third by busting free for a 76-yard run before he was chased down from behind by Raiders cornerback Taron Johnson at the 8-yard line.
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he → end → line
Walker ran 21.21 mph on that play, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
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Walker → run → Stats
“(Johnson) probably was going 23,” Walker said.
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Walker → go → 23
“I thought I was out of there until I started hearing breathing.”
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I → think → breathing
Two plays later, the Chiefs took their first lead on Mahomes’ 8-yard scoring pass to Thornton.
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Chiefs → take → Thornton
It was the first time the Raiders’ defense had been scored on in the fourth quarter this season.
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defense → score → quarter
Las Vegas came right back, with Matt Gay making field goals of 44 and 48 yards for a 19-17 lead with 4:53 left.
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Gay → come → 4:53
But it’s hard to count out Mahomes in Las Vegas — or most places.
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it → ’ → Vegas
He led the go-ahead touchdown drive and then took advantage of a fumble on the ensuing kickoff by handing the ball to Walker for another TD.
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He → lead → TD
Mahomes has won all six of his starts at Allegiant Stadium against the Raiders, plus the Super Bowl after the 2023 season.
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Mahomes → win → season
“I trust him to do that,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.
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Reid → trust → that
“I don’t expect anything, but I do trust that he’s going to do the right thing when the ball’s in his hand.”
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ball → expect → hand
Reid, amazingly, has the most wins of any coach at Allegiant with seven.
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Reid → have → seven
He broke a tie with former Raiders coaches Josh McDaniels and Antonio Pierce.
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He → break → McDaniels
Reid is 7-1 at the stadium, which opened in 2020.
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which → open → 2020
Backed by plenty of their red-clad fans, the Chiefs held off a frantic comeback attempt in the final minutes.
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Chiefs → back → minutes
Cousins hit Bowers for a 20-yard touchdown with 1:46 left and the Raiders got the ball back, moving to midfield before Cousins was intercepted.
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Cousins → hit → midfield
Chiefs left guard benched
Reid said left guard Kingsley Suamataia didn’t start for disciplinary reasons.
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Suamataia → bench → reasons
Mike Caliendo took his place.
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Caliendo → take → place
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
