The rivalry between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs is rarely about "just another game." It’s basically a blood feud wrapped in spandex and television contracts. If you were looking for the Raiders vs Chiefs 2024 score this season, you actually have two very different stories to digest. One was a steady, methodical suffocation in the desert. The other? A chaotic, "how did that just happen" disaster on Black Friday that left Raiders fans staring at their screens in literal disbelief.
Honestly, the 2024 season was a masterclass in how the Chiefs find ways to win games they probably should have lost. And for the Raiders, it was a reminder that in the NFL, three yards can feel like a mountain.
What Really Happened: The October 27 Showdown
On October 27, 2024, the Chiefs rolled into Allegiant Stadium. They were undefeated. The Raiders were... struggling.
The final Raiders vs Chiefs 2024 score for this Week 8 matchup was 27-20 in favor of Kansas City. But that seven-point gap doesn't tell the whole story. It doesn't mention the "Great Wall of Kansas City" at the goal line.
Early on, it felt like a classic trap game. Patrick Mahomes threw an interception to Tre'von Moehrig, giving the Raiders the ball at the Chiefs' 3-yard line. This was it. The moment to punch the champs in the mouth.
Instead?
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- Run 1: Alexander Mattison for 2 yards.
- Run 2: No gain.
- Run 3: Loss of 2 yards.
- 4th Down: Gardner Minshew gets sacked.
Four plays. Total failure. You can’t leave points on the table against Mahomes. You just can't. Mahomes eventually finished with 262 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the fastest quarterback ever to hit 30,000 career yards. Travis Kelce also decided to remind everyone he's still that guy, hauling in 10 catches for 90 yards and his first touchdown of the season.
The Raiders kept it close, sure. But "close" doesn't change the standings.
The Black Friday Fiasco: November 29
If the first game was a disappointment for Vegas, the second one was a psychological scar.
The Raiders vs Chiefs 2024 score on November 29 ended 19-17. This was the inaugural Black Friday game on Amazon Prime, and it was ugly. Not "defensive masterpiece" ugly. More like "I can't look away from this fender bender" ugly.
Aidan O'Connell was back under center for the Raiders. He actually played out of his mind. He threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie sensation Brock Bowers was a literal human highlight reel, catching 10 balls for 140 yards. For a good portion of the fourth quarter, the Raiders actually led 17-16.
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Then came the final 15 seconds.
The Raiders had the ball. They were in field goal range. Daniel Carlson is one of the best kickers in the league. All they had to do was clock it or run a safe play to set up the game-winner.
Instead, a botched snap happened. The ball hit the turf. The Chiefs recovered. Game over.
It was a gut-punch. Raiders fans have seen a lot of creative ways to lose over the last decade, but losing a game because of a center-QB exchange in the closing seconds of a divisional upset? That’s a new level of "Silver and Black" misery.
Key Stats and Standouts
When you look at the aggregate of these two games, a few things jump out. The Chiefs didn't dominate the stat sheet. In fact, in the second game, the Raiders outgained them 434 to 329.
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Top Performers Across Both Games:
- Patrick Mahomes (KC): Consistently efficient, though not explosive. He managed the games, used Travis Kelce as a safety blanket, and took what the defense gave him.
- Brock Bowers (LV): The kid is a problem. He combined for over 200 yards across the two matchups. If the Raiders ever get a consistent QB, Bowers is going to break every tight end record in the book.
- Kareem Hunt (KC): He provided the "tough yards" the Chiefs needed, especially in the red zone during the October win.
- Matthew Wright (KC): You don't usually talk about the backup kicker, but he accounted for 13 of the Chiefs' 19 points in the November win.
Why the Scoreboard Lied
Usually, the score tells you who the better team was. In the 2024 Raiders-Chiefs series, the score mostly told you who was more disciplined.
The Raiders had more total yards in the second game. They had more explosive plays. They had the better individual performances from O'Connell and Bowers. But they also had a fumbled snap at the most catastrophic time possible.
Kansas City, on the other hand, played "boring" football. They settled for field goals. They leaned on their defense. They waited for the Raiders to make a mistake, and the Raiders—ever reliable in this department—obliged.
Moving Forward: Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're a bettor or a hardcore fan looking at these scores for future trends, here is what you need to take away:
- The Under is King: Both games were lower scoring than the pre-game hype suggested. Divisional rivalries, especially this one, tend to turn into defensive struggles.
- Watch the Red Zone: The Raiders lost both games because of red zone inefficiency. Until they find a way to score six instead of three (or zero), they won't beat the Chiefs.
- Bowers is the Focus: If you're playing fantasy or looking at player props for the next meeting, everything in the Raiders' offense goes through Brock Bowers. He is the alpha.
- Don't Bet Against Mahomes in the 4th: Even when he's having an "off" game, his presence forces the other team into high-pressure mistakes.
The 2024 chapter of this rivalry showed that while the gap in talent might be closing, the gap in late-game execution is still a canyon. The Chiefs swept the season, but they did it by the skin of their teeth.
For more in-depth analysis on NFL divisional standings and player stats, check the official NFL Game Center or local beat writers like those at the Las Vegas Review-Journal.