KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Wednesday that quarterback Alex Smith was named the winner of the club’s Derrick Thomas Award and running back Kareem Hunt earned the team’s Mack Lee Hill Award for the 2017 season. This marks Smith’s second Derrick Thomas Award. He earned the team’s MVP honors alongside S Eric Berry following the 2015 season. Both honors were voted on by all Chiefs players and will officially be presented at the 48th annual 101 Awards on Saturday, February 24th. The Derrick Thomas Award serves as the team’s vote for most valuable player and the Mack Lee Hill Award is given to the club’s top rookie performer.

Smith (6-4, 217) appeared in 15 games (15 starts) in 2017. He finished with career highs in passing yards (4,042), touchdowns (26) and passer rating (104.7) with just five interceptions. Smith led the league in passer rating and was tied for second in the league with 13 touchdowns of 20 yards or more. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week after his Week 1 performance against the Patriots, where he threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns. This season, he was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate and has been selected to two other Pro Bowls in 2013 and 2016.

The 13-year veteran is from La Mesa, California, and was drafted first overall out of Utah in the 2005 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Smith has compiled 31,888 passing yards, 183 touchdowns and 96 interceptions in his NFL career and has won 50 games as the Chiefs starting quarterback (2013-17).

Hunt (5-11, 216) was Kansas City’s third-round pick (86th overall) in the 2017 NFL draft. In his first professional season, the rookie led the league in rushing yards (1,327), becoming only the sixth rookie to lead the NFL in rushing. Hunt surpassed former Chiefs running back Joe Delaney (1981) for most rushing yards by a rookie running back in Chiefs history and is only the third Chiefs player to lead the league in rushing (Priest Holmes, 2001 and Christian Okoye, 1989). Hunt became the first player in NFL history to record seven consecutive games with 100 or more scrimmage yards to start their rookie campaign and ended with 10 games with 100 yards from scrimmage. He earned AFC Offensive Rookie of the Month honors for September and December and was named to his first Pro Bowl following the 2017 season.

The rookie running back from Willoughby, Ohio, played collegiately at Toledo before being drafted by the Chiefs. Hunt started every game of the 2017 season and finished with 1,327 rushing yards, 455 receiving yards, eight rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Tuesday that Head Coach Andy Reid has named Eric Bieniemy the club’s Offensive Coordinator. Bieniemy is being promoted after serving five seasons under Reid as the Chiefs Running Backs Coach.

“I’ve known Eric a long time, both as a player and a coach,” Reid said. “He’s done a phenomenal job with our running backs and has been involved in every aspect of our offense over the last five years. He’s a great teacher and has earned this opportunity. I know he will do a good job.”

Bieniemy will enter his 11th season as a coach in the National Football League in 2018 and his sixth season with the Chiefs. Including his time as a player, Bieniemy has been associated with the NFL for two decades.

Under Bieniemy’s tutelage in 2017, rookie running back Kareem Hunt earned the NFL’s rushing title and a Pro Bowl berth with 1,327 rushing yards. Hunt had 10 games with 100-plus scrimmage yards. In 2016 Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West appeared as a double threat. Ware had 921 rushing yards and three rushing TDs and West rushed for 293 yards with a touchdown. Bieniemy also mentored Jamaal Charles, the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, for four seasons.

Prior to returning to the NFL coaching ranks in 2013, Bieniemy spent two seasons (2011-12) at his alma mater, Colorado, as the school’s offensive coordinator after coaching the running backs for five seasons with the Minnesota Vikings (2006-10). While with the Vikings, he oversaw one of the most productive rushing units in the NFL. In those five seasons, the Vikings produced a 1,000-yard rusher each year while his stable of running backs broke the 100-yard mark 31 times in 80 regular season games. While in Minnesota he mentored Adrian Peterson who totaled 5,782 rushing yards and 52 touchdowns in four seasons under Bieniemy’s guidance.

Bieniemy made the move to the professional ranks after three seasons as the running backs coach at UCLA (2003-05). He returned to Colorado in 2000 after his nine-year NFL career and got his first taste of coaching as an assistant at Thomas Jefferson High in Denver that fall.

He was a second-round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers in the 1991 NFL Draft (39th overall). He enjoyed a nine-year pro career with three teams: San Diego (1991-94), Cincinnati (1995-98) and Philadelphia (1999), where he played for Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid. In 142 career NFL games, he rushed for 1,589 yards and 11 touchdowns while catching 146 passes for 1,223 yards. His final year with the Chargers, he played in Super Bowl XXIX.

— Chiefs Press Release —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marcus Mariota led Tennessee to three second-half touchdowns, incredibly throwing one of his TD passes to himself , and the Titans rallied from a 21-3 deficit to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 22-21 on Saturday for their first playoff win in 14 years.

Mariota threw for 205 yards and two scores, including the 22-yard go-ahead strike to Eric Decker with just over six minutes left that ushered the Titans into the divisional round of the playoffs.
“Special, special,” Mariota said. “I’m a part of a great team. I’m a part of a group of guys that really just believe in each other. And, it’s something special and I’m look forward to playing next week.”

They’ll head to New England or Pittsburgh next week.

Derrick Henry had a career-high 156 yards rushing and another score for Tennessee (10-7), while a defense that was fileted by Alex Smith and the Chiefs (10-7) during the first half pitched a shutout in the second half — dooming the Kansas City franchise to another humiliating postseason defeat.

The Chiefs haven’t won a home playoff game since January 1994.

Smith threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns , but most of that came before halftime. He couldn’t get on track in the second half and misfired on fourth-and-9 at the Titans 44 with just over two minutes to go, denying the Chiefs a chance for Harrison Butker to kick a go-ahead field goal.

The letdown was made even more depressing when Henry appeared to fumble as Tennessee tried to run out the clock.

The Chiefs’ Derrick Johnson picked up the ball and returned it for a touchdown with 1:47 to go, but a video replay showed that Henry was down and the call was overturned.

Tennessee succeeded in running out the clock from there.

In the first half, the Chiefs looked every bit the team that had won four straight in convincing fashion, and the Titans looked every bit the team that backed into the playoffs.

Kareem Hunt, the league’s top rusher this season , plunged in from 1 yard for a 7-0 lead, and Smith hit Travis Kelce with a 13-yard touchdown pass a few minutes later. Smith added another touchdown toss to Demarcus Robinson on the final offensive play for a 21-3 lead at the break.

Smith was 19 of 23 for 231 yards in the half. Mariota was 7 of 13 for 81 yards and a pick.

The Titans’ young quarterback got on track in the second half, though, converting a couple of key third downs — one of them with his legs — in marching his team 91 yards. He capped it by throwing the first TD pass to himself, the first player to accomplish the feat in playoff history.

The previous player to do it in any game was the Vikings’ Brad Johnson during the 1997 season.

“Right place, right time,” Mariota said with a smile.

Tennessee nearly squandered its momentum when Adoree Jackson fumbled a punt, but the Chiefs were unable to pick up a first down and Butker knocked a 48-yard field goal off the upright.

This time, it was Henry who led the Titans downfield, capping another TD drive by rumbling nearly untouched 35 yards right up the middle to get within 21-16 with 14:08 to go.

“Grit. It’s just grit,” Henry said of his team’s rally.

“You’ve got to believe in each other, man. We were down like this last year and we came back. We told them we’ve got 30 minutes left, all we’ve got to do is play our game, execute the plays and everything will take care of itself.”

The Chiefs’ offense had been rendered impotent by that point, unable to move the ball much after Kelce left with a concussion in the first half. The Titans blanketed Tyreek Hill whenever he touched the ball, and they stacked the box to slow Hunt down in obvious rushing situations.

The Titans finally pulled ahead when Mariota threw a strike to Decker from 22 yards, and that led to a moment of controversy. The Titans went for a 2-point conversion and the field-goal edge, and Mariota lost the ball as he was getting sacked by the Chiefs’ Daniel Sorenson.

Frank Zombo picked it up and began running for two points that would have swung the lead back to Kansas City, but the officials had ruled that Mariota’s progress had been stopped.

It wound up being a crucial call in a game that came down to the wire.

RECORD RALLY

Only two road teams have rallied from at least 18 down to win a playoff game in NFL history. The Cowboys came back from 21-3 down in the first half to beat the 49ers 30-28 in December 1972, and the Lions came back from 27-7 in the second half to beat the 49ers in December 1957.

KELCE HURT

Kelce sustained a concussion on a wicked blow from Titans S Johnathan Cyprien late in the first half. Kelce, who had four catches for 66 yards, lay stunned on the turf for a moment before wobbling toward his huddle. Trainers quickly took him to the locker room.

UP NEXT

The Titans’ opponent in the divisional round will be decided Sunday. If the Jaguars beat the Bills in their wild-card matchup, Tennessee heads to New England to face the No. 1 seed. If Buffalo wins, the Titans head to face No. 2 seed Pittsburgh.

— Associated Press —

DENVER (AP) — Patrick Mahomes II made both his first NFL start and his first NFL relief appearance a success.

After handing off a two-touchdown lead midway through the fourth quarter in his spectacular NFL debut, the rookie first-round QB returned to rescue the Kansas City Chiefs , driving them 67 yards in 11 plays to beat Denver 27-24 on Harrison Butker’s 30-yard field goal as time expired.

“You always have to be ready,” Mahomes said. “All season long, it’s kind of been the same thing — you have to make sure you’re ready to go at any moment.”

The Chiefs (10-6) will go back to starting Alex Smith for their wild-card game Saturday against Tennessee, even more secure in the knowledge they have a clutch backup in Mahomes, the former Texas Tech standout they selected with the 10th overall pick in April.

“He played fantastic,” said Kareem Hunt, who secured the league’s rushing title by scurrying 35 yards for a touchdown on his only carry.

Smith and several other starters rested because Kansas City was locked into the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs, allowing coach Andy Reid to essentially use this regular season finale as a playoff bye.

“It was good to get a couple bumps and bruises healed up,” Reid said.

Von Miller said he was impressed by Mahomes, whom he expects to see plenty of in the coming years.

“He’s great,” Miller said. “He’s the quarterback of the future for the Chiefs.”

The Broncos (5-11) head into another offseason still searching for their quarterback of the future — and maybe their fourth coach in five years after Vance Joseph oversaw a team that lost eight times by double digits and oversaw an eight-game skid, their longest in 50 years.

Joseph, who inherited what was seemingly the best situation of the half dozen new head coaches in 2017 only to finish with the worst record of the bunch, will meet with GM John Elway on Monday to discuss his future.

“I want to be here,” Joseph said. “It’s a football team that’s close. We have to make some adjustments in some places, but our football team all year has not stopped working. That was fun to see, even tonight. It’s been a hard year but everyone kept fighting. I want to be here to fix it.”

Mahomes became the first quarterback drafted by the Chiefs to win a game for them since Todd Blackledge in 1987. He threw for 284 yards on 24-of-35 passing with no touchdowns and an interception.

Mahomes thought his day was won at 24-10 and Reid sent in Tyler Bray, who handed off late to fullback Anthony Sherman, who carried 14 times for 40 yards after coming into the game with six career carries in seven NFL seasons. Linebacker Zaire Anderson scooped up the loose ball and scored from 38 yards out to pull Denver to 24-17.

After the Chiefs punted, Lynch added a 6-yard TD pass to Demaryius Thomas on fourth down with 2:53 left, and Brandon McManus’ extra point tied it at 24.

Mahomes took off his jacket, put on his helmet and returned to the game with 2:45 left. He was promptly sacked by DeMarcus Walker but recovered nicely to drive K.C. to victory.

Mahomes made a good first impression , connecting with tight end Demetrius Harris for 51 yards on Kansas City’s opening drive. Then, he handed off to Hunt, who dashed for a 35-yard touchdown less than a minute into the game.

TOP RUSHER: Hunt secured the NFL rushing title over Todd Gurley II and Le’Veon Bell, both of whom were inactive Sunday. Hunt wasn’t planning on playing, either, but the Chiefs were thin at running back and dressed him.

“Honestly, it wasn’t on my radar because I wasn’t supposed to play,” said Hunt, who finished with 1,327 yards and joined the Bengals’ Paul Robinson, who led the AFL in rushing in 1968, as the only rookie rushing champs not selected in the first round of the common draft era — the last 50 years.

C.J. Anderson gained 61 yards to top 1,000 for the first time in his five-year with the Broncos.

“It was tough,” said Anderson, who carried 18 times.

LYNCH SO-SO: Broncos QB Paxton Lynch was 21 of 31 for 254 yards with two TDs, two interceptions and was sacked five times. He threw an interception late in the first half and was sacked three times in a five-snap span in the third quarter, losing the ball on one of them with linebacker Ramik Wilson scooping it up and scoring from 11 yards out.

It was 17 degrees at kickoff, the fifth-coldest home start in Broncos history and the coldest temperature for any of Lynch’s starts, in the pros or at Memphis.

INJURIES: Chiefs backup PR De’Anthony Thomas broke his right leg and CB Phillip Gaines was knocked out with an elbow injury just before halftime. Broncos S Will Parks (shoulder stinger) left in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT: The Chiefs seek their first playoff win at Arrowhead Stadium in their history while the Broncos, who have lost five straight to K.C. for the first time since the early 1970s, head into another offseason where the only certainty is change.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alex Smith threw for 304 yards and a touchdown, Kareem Hunt ran for 91 yards and a score and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins 29-13 on Sunday to clinch back-to-back AFC West titles for the first time in franchise history.

Tyreek Hill had six catches for 109 yards, and Harrison Butker converted five field goals, as the Chiefs (9-6) dashed what faint postseason hope the Dolphins (6-9) still harbored.

Jay Cutler threw for 286 yards and a touchdown, but a chunk of that came on a 65-yard toss to Jakeem Grant late in the first half. Otherwise, Miami struggled against a Chiefs defense that has been stingy and opportunistic the past two weeks.

That’s coincided with the return of Marcus Peters from his disciplinary suspension.

The Chiefs’ star cornerback had two interceptions and forced a fumble against the Chargers last week, a win that pushed them to the brink of the playoffs. He recovered a fumble and forced another on Sunday, giving Peters a hand in five turnovers the past two weeks.

Both turnovers led to points, but they weren’t the Dolphins’ only costly miscues.

They also were nailed for defensive holding four times, all of which came on three scoring drives for Kansas City. And the Dolphins inability to get off the field on third down, after holding opponents to 8 for 39 the past two games, was similarly deflating.

Still, the Dolphins had the ball trailing 17-13 late in the first half, the outcome and their longshot playoff hopes were still in the balance. But they soon went three-and-out and the Chiefs added a field goal to make it 20-13 at the break, then another to start the second half.

Even when the Dolphins made a crucial stop on fourth down to get the ball back later in the third quarter, they squandered the opportunity. Peters stripped Kenny Stills to give the Chiefs the ball, and Butker hit his fourth chip-shot field goal for a 26-13 lead with 12:19 to go.

That gave a sparse crowd that turned out on Christmas Eve, braving slick roads from an overnight snowfall frigid wind chills at kickoff, plenty of time to celebrate a division title.

Turn their thoughts toward a home playoff game in the new year, too.

STATS AND STREAKS

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce had four catches for 47 yards and a score , and has a catch in 63 straight games. … Chiefs coach Andy Reid improved to 5-1 against Miami. … Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry had five catches for 51 yards, giving him a league-best 103 catches this season. … The Dolphins had won seven of their last 10 against Kansas City. Their last loss at Arrowhead Stadium was in 2002.

INJURY NOTES

Dolphins DT Vincent Taylor hurt his knee on the opening kickoff, while CB Alterraun Verner went down with a hamstring injury later in the half. Miami DE Andre Branch played despite a knee injury.

UP NEXT

Dolphins conclude their season against the Bills next Sunday.

Chiefs head to Denver on Sunday to finish their regular season.

— Associated Press —

Kansas City Chiefs’ cornerback Marcus Peters was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, the NFL announced on Wednesday.

Peters tallied three tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and three passes defensed in Kansas City’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers last Saturday night, marking just the eighth time since 2010 that a player has picked off multiple passes and forced a fumble in a single game.

It was Peters’ fourth-career game with multiple interceptions, and his 19 picks since 2015 lead the NFL.

In fact, Peters ranks behind only Ed Reed (21) and Richard Sherman (20) in interceptions through a player’s first three career seasons over the last 25 years.

Peters has now won the award three times, also doing so in each of the past two seasons. He’s just the third player in franchise history to be recognized in three straight years, joining linebackers Derrick Thomas and Derrick Johnson.

— Chiefs Press Release —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Football League announced on Tuesday that three members of the Kansas City Chiefs have been selected to participate in the 2018 NFL Pro Bowl. The below players have earned a spot on the AFC’s Pro Bowl roster:

Tyreek Hill (Returner) – 2nd Nomination
Kareem Hunt (Running Back) – 1st Nomination
Travis Kelce (Tight End) – 3rd Nomination

The 2018 Pro Bowl will return to Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, and will be televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and simulcast on ABC. This year’s game will mark the first time the Pro Bowl will air on both broadcast and cable networks, as well as being streamed live on the ESPN app. The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its all-star teams.

Hill (5-10, 185) has played in all 14 games (12 starts) this season, tallying 24 punt returns for 203 yards (8.5 avg.) with one touchdown. Offensively, Hill has recorded 69 receptions for 1,074 yards (15.6 avg.) with seven touchdowns. Hill became the 12th player in Chiefs history to notch 1,000 or more yards receiving in a single season. He ranks second among all NFL receivers in overall touchdowns after Week 7 of the 2016 season.

This marks Hill’s second consecutive selection into the NFL’s all-star game. The Pearson, Georgia, native, played collegiately at West Alabama. He was selected by Kansas City in the fifth round (165th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Hunt (5-11, 216) has started all 14 games for the Chiefs during his rookie season, tallying 1,641 scrimmage yards (1,201 rushing yards and 440 receiving yards) with nine touchdowns. In Week 3 of the season, Hunt became the first player in NFL history to record a 50+ yard scrimmage touchdown in each of his first three career games. During Week 14, he rushed for 116 yards becoming just the second rookie in franchise history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark. He is currently the franchise’s all-time leading rookie rusher.

The Willoughby, Ohio, native, played collegiately at Toledo where he finished his career as the school’s all-time leading rusher, totaling 4,945 yards on 782 rushes (6.3 avg.) with 44 touchdowns. He originally entered the NFL as a third-round pick (86th overall) by the Chiefs in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Kelce (6-5, 260) has started at tight end in all 14 games this season, tallying 79 catches for 991 yards (12.5 avg.) with seven touchdowns. This season Kelce has recorded four 100+ yard receiving games and set a career-high in receiving touchdowns (7). He caught a touchdown in three-straight games from Weeks 7-9 and logged his second career two-touchdown game against the Jets. Kelce owns 303 receptions for 3,853 yards (12.7 avg.) with 21 touchdowns for his career. He has now caught a pass in 62 straight games, ranking as the third-best streak in team history.

This marks Kelce’s third consecutive selection into the NFL’s all-star game. A native of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Kelce was selected by Kansas City in the third round (63rd overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alex Smith threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns, Kareem Hunt ran for 155 yards and a score, and the Kansas City Chiefs routed the turnover-prone Los Angeles Chargers 30-13 on Saturday night to seize control of the AFC West.

Hunt also had a TD catch for the Chiefs (8-6), whose eighth straight win over the Chargers all but sewed up the division and a spot in the playoffs. The only way Kansas City can squander it is by losing its last two games and the Chargers or Oakland Raiders winning out.

The Chargers (7-7) led 13-10 early in the second half, but Philip Rivers threw three interceptions — two of them to Marcus Peters — and Austin Ekeler coughed up a fumble down the stretch.

That ended their four-game win streak and quite possibly their playoff hopes.

Rivers finished with 221 yards passing and a touchdown, but has thrown 13 interceptions during the Chargers’ losing streak to the Chiefs. Melvin Gordon added 78 yards rushing and a score.

The game shaped up as a matchup of teams going in opposite directions: The Chiefs were 5-0 before watching their division lead waste away, while the Chargers started out 0-4 but won seven of their next nine to forge a near-winner-take-all divisional showdown at Arrowhead Stadium.

Instead, the Chiefs looked like they did in their Week 3 win over the Chargers.

So did the Chargers, for that matter.

The Chiefs’ defense, which played so salty last week against Oakland, was buoyed by the return of Peters from a one-game disciplinary suspension in helping to build a 10-6 halftime lead.

Rivers soon got on track, going 5 for 5 for 88 yards on his first drive of the second half. And his 10-yard touchdown pass to trusty tight end Antonio Gates gave Los Angeles its only lead.

One that didn’t last very long.

The Chiefs answered with a methodical, 69-yard scoring drive of their own. Hunt supplied most of the work, and he capped the drive by catching Smith’s short TD toss to give the Chiefs a 17-13 lead.

Two plays later, Rivers floated a pass downfield and Peters leaped up to make an easy interception, and his long return set up first-and-goal at the Chargers 6. The Chiefs nearly turned it into another TD when Smith found Hunt again, but the tip of the ball hit the turf for an incompletion.

The Chiefs’ challenge failed and Harrison Butker knocked through a field goal for a 20-13 lead.

The Chargers’ offense, which had committed just six giveaways over the last nine games, coughed it up again three plays later. Peters helped to pry loose the ball from Ekeler, and Butker tacked on a 51-yard field goal a short while for a comfortable cushion.

Rivers threw two more picks in the fourth quarter, giving him six in two games against Kansas City this season, and ending any hopes of Los Angeles mounting a comeback.

AILING BUT ACTIVE

Chargers CB Casey Hayward was active despite missing practice with a calf injury this week. That may have contributed to the star cover man getting burned by Tyreek Hill on his 64-yard first-half TD catch.

INJURIES NOTES

Chargers LB Denzel Perryman left with a hamstring injury late in the first half. S Adrian Phillips left with an ankle injury early in the second. DT Corey Liuget (knee) and LT Russell Okung (groin) also went down in the second half. … Chiefs LB Kevin Pierre-Louis (shoulder) and DL Jarvis Jenkins (elbow) left with injuries in the third quarter.

UP NEXT

Chargers visit the New York Jets next Sunday with fading postseason hopes.

Chiefs try to clinch the AFC West against the Dolphins next Sunday.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kareem Hunt ran for 116 yards and a touchdown, the Chiefs shut down Derek Carr and Raiders offense and Kansas City held on to beat Oakland 26-15 on Sunday to snap a four-game losing streak.

The suddenly stingy Chiefs (7-6) also made a big statement in the crowded AFC West race. They entered the game tied atop the division standings with the Raiders (6-7) and the Chargers, who played Washington later Sunday and visit Kansas City on Saturday night.

Alex Smith threw for 268 yards and Charcandrick West had a touchdown run for the Chiefs, who held the Raiders without points until Marshawn Lynch’s 22-yard touchdown run with 8:51 to go.

By that point, the Chiefs were cruising toward their 14th win in 15 divisional games.

Carr was 24 of 41 for 211 yards with a touchdown and two picks, a far cry from his performance when the teams met in October. Carr threw for 417 yards and three touchdowns that day, including the winning toss to Michael Crabtree on the final play of the game.

That loss was part of a midseason swoon for Kansas City, which started 5-0 but lost six of seven to fall into a tie for the division lead — and put its once-solid playoff prospects in peril.

The Chiefs gave them a boost again Sunday behind a defense that was shredded by the New York Jets last week, and that was missing All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters.

The volatile young star was suspended by coach Andy Reid this week for a series of embarrassing incidents, including the throwing of an official’s flag into the stands in the Meadowlands.

The trio of Steven Nelson, Darrelle Revis and Terrance Mitchell more than made up for him.

So did Kansas City’s offense, which produced for the second straight week as offensive coordinator Matt Nagy called the plays. The Chiefs got four field goals from Harrison Butker, along with their two touchdown runs, and didn’t have to punt until the fourth quarter.

The Raiders tried to make it interesting late, recovering an onside kick after Lynch’s TD run. Carr connected with Jared Cook on fourth down for another score, and the 2-point conversion trimmed what had been a 26-0 deficit to 26-15 in a matter of minutes.

But after receiving the kickoff, the Chiefs’ Albert Wilson made a juggling catch to convert a third down, and that allowed the reigning AFC West champs to mostly run out the clock.

COOPER HURT

Raiders WR Amari Cooper was active after he was cleared of a concussion and a sprained left ankle was deemed OK. But he left in the second quarter with a right leg injury when he was blocking downfield on a run by DeAndre Washington, and a defender rolled into the back of him.

OTHER INJURIES

The Raiders also were missing two defensive starters in CB David Amerson (foot sprain) and LB Cory James (knee), while DE Mario Edwards Jr. (ankle) left early in the second quarter and TE Clive Walford went down in the fourth. The Chiefs missed starting C Mitch Morse with a sprained foot.

UP NEXT

Raiders: return home to face the Cowboys next Sunday night.

Chiefs: get another AFC West contender when the Chargers visit Saturday night.

— Associated Press —