Breaking: 3 Raiders stand out in a 20-14 victory over Kansas City

The Christmas wish of Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierces was granted with a 20-14 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Raiders are now 7-8 on the season and on a two-game winning streak following their biggest triumph. On Christmas Day, three Raiders stood out in Arrowhead Stadium: one offensive player and two defensive guys.

Josh Jacobs, the Raiders’ starting running back, has been ruled out for Week 16 against the Chiefs due to a quad injury and illness. Zamir White, the backup running back, stepped up and played the best game of his career. He finished the game with 145 yards on 22 carries, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. White has 59 carries for 268 yards and one touchdown in 15 games for the Silver and Black offense this season.

The Silver and Black defense had yet another outstanding effort. The entire defense performed admirably, but two guys stood out.

Beginning with edge rusher Malcolm Koonce, who concluded with the finest game of his career. Koonce finished with six tackles, five of which were solo, three sacks, and four for loss. In 15 games this season, he has 29 solo tackles, nine assists, and seven sacks for the Silver and Black defense.

Finally, against the Chiefs, Raiders cornerback Jack Jones shone in the secondary. Jones ended with five tackles, four solos, and a pick-six interception in the second quarter. In 10 games this season, he has 25 solo tackles, seven assists, and two interceptions for the Silver and Black defense. Jone continues to demonstrate his ability to contribute to the Raiders’ secondary.

The Raiders have a short week as they prepare for their Week 17 game against the Indianapolis Colts coming Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Raiders are now the 11th seed in the AFC and second in the AFC West, with wildcard aspirations still alive. The Silver and Black resume their season against the Indianapolis Colts on New Year’s Eve in Indianapolis. Don’t forget to tune in on Sunday, December 31 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST.

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NFL roundup: The Raiders use two defensive touchdowns to defeat the Chiefs 20-14.

For the second week in a row, Las Vegas got two defensive touchdowns, including a pick-6 of struggling Patrick Mahomes, and the surging Raiders beat the sloppy Kansas City Chiefs 20-14 on Monday to keep their slender NFL playoff hopes alive.

The Raiders (7-8) snapped a six-game losing streak to the Chiefs after big defensive tackle Bilal Nichols returned a fumble eight yards for a touchdown and Jack Jones took an interception 33 yards for another score seven seconds later. This season, the Raiders have five defensive touchdowns, the most since 2005.

Kansas City (9-6) squandered an opportunity to clinch the AFC West for the eighth consecutive year with one of their worst performances of the Mahomes era.

The Chiefs still had a chance after Mahomes hit Justin Watson for a touchdown with 2:42 to go. But on the ensuing possession, the Raiders’ Zamir White got loose for a 43-yard gain, picking up a first down that allowed them to run out the clock.

Mahomes finished 27-of-44 for 235 yards and an interception.

Aidan O’Connell was 9-of-21 for 62 yards, never completing a pass after the first quarter, while White had 145 yards on the ground. Malcolm Koonce had three sacks for the Raiders.

In a victory over San Francisco, Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes in 18 seconds and Baltimore intercepted Brock Purdy four times.

With excellent performances on both sides of the ball, Jackson and the Ravens (12-3) transformed a highly anticipated game between the top two teams in the NFL into a landslide win.

Kyle Hamilton and the 49ers’ defense set the tone early by intercepting Purdy on three of the team’s first four drives, giving them an 11-4 lead.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Jackson threw for 252 yards and ran for 45 more, vaulting over Purdy to become the MVP favorite.

Purdy is the first 49ers quarterback to throw four interceptions in a game since Colin Kaepernick in 2015. He finished 18-for-32 for 255 yards before getting replaced by Sam Darnold.

San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey running for 102 yards and a TD and adding 28 yards receiving. He set a franchise record with his eighth straight game with at least 100 yards from scrimmage.

Jalen Hurts scored on the “tush push” that gave him the NFL record for most rushing scores by a quarterback in a season, threw for a touchdown, and Philadelphia (11-4) snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over New York.

Adoree’ Jackson gave the Giants (5-10) a spark when he returned an interception 76 yards for a major and Saquon Barkley converted a two-point conversion that made it 20-18 late in the third quarter.

But the Eagles put it away in the fourth on D’Andre Swift’s five-yard touchdown run and a pair of field goals by Jake Elliott.

New York’s Tyrod Taylor connected with Darius Slayton for a 69-yard TD late in the fourth that made it 30-25. Taylor was picked off in the end zone on the final play of the game.

Hurts scored his 15th rushing TD of the season on a one-yard “tush push” early in the first quarter that gave him the most for a QB in a season in NFL history. Carolina’s Cam Newton held the record with 14 in 2011.

Hurts threw a 36-yard TD pass to DeVonta Smith for a 17-3 lead that gave him 35 total touchdowns this season, tying the team’s season record.