KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid elected to punt rather than give the offense a chance to convert fourth-and-3 near midfield with 2 minutes and 36 seconds remaining Monday against the Raiders at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Maybe Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s run for no gain on second down or the incomplete pass on third down zapped Reid’s confidence a bit, but he cited another reason for the decision.
“Trusting the defense,” Reid said.
Two weeks ago, the Chiefs’ defense coughed up a late lead at Indianapolis, giving up a touchdown in the closing minute of a 20-17 loss.
With help from a replay review, Kansas City’s defense closed out the AFC West rival Raiders in a 30-29 victory this time around.
“As the course of the season goes on, you’ve just to keep moving in an upward direction,” safety Justin Reid said. “We didn’t finish the game in Indianapolis; we were able to finish this one out.”
On the Raiders’ final offensive play, linebacker Nick Bolton came on a blitz up the middle, forcing Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr to rush a deep throw as he was pushed to the ground.
Two Raiders receivers, Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow, collided downfield, ensuring the pass had no chance of being completed.
“It was great, especially the way we started,” Bolton said. “The Colts game, we started off good and ended badly. It was flipped this week.”
Kansas City’s defense has battled injuries (Trent McDuffie) and suspensions (Willie Gay Jr.) with some uneven performances along the way.
Only five teams — Atlanta (2.42), Las Vegas (2.43), Arizona (2.46), Detroit (2.73) and Seattle (2.94), who all are below .500 with a combined 8-17 record — allow more points per drive on defense than the Chiefs (2.38).
But Kansas City, which has 13 red-zone touchdowns on 16 opponent drives inside the 20-yard line, has done a relatively good job creating pressure on the quarterback, forcing short throws and limiting the opponents’ run game — until Josh Jacobs, anyway.
Grinding out a win with the offense on the sideline should help boost the unit’s confidence as it continues to jell and get all its playmakers, including Mike Danna, available.
“It feels amazing,” safety Juan Thornhill said. “When we have such a high-powered offense like we have, we know that they can get out there and finish the game. But we wanted to be able to show that the defense is capable of making those plays and winning the game for us as well.”
There was no panic in Patrick Mahomes and company after spotting Las Vegas a 17-point first-half lead Monday, but the defense didn’t crumble either.
“Hard work, staying together, a positive attitude — give credit to the culture of this team that we didn’t start falling apart when things started looking ugly, but found a way to battle through that adversity and come out on top,” Justin Reid said.
Jacobs gashed the Chiefs’ defense for 154 yards, but the Raiders managed only nine second-half points and defensive tackle Chris Jones stonewalled Jacobs on a two-point conversion — preserving Kansas City’s lead.
“They got us in the first half,” rookie defensive end George Karlaftis, who recorded his first career half-sack in the win, said. “I don’t think there’s much doubt about that, but it’s not who starts. It’s who finishes.”
Against Las Vegas, it was Kansas City’s defense that got the job done.
“When the defense is out there and all the weight’s on our shoulders and the team’s depending on us to go out there and get the win, it feels awesome,” Karlaftis said. “That’s what you want as a defensive player.”
Still, Kansas City’s defense knows the challenge at 3:25 p.m. on Sunday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium — the Buffalo Bills, in a rematch of last season’s epic AFC Divisional overtime game — only gets tougher.
“We come out next week and have a big challenge in front of us with the Buffalo Bills,” Justin Reid said. “We’ve definitely got to start faster than we did today. … We don’t want to have to always rely on the offense. We want the defense to be strong, be physical and finish out games. We did it today, but we’re going to have to do it next week, too.”
And atone. Buffalo totaled 442 yards and 36 points in a 42-36 overtime loss to Kansas City, whose defense knows it will need to be better in Sunday’s battle of 4-1 teams.
“I’m definitely excited to play Buffalo,” Thornhill said. “I didn’t like how they did us last year in the playoffs. They kind of exposed our defense and made us look pretty bad, so I’m looking forward to that game pretty bad.”
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