The Kansas City Chiefs bested the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium for the fifth straight time. They are now 5-0 since the AFC West rival moved to Vegas in 2020.
After the Chiefs’ 27-20 win in Week 8, KC linebacker Drue Tranquill wasn’t shy about adding some insult to injury on social media. “Feeling right at home in Arrowhead West,” Tranquill posted on X.
He included four photos from his latest experience at Allegiant Stadium — commonly referred to as Arrowhead West by the members of Chiefs Kingdom. The post accumulated over 7,000 likes in just a couple of hours.
To really hammer home this insult, sports talk show producer Adam Ghostvetta relayed that “[Chiefs head coach] Andy Reid is now tied with [former Raiders head coach] Josh McDaniels as the winningest coach in Allegiant Stadium history.”
“To remind those who need reminding: Allegiant Stadium is not Andy Reid’s home stadium,” Ghostvetta clarified at the tail end of his post.
Drue Tranquill Leads Chiefs With 3 Tackles for Loss
Tranquill and the Chiefs are allowed to talk their trash if they please. After all, the latter has dominated the Raiders in recent years — outside of a Christmas Day loss at Arrowhead Stadium last season.
And Tranquill had a nice outing in his own right.
The veteran linebacker finished second in total tackles behind fellow LB Nick Bolton, with six. Four of those were solo tackles, and three of them were tackles for a loss (TFLs). Tranquill led all Chiefs in TFLs.
On top of that, Tranquill was credited with one sack and one QB hit.
The Kansas City defense harassed Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew most of the game, sacking him five times with eight total QB hits. They also dropped Las Vegas players for seven tackles for a loss.
Defensive linemen George Karlaftis and Tershawn Wharton each contributed one sack and one TFL apiece. While linebacker Leo Chenal and defensive tackle Mike Pennel each added a sack.
Five different Chiefs defenders also accounted for tackles for a loss in Week 8.
Chiefs Continue to ‘Lean on’ Defense During Win Over Raiders
Sports Illustrated writer Jordan Foote published four takeaways after the Chiefs’ victory over the Raiders. One of them gave the defense the credit that it deserves.
“With the offense not putting up gaudy numbers for most of the season and struggling in the red zone for weeks on end, [Steve] Spagnuolo’s defense is being leaned on a lot,” he wrote. “For the most part, that side of the ball has answered the call. Week 8 was yet another example of that, as Kansas City overcame Gardner Minshew shredding them in the first quarter and slammed the door shut in ensuing possessions.”
“Perhaps the NFL’s most dominant rushing defense met football’s worst rushing offense,” Foote continued. “The outcome was predictable.”
“Between Minshew, Alexander Mattison, Zamir White and others, the Raiders mustered just 33 yards on 24 carries,” he explained. “Against the pass, George Karlaftis got a sack to force a field goal in the third quarter and helped alongside Tershawn Wharton for another one that ended in a turnover on downs. Mike Pennel also forced a fumble. The Raiders may have gotten going early, but the Chiefs got the last laugh.”
In seven games this season, the KC defense has only allowed 20 points or higher three times. The most points they gave up in a single outing was 25 in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
