The Kansas City Chiefs won a dogfight against the Raiders in Las Vegas, 27-20, to improve to an undefeated 7-0 mark in the 2024 NFL season.

Let’s make a few comments about a game in which…

The Chiefs defense did it again.

…and no, I’m not talking about giving up points on the opening stage.

In a terrible scenario after Patrick Mahomes put the Raiders at the Chiefs’ 3-yard line in the third quarter, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit rose to its feet and stoned Las Vegas for a turnover on downs on four straight plays.

After Raiders running back Alexander Mattison gained two yards on first down, he met a wall on second down. He lost two yards on third down — and then on fourth down, defensive end George Karlaftis essentially rushed his man to quarterback Gardner Minshew to share the sack with Turk Wharton.

As Spagnuolo will likely report on Friday when he addresses the media, there is a lot of cleaning up to do. I joked about the opening drive; the coverage on the second level hasn’t been good, and it’s unclear if Kansas City has a wide-cap cornerback replacement for Jaylen Watson (and now Nazeeh Johnson) — but he should be smiling on Sunday night.

The Chiefs won’t be happy about giving up 20 points to the Raiders, but the score on the goal line probably saved the afternoon.

Travis Kelce had a vintage performance – and with DeAndre Hopkins too better late than never.

Tight end Travis Kelce had an excellent performance against the Raiders, catching 10 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. We haven’t seen it as much this season, but Sunday showed that Kelce can still be Mahomes’ favorite target when needed. All afternoon, Las Vegas had no answer for the veteran tight end.

Kelce’s score was his 12th against the Raiders organization. He has more touchdowns against the Raiders than any other NFL team.

Hopkins was acquired less than a week ago and offered a promising look at things to come. His two catches both resulted in first downs – and showed that he has earned Mahomes’ trust in just a few days.

In sports there are often feelings of this what-if. One that stands out is the moment franchise legend Jamaal Charles signed his one-day contract to retire as Chief. Mahomes gave him a ceremonial handoff.

In my opinion, Kelce seeing the same field with a go-up-and-get-it wide receiver like Hopkins falls into the same category. It’s a move that would certainly have been sweeter (and more fruitful in the long run) if it had happened two years ago. But salary cap restrictions at the time made that impossible.

Well…better late than never.

Key third-down conversions throughout the game kept the Chiefs ahead.

The goal line score proved to be the series that turned the tide, but throughout the game a number of crucial third-down plays kept the Chiefs on the path to victory.

On Kansas City’s first drive that ended in a score, running back Samaje Perine grabbed a third-down screen 21 yards downfield. Kalaftis’ third loss in the second quarter held the Raiders to a field goal.

On the ensuing touchdown drive, wide receiver Xavier Worthy kept the drive alive with a great route and catch on third down. Six plays later, tight end Noah Gray delivered a third down — and then made an even better catch on a third down that followed the goal line, when he hauled in a pass that went through Worthy’s hands.

Mahomes may not have had the day we all expected, but he had two key third-down scrambles to keep the drive going. As a team, Kansas City finished 12 of 16 in third place, proving the difference in a victory over a tougher than expected Raiders effort.

The Chiefs had some issues with protection and penalties, but they found a way to solve those issues on Sunday. That gives time to tackle them in the coming week. And because ‘Monday Night Football’ is next on the schedule, they have an extra day for that.