KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns in less than three quarters of work, Rashee Rice caught two of the TD passes in his return from a six-game suspension, and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Las Vegas Raiders 31-0 on Sunday.
Rice finished with seven catches for 42 yards in his first game since Week 4 last season, when he tore his ACL in a collision with Mahomes. He made it back from the injury in time to participate in the offseason and training camp, then was suspended before the start of the season for his role in a high-speed car crash on a Dallas highway in March 2024.
Rice’s return sparked an offense that scored on its first five possessions and finished with 434 yards in all.
It didn’t help Las Vegas to play most of the game without star pass rusher Maxx Crosby, who left with a knee injury.
The Chiefs (4-3) were nearly as good on defense, though, holding the Raiders to three first downs and 96 yards while beating them for the 10th time in the last 11 matchups. Geno Smith finished 10 of 16 for 67 yards, while Ashton Jeanty, one of the NFL’s top rookies, carried just six times for 21 yards.
It was the fourth and most lopsided shutout by Kansas City in its 133-game history against the Raiders.
The Chiefs offense had started to hum the past couple of weeks, including in a 30-17 rout of the Lions last week. And with Rice back, it looked like the high-flying attack that Mahomes made famous with Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill so many years ago.
Rice had a pair of catches on their opening drive, including a 2-yard touchdown reception to finish off the 92-yard march. He had two more on the next drive, an 84-yard trek that Marquise Brown finished with a TD catch. And Rice capped the Chiefs’ big first half with a 3-yard touchdown reception with 10 seconds left to make it 21-0 at the break.
The lopsided nature of the first half was staggering.
The Chiefs had a 21-2 advantage in first downs. They had a 275-51 edge in yards, and that includes six meaningless yards that Jeanty gained on the final run of the half. And the Chiefs became the first team since at least 2000 to start a game with three TD drives of at least 80 yards, allowing them to consume nearly 21 minutes of the first half.
Oh, and the Chiefs got to receive the second-half kickoff.
They proceeded to march 65 yards for another touchdown, this time with Isiah Pacheco doing the honors on the ground to finish it off. And after another three-and-out by the Raiders, a 66-yard march produced a field goal that made it 31-0.
Mahomes and several starters took a seat by the end of the third quarter, allowing Gardner Minshew to finish the rout.
The only question remaining was whether the Raiders would make it back across midfield again. They made it for two offensive plays on the first drive of the game, when a holding call on Jackson Powers-Johnson led to them eventually punting.
The answer: They did not come close.
