The Kansas City Chiefs used three fourth-quarter interceptions against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday to ignite the engine that drove them to their sixth consecutive win and move them to 7-5 on the season.
Josh Mauga got things started on the turnover front, serendipitously being in the right place at the absolute right time for a Chiefs defense that had their backs against the wall.
The Raiders had taken a 20-14 lead into the fourth quarter of Sunday's game and were driving into Chiefs territory to add to that lead when a second-and-10 play changed everything.
Coming into the game, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr had thrown an interception on only one of every 63 passing attempts he had on the season.
His 24-6 touchdown to interception ratio also ranked among the best in the NFL.
After completing 19 of his first 28 passes for 176 yards and 2 touchdowns, Carr threw an interception on 3 of his next 19 passing attempts to finish out the game thanks to a relentless Chiefs defense.The first interception went to Mauga, who was simply in the right place at the right time as Tamba Hali and Dee Ford were able to get pressure on Carr. Carr tried to buy some time by moving around the pocket.
"Our D-line did a great job getting some pressure," Mauga explained of that play. "I just saw [Derek Carr] popping out and was thinking maybe I can go and get a sack, too. Then I see the ball in the air and it just falls into my hands.
"From there, I don't know what happened. I was just trying to rush down to the goal line and ran out of gas about 20 yards out."
Mauga returned the interception 66 yards to the 2-yard line of the Raiders, narrowly missing a pick-six as he was chased down from behind.
"I told him he probably hadn't run that far since high school," Chiefs coach Andy Reid laughed after the game. "Those legs got heavy there about the last 5 yards, but he did well."
Mauga's only mindset was to hang on to the football.
"I was thinking ball security and just praying I could at least make it to the goal line, and maybe I could carry it in and just fall in the end zone," he explained. "It didn't work out that way, but it put our offense in a great position to score."
It took the Chiefs just two plays to get into the end zone as Jeremy Maclin would catch the first of his two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
That tied the game 20-20 with 11:19 remaining in the game.
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The defense had stood tall a few times earlier in the game as the Raiders were given the ball at midfield on two consecutive drives, but were forced to punt after consecutive three-and-outs.
"There's a lot of fight and a lot of heart on this defense with [Eric Berry] and [Derrick Johnson] out there rallying the troops, trying to get guys to just continue to play," Mauga said. "We were one guy down with Justin [Houston] back at home, but with these guys as our leaders here, they did a great job of keeping guys on their toes, keeping them playing and we made great plays."
The next interception would come on the Raiders next drive and after just six more passing attempts from Carr.
This one fell into the hands of rookie first-round pick Marcus Peters, who had a hard time explaining what that play and this game meant to him in his return to his hometown of Oakland, California.
After Peters' interception and 58-yard return to the 13-yard line of the Raiders, Smith found Maclin for his second touchdown in less than four minutes, which gave the Chiefs their first lead of the game at 26-20 with 8:03 remaining in the game.
2 interceptions led to 2 touchdowns, and just like that, the Chiefs were in control.
But the play that ultimately sealed the win for the Chiefs came from another player making a return to Oakland, and it happened on their next drive.
Veteran safety Tyvon Branch had spent the first seven years of his career with the Raiders but was cut over the offseason before signing with the Chiefs.
On third-and-9 with a little more than 3 minutes remaining in the game, Branch dove and caught a deflected pass from Carr across the middle of the field. Untouched, Branch jumped up and raced towards the end zone.
"It just happened to stick to my hands," Branch said of the play. "Marcus [Peters] was telling me to go down, but I was like, 'No, I have to live out my dreams.'"
Despite not making any kind of a deal out of it during the week, Branch's teammates knew what Sunday's game meant to him.
"It was crazy because he didn't say much about it all week," cornerback Sean Smith said, "but we knew deep down inside this was a game he definitely wanted to win. So we wanted to come out here and make sure we all balled out for him.
"To see him get that pick and seal the deal for us, that's big man." Reid was happy for Branch as well.
"It was great," he said. "You're happy for that kid (Branch). He's overcome a lot of injuries. He's been a Pro Bowl player here (in Oakland). He got banged up for a couple years in a row and didn't play a lot of football.
"He's eased his way back into now being a heck of a football player again now that he's healthy."
Postgame facts and stats from the Chiefs win over the Raiders in Week 13
SIX-GAME WINNING STREAK: After losing five consecutive games from Sept. 17, 2015 to Oct. 18, 2015, the Chiefs have won six consecutive contests from Oct. 25, 2015 through their game today. Kansas City becomes just the fourth team in NFL history to win at least six consecutive games following a five-game losing streak in the same season. They join the 1994 New York Giants, the 1974 New York Jets and the 1970 Cincinnati Bengals. Of the other three teams to accomplish the feat, only the 1970 Bengals won more than six, winning seven-consecutive games after a five-game losing streak. The Chiefs push their active win streak to six consecutive games. It marks the eighth time in franchise history that the club has had a streak of six or more consecutive wins. The most recent such streak came in the form of a nine-game winning streak to start the 2013 season. A six or more game win streak has only happened two other times since 2000 (2003 and 2013).
AFC WEST ROAD SWEEP: With today's win, the Chiefs swept their AFC West opponents on the road, going 3-0 against Denver, San Diego and Oakland. It marks the first AFC West road sweep since going 4-0 in 1995 when Seattle was also in the AFC West.
FULTON RETURNS TO STARTING OL: OL Zach Fulton started today's game at center, filling in for an injured Mitch Morse, to mark his first NFL start at center and his fourth start this season. Fulton started all 16 games at RG in his rookie season in 2014, and this season he started Weeks 4-6 at RG.
DEFENSE FORCES TURNOVER ON DOWNS: The Chiefs defense held strong on a 4th-and-2 to force a turnover on downs in the first quarter. The Chiefs defense has forced a turnover on downs nine times this season. Entering today's game, the Chiefs defense ranked sixth in the NFL, allows opponents to convert only 35.7% of fourth-down attempts.
JOHNSON SACKS CARR: LB Derrick Johnson sacked Raiders QB Derek Carr just before halftime, marking his fourth QB takedown in 2015. Johnson owns 26.5 sacks in his 11-year career. Johnson also forced a fumble by Raiders RB Latavius Murray and now has 21 career forced fumbles. Johnson added 14 tackles (13 solo) in today's contest, marking his 31st game with 10 or more tackles. This is the eighth game this season Johnson has led or tied a teammate for the team lead in tackles. He now has a Chiefs all-time record 1,067 tackles in his career.
WARE RUNS IN TD: FB/RB Spencer Ware ran in a 10-yard TD on the opening drive of the second half to level the score at 14-14. Ware ties WR Jeremy Maclin to lead the team with five touchdowns this season, having played in seven games since being elevated from the practice squad on Oct. 13.
PETERS RETURNS HOME: CB Marcus Peters returned to his hometown, Oakland, Calif., and recorded his fifth interception of the season returning it 58 yards. His five interceptions this season place him seventh in the Chiefs record book for most interceptions by a rookie. Peters forced a fumble by RB Latavius Murray in the first quarter as the ball was forced out of bounds. Peters had two passes defensed, which moves him into a two-way tie with teammate CB Marcus Cooper for eighth place in the Chiefs record book for most passes defensed in a single season. He added six solo tackles on the day.
MAUGA INTERCEPTS CARR: LB Josh Mauga intercepted a QB Derek Carr pass and returned it 65 yards, reaching the two-yard line. The play set up a game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter. This was his second INT this season, third career. He added three solo tackles and a pass defensed in the contest.
MACLIN SCORES TWO TDS: WR Jeremy Maclin scored on a one-yard pass from QB Alex Smith. On the club's next offensive possession, Maclin caught a 13-yard TD pass from Smith, giving Maclin his eighth career multi-touchdown game, first this season. Maclin finished the game with nine catches for 95 yards and two scores.
SMITH ON THE RUN AND THROUGH THE AIR: QB Alex Smith capped a 9-play, 56-yard drive with a three-yard rushing TD, marking the fourth rushing TD of his Chiefs career, second this season and eighth of his NFL career. His previous rushing TD came on a 12-yard run vs. Detroit (London). Smith finished the game completing 16 of his 22 passes for 162 yards and two TDs, good for a 123.7 passer rating. It marks his fifth 100.0+ passer rating game of the season and the 25th time in his career he has logged a 100.0 or better rating as a starter in the regular season with 20 or more pass attempts. He 5-0 this season and 24-1 overall in those contests. This marks the third season in his career he has recorded five games with a 100.0+ passer rating (2012 and 2014), tying a career-high. This marks the second time this season and third time of his career that he has recorded a rushing TD while completing two TD passes in the same contest. He is 3-0 in those contests.
SMITH'S STREAK MARKS FRANCHISE BEST: Smith extended his streak to 305 consecutive passes without throwing an interception, the longest such streak by a QB in franchise history and third-longest streak in NFL history. He is just the third player in NFL history to record 300 or more consecutive pass attempts without an interception. Smith has thrown 11 TDs in that stretch. His streak is the longest active streak in the NFL this season.
GAMES WITHOUT AN INTERCEPTION: The Chiefs have not thrown an interception in nine straight games, which sets a record for the longest stretch of games without throwing an interception in franchise history. Of the four longest streaks of consecutive games without an interception in franchise history, QB Alex Smith has been a contributor in two.
BRANCH RECORDS INT: S Tyvon Branch intercepted a tipped pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown score to mark the first interception return touchdown in his career. Branch owns five interceptions in his career. This is his first interception since Oct. 14, 2012 vs. Atlanta when he played for the Oakland Raiders.
ZOMBO TAKES DOWN CARR TWICE IN A ROW: LB Frank Zombo sacked QB Derek Carr twice on consecutive plays in the fourth quarter for a loss of 14 yards. Zombo owns 9.0 sacks in his career. He added two solo tackles in the contest.
KELCE SCORES TWO-POINT CONVERSION: TE Travis Kelce has caught two two-point conversions in 2015, giving him two for his career and putting him in a tie for second in franchise history. He joins RB Bo Dickinson as the only Chiefs players to record multiple two-point conversions in the same season. Dickinson accomplished the feat in 1961.
DAVIS HOLDS FRANCHISE BEST KICKOFF RETURN AVG: Chiefs RB Knile Davis recorded one kickoff return for 33 yards in today's contest. Davis owns 18 kickoff returns for 486 yards (27.0 avg.) this season and has totaled 57 kickoff returns for 1,636 yards (28.7 avg.) and two touchdowns for his career. His 28.7 average ranks as the top mark in franchise history for players with a minimum of 50 kickoff returns.
FOURTH-QUARTER POINTS: The Chiefs scored 20 points in the fourth quarter of today's game, marking just the seventh time in Chiefs history the club has scored 20 or more points in the final quarter of regulation. With 20 points in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs are averaging 32.3 points per game through the current six-game win streak.
The Chiefs, winners of six straight, have now found multiple ways to win games over the past two weeks when it hasn't exactly been pretty, but Reid said that's what this team is about.
"The character of that locker room—there was no flinch," Reid noted. "We knew we had kind of shot ourselves in the foot the first half, but if we just hung together, kept playing hard, good, tough, angry football, we were going to be okay and I thought the guys did that."
Led by three fourth-quarter interceptions, the Chiefs swept the AFC West division on the road for the first time since 1995 and control their playoff destiny at 7-5 with four games remaining, three of which come at Arrowhead Stadium starting next Sunday against the San Diego Chargers.
