Kansas City, Mo. — That’s why you kick the extra point, instead of going for two and the win.
That’s the easy conclusion that can be drawn from the end of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 30-29 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on “Monday Night Football” at GEHA Field in Arrowhead Stadium.
Raiders coach Josh McDaniels made the decision to go for two after quarterback Derek Carr threw a 48-yard touchdown to star receiver DaVante Adams in the fourth quarter.
Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, who was on a tear with 133 yards rushing and a touchdown, was in the middle of the crucial play that allowed the Chiefs to maintain a one-point lead in the closing minutes.
Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw four touchdowns to star tight end Travis Kelce and the Chiefs came back from a 17-point deficit in the first half to defeat the Raiders.
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“For me it helps because you just don’t know how guys are going to react. We have many of the same players who have played behind in a number of matches. At the same time, we also have a lot of new guys,” said Mahomes.
“So, for guys to react and keep fighting, whether or not we were 17 points behind and we can fight back against anything, that’s what you want to see from a great football team.”
The Chiefs improved to 4-1 this season, while the Raiders fell to 1-4.
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Here’s what we learned:
Player of the game: Travis Kelce
How’s this for a statistical line?
Four touchdowns on seven catches for just 25 yards.
Yes, it happened.
And it was Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce who delivered it.
Mahomes consistently looked for his assault weapon in the end zone and it propelled the Chiefs to a comeback win against the Raiders.
Kelce’s game will be remembered more for the four touchdowns than for the overall stat line. Still, it’s comical to see a player so prolific without the distance.
“When he caught the fourth, I knew it was the fourth,” Mahomes said, raising four fingers after the piece.
“I didn’t know he had seven catches for four touchdowns.”
Chiefs’ big turning point of the game
The Chiefs had a 24-23 lead early in the fourth quarter and looked excellent to kick a field goal and extend their lead to four points.
But a unique penalty was taken in Kansas City’s favor: a waiting call by the Raiders defense as the Raiders lined up for a kick.
The penalty gave the Chiefs another run of downs and saw Mahomes throw his fourth touchdown pass to Kelce with 7:25 to go.
Perhaps it was a make-up for the Chiefs and their fans after the controversial phone call they received during the first half.
Raiders almost had a chance to win
The Raiders almost scored a field goal in the last minute.
Carr found Adams for what could have been a 16-yard completion that could have come within reach of Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson with 47 seconds left.
But the catch was judged incomplete. Adams was in disbelief when the referee gave him a rundown of the review.
And during the Raiders’ final game, Adams collided in the field with receiver Hunter Renfrow, ending Las Vegas’ chances of a comeback.
As for going for two earlier, Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said: “I felt in that situation, they had a lot of momentum offensively in the second half and we had a game that we felt really good about. I thought they were us. would give a look that definitely had a shot at it. We had a chance…. “Just try to be aggressive, try to win the game. I know it was four and a half or whatever the time was, but our team had one felt good about it and felt that it was the right decision at the right time.”
Derek Carr throws his 200th career touchdown
On the fourth and 1st quarter, the Raiders went for it. And it paid off.
Carr found Adams for a 58-yard touchdown to help Las Vegas take an early 7-0 lead.
The touchdown was the 200th in Carr’s nine-year NFL career.
And it was up to Adams, his college teammate who played alongside Fresno State University.
Controversial moment of the game
Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones was penalized for roughing the passer after falling on Carr just before halftime.
Carr was finishing a pass when the ball fell to the ground in a fumble. Jones reached for the football and pinned it down as it fell on Carr on his way to the ground.
The penalty enabled the Raiders to extend their drive at the end of the first half to set up a 5-yard field goal from kicker Daniel Carlson to take a 20-10 lead at halftime.
“I get it. I get it. I’m not saying the referee was wrong. I’m saying those situations can greatly affect the game, especially if you’re in a play-off, a critical situation like that, a game-changing game,” said Jones.
“As a competition we have to take the initiative and see what we can make better of it.”
The NFL’s roughing of the passer penalty has been under scrutiny since future Hall of Famer Tom Brady called one in his favor in a win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Falcons defender Grady Jarrett was practically on the pitch when he pulled Brady to the ground in what many believed was a routine tackle before the umpires penalized him for the game.
Raiders also star WR in postgame controversy
Adams apologized after the game for pushing someone onto the field as he went to the locker room when time ran out.
Adams apologized in the locker room after the game and on social media.
“Sorry for the guy I knocked over after the game,” Adams wrote on Twitter. “Obviously very frustrated with the way the game ended and when he ran in front of me when I left, that was my reaction and I immediately felt terrible. That’s not me..MY apologies man, I hope you see this.”
