The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, 19-17, in another wild game on Friday that came down to the wire.
Here are some quick notes from the win.
1. The Chiefs are headed to the postseason for a 10th consecutive year.
Kansas City officially punched its ticket to the playoffs on Friday for the 10th straight season, which marks the second-longest streak for any team in NFL history. Only the 2009-19 New England Patriots (with 11 straight postseason runs) compiled a longer stretch of sustained success.
The Chiefs were the first team to clinch a postseason berth this year, and by doing so on Friday, Kansas City became the first team to secure a playoff spot during the month of November since the 2019 New Orleans Saints did so. Kansas City also became just the 11th team in league history to clinch a postseason berth with five weeks left to spare, and the first since the 2009 Indianapolis Colts.
2. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is now the franchise's all-time leader in passing touchdowns.
Mahomes now has 238 career touchdown passes in the regular season to his name, moving him past Pro Football Hall of Famer Len Dawson (237) for the most scoring strikes in franchise history.
The 29-year-old Mahomes leads the NFL in passing touchdowns since 2018, and he's a whopping 50 scores ahead of second-place. He also has the most passing touchdowns through 108 career games in league history, besting Dan Marino by 12.
Additionally, Friday's performance was Mahomes' league-most 47th with 300+ passing yards since 2018.
3. Tight end Travis Kelce now owns the fourth-most yards after-the-catch in NFL history.
Kelce, who caught seven passes for 68 yards on Friday, tallied 28 yards after-the-catch against Las Vegas. He now has 5,632 yards after-the-catch over the course of his brilliant career, moving past Steve Smith (5,616) for the fourth-most of any player in NFL history.
Only Marshall Faulk (6,230), Larry Centers (5,836) and Terrell Owens (5,684) own more career yards after-the-catch than Kelce in league history.
Kelce also remains just one receiving touchdown shy of passing Tony Gonzalez (76) for the most in franchise history.
4. Defensive lineman Chris Jones also moved up in the franchise record books.
Jones, who hadn't recorded a sack since Week 4, got off the schneid on Friday with two sacks on Raiders' quarterback Aidan O'Connell (both of which took place on third down).
The performance moved the 30-year-old Jones out of a tie (with Justin Houston) and into sole possession of fourth-place on the list of the franchise's all-time sack leaders with 80.5.
Only Derrick Thomas (126.5), Tamba Hali (89.5) and Neil Smith (86.5) recorded more sacks in a Chiefs uniform than Jones since the statistic was created in 1982.
5. Defensive end George Karlaftis tallied his fifth sack of the season.
Karlaftis made one of the hidden plays of the game when he sacked Aidan O'Connell for a loss of 15 yards (on third down) midway through the third quarter. The play was the difference between a 40-yard field goal and a 55-yard attempt, the latter of which kicker Daniel Carlson missed a snap later. In a game that came down to just two points, that missed field goal (and the sack that made it significantly more difficult) was a big one.
The third-year edge rusher now has five sacks this season and 21.5 total sacks since the beginning of the 2022 campaign. His four pressures on Friday led the team.
6. Wide receiver Justin Watson hauled in his first touchdown catch of the year.
Watson was responsible for the Chiefs' lone trip to the end zone on Friday with a tremendous 6-yard scoring grab on third down late in the second quarter. It was Watson's first touchdown catch of the season and the eighth of his career.
Interestingly enough, Watson's last three touchdowns (dating back to the 2022 season) have taken place against the Raiders.
7. Kicker Matthew Wright connected on five of his six total attempts on Friday.
Wright, who took over kicking duties for the injured Spencer Shrader on Friday, was 4-for-5 on field goal attempts and 1-for-1 on extra-point tries in his first game with Kansas City since making two appearances during the 2022 season.
The veteran kicker connected on kicks of 25 yards, 42 yards, 35 yards and 32 yards in the game. His only miss was on a 59-yard attempt as time expired in the first half.
The Chiefs were just 1-for-5 in the red zone on Friday, which is why the game came down to the wire, but at least Wright took care of business when called upon in a contest where every point ended up mattering.
8. Tailback Isiah Pacheco returned to the field for the first time since Week 2.
Pacheco was back in action on Friday after missing the Chiefs' last nine games due to an ankle injury. He played 26 snaps, rushing for 44 yards on seven attempts (including a 34-yard rush).
The Chiefs didn't run the ball much on Friday, but how Kansas City elects to deploy the duo of Pacheco and fellow tailback Kareem Hunt over the next several weeks will be a storyline to watch.
9. The Chiefs have now won eight consecutive home games.
Kansas City has won each of its last eight games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium dating back to Week 17 of last season (including the playoffs). Every other team, meanwhile, has lost at least one home game in that span.
The Chiefs are 20-5 at home since the beginning of the 2022 season (including the playoffs).
Additionally, the Chiefs have also now won 14 consecutive games that came down to one score, passing the 2003-04 New England Patriots for the longest streak of its kind in NFL history.
10. Kansas City moved to 34-6 vs. AFC West opponents since 2018.
The Chiefs have won 34 of their last 40 (and 19 of their last 21) matchups against AFC West opponents, marking the best divisional record for any team since 2018 (by four games).
Kansas City is 4-0 against divisional foes in 2024, and with a critical matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers looming this Sunday, the Chiefs will have an opportunity to lock up a ninth-straight division title on Sunday Night Football.
