In Week 13, the Kansas City Chiefs made a significant change in their secondary, benching third-year cornerback Nazeeh Johnson in favor of fellow third-year player Joshua Williams. Head coach Andy Reid addressed the decision for the first time during his press conference on December 2, stating that both players still have potential and could contribute moving forward. Reid emphasized that the team has not given up on Johnson, noting that he is recovering from major knee surgery and that the Chiefs plan to continue using both players as needed.
Johnson, who had been filling in for the injured Jaylen Watson, gave up a key 43-yard reception to Las Vegas wide receiver Jakobi Meyers during the Black Friday game. This play, which came on a critical 3rd-and-3 situation deep in Kansas City’s territory, appeared to be the turning point that led to Johnson’s benching and Williams taking over at the start of the second quarter.
Despite the defensive struggles, the Chiefs managed to defeat the Raiders 19-17. Kansas City’s defense, which had been a strength this season, allowed 340 passing yards and two touchdowns to Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who was filling in for the injured Gardner Minshew. This marked the most passing yards the Chiefs had allowed all season, highlighting a vulnerability in their pass defense that could be a concern moving forward. Additionally, the defense gave up a season-high 116 rushing yards to the Raiders.
Offensively, Patrick Mahomes completed 26 of 46 passes for 306 yards, one touchdown, and was sacked five times. DeAndre Hopkins led the receiving corps with four catches for 90 yards, while Travis Kelce had seven receptions for 68 yards. Running back Isiah Pacheco led the ground game with 44 yards on seven carries. Despite the close victory, the Chiefs struggled to contain the Raiders, and it took a fumble recovery by Kansas City on the final drive to secure the win.
With the win, the Chiefs improved to 11-1 on the season and became the first NFL team to clinch a playoff berth. They have now swept the Raiders for the season, winning both matchups. Looking ahead, the Chiefs will host the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 14, followed by a road game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 15. They will return home in Week 16 to face the Houston Texans before finishing the regular season with road games against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17 and the Denver Broncos in Week 18.
