Raiders coach Pete Carroll left in awe as Chiefs deliver lopsided shutout

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It took until the third series against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday for Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid to finally send the tantalizing wide receiver trio of Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown onto the field together.

Folks had waited 16 months to see it, ever since Brown was signed in free agency and Worthy was drafted to complement Rice, who had just finished a breakout rookie season. Brown missed most of last season with an injury. Worthy got banged up along the way, too. And Rice not only had to recover from a torn ACL but serve a six-game suspension handed down by the NFL.

The result: Mahomes scrambled for 3 yards.

Oh, but the rest of the game: The Chiefs scored on their first five offensive series, piled up 434 yards, held the Raiders to a head-scratching 95, and rolled to a 31-0 victory, the most lopsided shutout they have ever pitched against the Raiders.

It all left Raiders coach Pete Carroll to shake his head in equal parts awe and exasperation.

“They have so many good players,” he explained, "that you can't tell one from the other. They're all good. They're all fast. They're shifty. They're explosive. They make things happen. They're all good. Every one of those guys is good. And you put (Travis) Kelce in the middle of all that, it's a hard group to deal with.

“I would think that teams facing them coming up — you'd better be ready.”

The Raiders evidently were not.

Rice made a splashy return, catching seven passes for 42 yards and two scores. Brown reached the end zone for the third time in his last two games. Worthy had three catches for 35 yards and took a jet sweep for 13 more. Kelce had three catches for a team-best 54 yards. JuJu-Smith-Schuster hauled in three catches and Brashard Smith had five as well.

In fact, the Chiefs (4-3) had nine different players catch a pass against Las Vegas.

“You just seen what we've been seeing all offseason,” Worthy said.

It was reminiscent of the days when Mahomes was setting the league on fire, and the 36-year-old Kelce was in his prime. Back when Tyreek Hill was making defenses look foolish, and Kansas City was beginning is ascent through the NFL hierarchy.

The Chiefs have now won four of their past five games. They have outscored their past two opponents — the Lions and Raiders — by a combined 61-17. And they are starting to show their confidence in making another Super Bowl run.

“I think there's been points throughout these last few years,” Mahomes said, “but I think this is probably the most consistent that we’ve seen that we’ve been able to stack games together. Obviously, our record is still not where we want it to be, but you can see from the offense, defense, we’ve had bright moments in this season, and now it seems like we’re coming together as a team. That’s what you want to do is be a team as the season goes on, and keep getting better.”

The offense. The defense. The special teams. The coaching. Really, good luck finding fault in a 31-0 blowout so comprehensive that most of the Kansas City starters were able to sit the entire fourth quarter.

The return game has struggled to produce. Nikko Remigio had just 15 yards on three tries on punt returns and nearly lost a fumble.

The Chiefs defensive line dominated the Raiders on Sunday. Ashton Jeanty ran for just 21 yards, allowing them to blitz Geno Smith on long-yardage downs. Smith finished with just 67 yards passing.

RB Kareem Hunt. He is still valuable as a short-yardage back, but Brashard Smith's speed and big-play ability is starting to shine through. He could soon supplant Hunt as the No. 2 on the depth chart behind Isiah Pacheco.

LG Trey Smith hurt his back and his status is unclear. DT Omarr Norman-Lott had an MRI exam on his knee injury Monday. RT Jawaan Taylor hurt his shoulder against Las Vegas but is expected to be fine.

93 — The number of wins by the Reid-Mahomes coach-quarterback duo. It is the most in franchise history, breaking a tie with Hank Stram and Len Dawson. Reid also holds the No. 3 spot on the list with Alex Smith.

After enjoying a rare Sunday noon kickoff against the Raiders, the Chiefs are back in primetime next week when Washington visits Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night.

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