The Las Vegas Raiders vs. the Kansas City Chiefs has been an uphill battle for the Raiders already. Not only were they trailing 14-0 with the second quarter winding down, but the Raiders’ most dominant defensive end, Maxx Crosby, also suffered a serious injury.

Late in the second quarter, Chiefs tight end Noah Gray aimed for Crosby’s legs and landed a block. Crosby flipped over, fell down, and had to go get checked by the trainers. While the game continued, the Chiefs landed another touchdown to bring the score up to 21-0 as Crosby watched from the sidelines. After the second quarter ended, the official X account for the Raiders shared two updates that many were afraid to see.

“LVvsKC Injury update: DT Adam Butler (back) is OUT & Maxx Crosby (knee/back) is doubtful”

Maxx Crosby only managed to land 3 tackles (1 solo) in the game before he was taken out. Now, it doesn’t look like he will be able to return to the field. And the Raiders’ defensive plans have gone for a toss.

Raiders head coach Pete Carroll seemed to have a strategy ahead of the matchup. Facing Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ playmaking abilities, Carroll had noted, “You plaster the receivers in scramble situations. You try to find the guys that he can go to and see if we can hold on and do a nice job of that. That’ll be a big challenge for us.”

But so far, that challenge has proved to be too much for the Raiders.

The Raiders’ defense crashing against Patrick Mahomes & Co.

With two of their defensive stars out, the Raiders are struggling to stop Kansas City. The Chiefs, on the other hand, seem to be fired up like never before. Star tight end Travis Kelce looks poised, waiting right where Patrick Mahomes needs him to carve out yard gains. But the biggest momentum shift for the Chiefs has come in the form of star receiver Rashee Rice.

Rice is back in action after clearing his 6-game suspension. With the third quarter winding down now, Rice has already logged 7 receptions for 42 yards and two touchdowns. Fellow wideout Hollywood Brown added another passing touchdown from Mahomes, and running back Isiah Pacheco hauled in another score. As the third quarter ends, the Chiefs are leading 31-0. What’s more, the Chiefs have made a major decision regarding their star quarterback.

With the game looking like a shutout win, the Chiefs will hand the reins to their backup quarterback Gardner Minshew. Mahomes has already gone 26-35 for 285 passing yards and three touchdowns, while taking just one sack. For Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, that seems to have given the Chiefs enough momentum for the last quarter. The Raiders are visibly struggling. Will the game end with a shutout loss with the Chiefs adding up even more points? Or will the Raiders be able to get some points in the bank? For now, we can just wait for the rest of the game to unfold…