In Primetime Back-and-Forth Battle On SNF, Defending Super Bowl Champion Chiefs Score 35-31 Win Over Las Vegas Raiders At Allegiant Stadium Sunday
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
It was back and forth in the fourth quarter and in the end the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs had all-world quarterback Patrick Mahomes and he marched the Chiefs to a 35-31 win over the upstart Las Vegas Raiders in a primetime game at Allegiant Stadium Sunday.
Mahomes threw an easy 22-yard pass to Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce who was standing all alone in the end zone with only 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter after Raiders QB Derek Carr had led the Raiders on a 75-yard drive only two minutes earlier to give Las Vegas a short-lived lead.
The Sunday Night Game on NBC was an entertaining contest with the TV network showing lots of aerial scenes of the Strip and Allegiant Stadium, giving Las Vegas loads of free exposure and publicity.
The Raiders had defeated the Chiefs, 40-32, in Kansas City in week five.
Here’s Raiders coach Jon Gruden’s post-game comments.
The Raiders jumped out to a 7-0 lead thanks to a six-play, 75-yard opening game drive, with hard-running Josh Jacobs cracking the end zone with a short run less than four minutes into the primetime game at Allegiant Stadium.
But the Chiefs responded with a long, seven-minute-plus drive, as KC star quarterback Patrick Mahomes tossed an easy three-yard TD pass to Tyreek Hill to tie the score at seven with 4:01 left in the first quarter.
The broadcast gave Las Vegas lots of free publicity for the Strip, with NBC showing the Bellagio fountains to promote The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Carr tossed a touchdown to wide receiver Nelson Agholor on the last play of the first quarter and the Raiders led the Chiefs, 14-7, after the first 15 minutes.
Again, here’s NBC supplying great publicity for the Strip and the hotels near Allegiant Stadium like Mandalay Bay and the Luxor with aerial footage. The game started just 30 minutes after Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced that casinos, bars, restaurants, gyms and libraries would be limited to 25 percent of capacity because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 Americans.
Under the new measures, restaurants, bars, gaming operations, gyms, fitness facilities and other businesses and activities will be limited to 25 percent of applicable fire code capacity, down from 50 percent. Retail stores – including grocery stores – will remain at 50 percent of capacity, with strict social distancing and additional monitoring requirements. Additionally, public gatherings will be limited to no more than 50 people or 25 percent capacity, whichever is less. No large events will be approved during this time frame.
Back to the game: KC running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire scored from three yards out and the Chiefs and Raiders were knotted at 14 with about 11 minutes left in the first half.
Four drives and four touchdowns.
Daniel Carlson kicked a 35-yard field goal with 4:36 left in the second quarter and the Raiders led the Chiefs, 17-14.
Mahomes threw a rare interception with Trayvon Mullen making a nice interception at the end of the first half.
Halftime: Raiders 17 Chiefs 14.
The Chiefs took the second half kickoff and chewed up 8:37 on 16 plays and covered 93 yards, with the final 14 yards going to Edwards-Helaire on a sweep run. Chiefs 21 Raiders 17.
After three quarters, the Chiefs still led by four points.
The Raiders went 74 yards on 11 plays and Carr tossed a three-yard TD pass to tight end Darren Waller on the first play of the fourth quarter and Las Vegas regained the lead, 24-21 with 14:54 left in the 4Q.
The game was a see-saw battle and the Chiefs responded with a 91-yard, 12-play drive, with running back Le’Veon Bell scoring from six yards out to give the Chiefs a 28-24 lead with 5:54 left in the fourth quarter.
And then it was the Raiders’ turn. Carr led the Raiders on a 75-yard drive that ended with him throwing a one-yard TD toss to Jason Witten to give the Raiders a 31-28 lead before Mahomes hit Kelce for the game-winner with less than a half-minute left in the game.
The Las Vegas Raiders are among 14 teams in the National Football League that has not had a single fan at their home stadiums.
The 18 NFL teams that have had fans are led by the Dallas Cowboys, which have averaged 25,750 fans for each of its five home games heading into Sunday’s action. The Cowboys have filled 25.8 percent of their stadium — the highest percentage of seats filled in any NFL stadium during these 2020 COVID-19 pandemic times.
Another team in the state of Texas — the Houston Texans — ranks fifth in the NFL in attendance, averaging 12,377 fans a game over three home games.
The state of Florida’s three NFL teams, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and Miami, rank second, fourth and six in average game attendance, respectively. The Jaguars average 15,211 fans a game over four games, the Bucs average 12,554 fans a game over three games and Dolphins average 11,872 fans a game over five home games in South Florida.
The Raiders’ opponent on Sunday Night Football on NBC — the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions — ranks third in the NFL in attendance with 13,188 fans a game over five home games and filling their stadium to 17.3 percent of capacity.
The teams that rank 11 to 18 in average game attendance in the 32-team NFL are using less than 10 percent capacity of their home stadiums.
Joining the Raiders with allowing no fans in their stadiums are the three California teams — the Rams, Chargers and 49ers; northeast teams like the Bills, Giants, Jets, Eagles, Patriots; midwest teams like the Bears, Lions, Vikings; and the Seahawks.
The Denver Broncos announced this week that they would no longer have fans at their stadium after this week.
When there are no fans in the building, what’s it like to take a lap on the main concourse. Let’s take a look. Above is on the east side of the stadium. You get a good look at Mandalay Bay and the Interstate 15 right outside the venue. Before you walk behind the exterior digital screen, you get a chance to admire some Las Vegas-themed artwork. You can’t walk by Liberace without snapping a photo.
Then there’s the base of the Al Davis Memorial Torch.
There’s no tailgating outside the stadium, but the Raiders pay tribute to fans with some of their cars’ license plates. Check out California plate “BIG AL” and Nevada plate “STBLR.” Below is a California “MADDEN” plate.
It’s not every day you see Marv Hubbard in the stadium.
Take a look at the grass field for the Raiders vs Chiefs game today here at Allegiant Stadium. That natural grass turf looks worn toward the middle of the field, from the 10-yard line to the end zone and between the 20-yard and 30-yard lines.
Buy Alan Snel’s new book — Bicycle Man: Life of Journeys — for $20. Email him at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com to arrange delivery.
