Raiders' D denies Chiefs chance to clinch eighth straight AFC West title - ESPN

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs had a chance to capture their eighth consecutive AFC West title Monday with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium.

Instead, the Raiders' defense stifled Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense, holding them to just two scores in a 20-14 win. The defense had two touchdowns within a seven-second span to close out the first half and keep their own AFC West hopes alive.

Monday's win marked the Raiders' second against the Chiefs since 2019, with both coming at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Raiders improved to 7-8, keeping their faint playoff hopes alive. It also kept interim coach Antonio Pierce's dream of removing the interim tag alive.

Describe the game in two words: Stayin' Alive: The Raiders have a shot at winning the AFC West, so long as they win at the Indianapolis Colts and at home against the Denver Broncos, and the Chiefs lose at home against the Cincinnati Bengals and at the Los Angeles Chargers.

Breakout performance: Malcolm Koonce as a game-changing pass-rusher. The third-year defensive end became the first player ever to sack Mahomes three times in a game. Koonce, operating opposite NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate Maxx Crosby, has five sacks in the past two games and seven sacks on the season.

QB breakdown: Aidan O'Connell again showed the highs and lows of riding with a rookie quarterback. He went 9-of-21 for 62 yards and did not complete a pass in the second, third or fourth quarters. Luckily for him, the defense carried the day and O'Connell's up-and-down season continued.

Pivotal play: RB Zamir White, starting for the second straight game in place of injured All-Pro Josh Jacobs, essentially ended the game with a 43-yard burst up the right sideline