<\/p>\n
Inevitable as the Chiefs\u2019 27-20 victory over the Raiders on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium might have seemed by the end, it also hinged on a crucial inflection point \u2014 and on freshly compelling testimony to what should be abundantly evident by now:<\/p>\n
As much as this rightfully will always be considered the Patrick Mahomes Era, the Chiefs\u2019 defense is the most steadfast asset for a team whose very identity now is complementary football.<\/p>\n
Sometimes that means one aspect enhancing another; other times, it might mean one counterbalancing, or even atoning for, another.<\/p>\n
Like the defense did Sunday\u00a0to enable the Chiefs to win their franchise-record-tying 13th game in a row and lift them to 7-0 for just the third time in team history.<\/p>\n
Look, maybe the Chiefs would still have won this game if not for\u00a0the majestic goal-line stand\u00a0when everything seemed to be disintegrating. And, sure, there were dozens of other moments that helped create the outcome.<\/p>\n
Just the same, it all was in jeopardy at the pivotal juncture before the KC defense reset the game \u2014 the latest reminder of how this team rolls.<\/p>\n
![\"Kansas](\"https:\/\/www.kansascity.com\/latest-news\/1qz2kh\/picture294635729\/alternates\/LANDSCAPE_768\/USATSI_24603109%20(1).jpg\")
<\/p>\n
After taking a 17-10 halftime lead, the Chiefs careened into an atrocious stretch to start the third quarter. And the Raiders cut their lead to 17-13 as the Chiefs were self-destructing.<\/p>\n
They were nabbed for five penalties in 14 plays and three in a row before a Mahomes pass from the Kansas City 2-yard line was deflected into an interception by Tre\u2019von Moehrig and returned to the Chiefs\u2019 3.<\/p>\n
Instead of crumpling then, what happened next was the stuff of legend.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnbelievable,\u201d coach Andy Reid said.<\/p>\n
On first down, George Karlaftis and Drue Tranquill took down Alexander Mattison at the 1. On second down, it was Karlaftis and Nick Bolton credited with the tackle for no gain. On third and goal from the 1, Tranquill and Bolton smothered Mattison for minus 2.<\/p>\n
Then came\u00a0the defining play of the series\u00a0and, arguably, the game:<\/p>\n
With quarterback Gardner Minshew back to pass, Karlaftis plowed Raiders right tackle Thayer Munford Jr. back toward Minshew. And when Minshew tried to step up and away, the oncoming Tershawn Wharton was there to smack him down for a 5-yard loss.<\/p>\n
\u201cGeorge made a great play \u2026, and I kind of walked into it,\u201d said Wharton, enjoying the best year of his career in his fifth season and adding, \u201cYou go for it on fourth down, we\u2019re going to make you pay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Especially, he said, because the defense had been upset over how it played in the first half and was \u201con fire\u201d for the second half.<\/p>\n
That assertion also seemed reflected in limiting Las Vegas to a field goal on the previous series \u2014 after the Raiders had taken over at the Kansas City 28 because of a big punt return aided by a penalty on the Chiefs.<\/p>\n
As we kept talking, Wharton then added a point so subtly I didn\u2019t really realize what he said until I listened back to the interview.<\/p>\n
After what he quite correctly called a momentum shift, he said, \u201cour offense went out and continued to feed off of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Think about that a second.<\/p>\n
![\"Owners](\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/10\/2024_1011-kansas-city-chiefs-1200x857.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Quite a switch from what this once was: an offensive juggernaut and a defense that was just good enough to be a net positive.<\/p>\n
But in a number of ways, Wharton\u2019s thesis has become a prevailing dynamic over these last two seasons with the Steve Spagnuolo-guided defenses that have been among the best in the NFL.<\/p>\n
Last season, the Chiefs\u2019 defense finished second in the NFL in both points and yards allowed.<\/p>\n
And while the statistical status isn\u2019t quite as gaudy this time around \u2014 the Chiefs entered the day fifth in points allowed and 10th in yards surrendered \u2014 this team\u2019s defense has become a compelling and decisive force in virtually every game.<\/p>\n
Take it from Mahomes, who knew the tipped pickoff put the Chiefs \u201cin a terrible position.\u201d<\/p>\n
It would have been easy for them to sag in that sudden-change situation, he said, because of an offensive gaffe.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they stood their ground,\u201d Mahomes said. \u201cThey went out there and said that they\u2019re going to make them earn it. They\u2019re going to make them earn every single yard.\u201d<\/p>\n
And then some, as it happened, courtesy of a defense that had five sacks and held the Raiders to 33 rushing yards<\/p>\n
The flip side of all this is that the Chiefs\u2019 offense had to do its part to make that count.<\/p>\n
And indeed it did with another demoralizing kick in the teeth to the Raiders: an 8-minute, 43-second drive that consisted of 19 plays, covered 87 yards and culminated in a Harrison Butker field goal that made it 20-13 with 8:44 left.<\/p>\n
Then came a forced fumble by Mike Pennel recovered by Tranquill to give the Chiefs that ball at the Raiders\u2019 38.<\/p>\n
When they promptly converted that into Mahomes\u2019 9-yard touchdown pass to Worthy for a 27-13 lead with 4:59 to go, the outcome was virtually sealed.<\/p>\n
And it all reiterated why the Chiefs are the only undefeated team in the NFL \u2014 and why they are in prime contention to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls.<\/p>\n
Because of Mahomes, yes, and Reid\u2019s ingenuity and the guile of general manager Brett Veach \u2014 whose trade for receiver DeAndre Hopkins immediately paid dividends on Sunday (the veteran pass-catcher had two catches for 29 yards and showed all sorts of signs of what he could do with Mahomes).<\/p>\n
But also because of a defense that is the essence of what these Chiefs are: a gritty, resilient find-a-way team that epitomized it with an ultimate statement in the trenches.<\/p>\n
Part of a symbiotic connectivity that makes this team greater than the sum of its considerable parts.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the biggest thing about the defense, about this entire team, is whenever your number is called, the guys want to step up and make the play \u2026\u201d Mahomes said. \u201cWe lost all the momentum, and they were in a bad situation, and that whole entire unit stepped up when their number was called to make a big-time stop. And that\u2019s what it takes (to have) great football teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes greatness from everybody. It can\u2019t be one guy. And that\u2019s what\u2019s made us so great for so long, throughout my career:\u00a0It\u2019s not all about me, it\u2019s not all about Travis (Kelce), it\u2019s about this entire team. And that\u2019s what makes it so special.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Inevitable as the Chiefs\u2019 27-20 victory over the Raiders on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium might have seemed by the end, it also hinged on a crucial inflection… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kansas-city-chiefs"],"yoast_head":"\n