Not again.
Despite trailing the Las Vegas Raiders late in the fourth quarter on Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs and QB Patrick Mahomes would not be outdone by their division rivals in Week 11. A stellar 75-yard comeback drive executed in 75 seconds by the MVP passer, capped off by a 22-yard touchdown strike to TE Travis Kelce, extended the Chiefs winning streak to five and kept them within one game of the AFC’s top seed at 9-1.
After the back-and-forth contest, Mahomes made sure to catch up with Raiders counterpart Derek Carr, who was equally as efficient on his 31 attempts (23 completions, 275 yards, 3 touchdowns, 119.7 rating) as Mahomes was on his 45 attempts (34 completions, 348 yards, 2 touchdowns, 102.8 rating).
The moment was captured by Getty Images photographer Christian Petersen shortly after the final snap.
Getty Images
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Video Shows Mahomes-Carr Interaction After Week 5 Loss
Following Kansas City’s 40-32 home loss to their division rivals in Week 5, it was reported that the All-Pro signal-caller immediately ran off the field without greeting Carr or his Raiders teammates.
Mahomes headed off the field almost immediately after game. No visiting with opponents today
Despite the ongoing pandemic and Mahomes drawing some backlash for hugging COVID-positive New England Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore the week prior, another negative narrative quickly began spreading around social media, despite being proven false.
A video posted by Twitter user Farzin Vousoughian after the game on October 11 showed that the Chiefs quarterback did, in fact, have a brief exchange after the unexpected Las Vegas victory.
@jakesnake8100 @Mark___Kelly @Jodiejo28 @MrJacobCooper @adamteicher Mahomes did meet with Carr at midfield.
If that wasn’t enough, Getty photographer Jamie Squire also caught Mahomes and Carr sharing a friendly fist bump during pregame warm-ups in Week 5.
Getty ImagesPatrick Mahomes fist bumps Derek Carr during pregame warm-ups on October 11, 2020.
Since taking over as the Chiefs’ full-time starter in 2018, Mahomes is now 5-1 versus the Raiders with 1,882 passing yards and 15 passing touchdowns — both career-highs against a single opponent.
Chiefs Skip Victory Lap, Instead Praise Raiders’ Effort
Even with a prime opportunity to troll the Raiders on Sunday night, the defending Super Bowl champions took the high road by not celebrating with a victory lap of their own after Las Vegas’ Week 5 postgame bus celebration was front and center this week.
Despite his role as captain clutch in Week 11, Mahomes praised his AFC West rivals after giving Kansas City a second run for its money in two months. When asked specifically whether or not there was any “extra juice” for the team to win this matchup, the 25-year-old acknowledged the heightened stakes.
“Yeah, I mean there was no doubt we wanted to win, and I think the guys came to play,” Mahomes told reporters. “That’s a great football team. That team beat a lot of good football teams, including ourselves. We needed everything we have to win that football game. We have a great football team coming up this next week, so we are excited for the challenge next week and moving on to that one.”
KC has great admiration for the @Raiders … and should. Eight quarters this year: Vegas 71, KC 67. It’s a great thing that one of the best rivalries in football history is being rekindled in a very big way, and for years to come.
The path to a first-round playoff bye doesn’t get any easier next week as the Chiefs will travel to Tampa Bay to take on Tom Brady and the Buccaneers (7-3), who will be playing on short rest following their Monday night battle versus the Los Angeles Rams (6-3).
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Did Patrick Mahomes Blow Off Handshake With Raiders’ Derek Carr?