Chiefs hope to continue to feel at home when facing the Raiders in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Chiefs made themselves at home when they were in Las Vegas in February for the Super Bowl.

They practiced at the Raiders' facility and used their locker room at Allegiant Stadium. Marquez Valdes-Scantling planted a Chiefs flag in the field after Kansas City won its second consecutive championship and third in five years.

It was a nightmare for all those who bleed silver and black, but worse for them is how at home the Chiefs have felt when they've played the Raiders in Las Vegas. Kansas City (6-0) hopes to improve on its 4-0 record against the Raiders (2-5) at Allegiant when the teams meet Sunday.

Oddsmakers don't anticipate that being a problem. BetMGM Sportsbook made the Chiefs 9 1/2-point favorites, though the Raiders were the last team to beat Kansas City, winning there 20-14 last Christmas Day.

“They came in and got after us," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “That’s their personality and so we didn’t handle that the right way, but I thought we learned from it and got better for it, which was the important thing after something like that.”

All the Chiefs did after the loss was start a 12-game winning streak that included their Super Bowl title in Las Vegas and is ongoing.

But there was some poking the bear at Raiders training camp in August when a fan threw a Kermit the Frog doll in a Patrick Mahomes jersey onto the field. Rookie safety Trey Taylor was seen on video playing with the doll and laughing.

“It’ll get handled when it gets handled,” Mahomes said at the time.

But he didn't make much of an issue about it this week.

“I think just knowing that the competitive spirit that they have on that side is going to match the competitive spirit that we have,” Mahomes said.

The Raiders enter this game on a three-game skid, and that's what has their attention more than anything that happened last season or in training camp.

“We've got to turn that around,” Raiders cornerback Jakorian Bennett said. “That's our motivation.”

The last time the Chiefs played at Allegiant Stadium, they celebrated amid falling confetti, with Valdes-Scantling (who's now with New Orleans) forcefully planting the flag into the NFL logo.

That's been part of the story leading up to this game ever since.

Las Vegas star pass rusher Maxx Crosby even was asked about it in April.

“Nobody's planting a flag on our Raiders logo,” Crosby said at the time. “I promise you that.”

Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell reclaimed his starting job last week, only to break the thumb on his throwing hand in Sunday's 20-15 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

That injury put Gardner Minshew back behind center, but he did little to prove he could secure the position with three interceptions and a lost fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

“I’m ready to get back out there,” Minshew said. “Give me another chance. Wish I had another chance Sunday. I feel like that’s always how you feel. If you can get out there one more time, you’ll figure it out and make it right, and I’m excited to have that opportunity this week.”

The Raiders signed Desmond Ridder this week off the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad, and he could get an opportunity to play if Minshew gets off to a slow start.

Ridder became emotional when talking about telling his daughter he was heading to Las Vegas.

“I do everything for my family,” said Ridder, the Atlanta Falcons' third-round draft pick in 2022. “So this is just another opportunity to go out and prove to them and prove to myself — prove to everyone — that I can be out here and do this.”

The Chiefs traded a conditional fifth-round pick to the Titans this week to land DeAndre Hopkins, a former All-Pro wide receiver whom they hope can help them overcome a rash of injuries at the position. The big question is whether the trade, which was largely agreed upon Wednesday, gives the 32-year-old Hopkins enough time to pick up a handful of plays so that he could play on Sunday. He also has been dealing with a knee injury this season.

The Chiefs didn’t exactly know what they were getting when they signed Kareem Hunt to replace Isiah Pacheco, who was lost to a broken fibula. But the former Browns running back arrived in excellent shape, and Reid has had no problem giving him a steady dose of carries. Hunt ran 27 times against New Orleans and 22 last week against San Francisco.

The Chiefs are allowing 17.2 points per game, fifth-best in the NFL, despite facing some of the league’s best offenses. They have yet to allow anyone to score more than 25 points, and they have allowed fewer than 20 in each of the last four games. That includes their 28-18 win over the 49ers last Sunday.

AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in Kansas City, Missouri, contributed to this report.

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) dives forward after catching a pass in front of Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jakorian Bennett (0) during the first half of an NFL football game in Las Vegas, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, left, and Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) meet after an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Las Vegas, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/David Becker)

FILE - Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes runs with the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during overtime of the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

FILE - Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates with wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. after Hardman scored the game-winning touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in overtime during the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) celebrates after a touchdown by Mecole Hardman during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Chiefs hope to continue to feel at home when facing the Raiders in Las Vegas

Chiefs hope to continue to feel at home when facing the Raiders in Las Vegas

WASHINGTON (AP) — The owner and manager of the cargo ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse have agreed to pay more than $100 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department, officials said Thursday.

The settlement comes a month after the Justice Department sued Dali owner Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and manager Synergy Marine Group, both of Singapore, seeking to recover funds the government spent to clear the underwater debris and reopen the city’s port, which was closed to most maritime traffic for months after the deadly collapse.

The settlement does not include any damages for rebuilding the bridge, officials said in a news release announcing the agreement. The construction project could cost close to $2 billion. The state of Maryland filed its own claim seeking those damages, officials said.

“This resolution ensures that the costs of the federal government’s cleanup efforts in the Fort McHenry Channel are borne by Grace Ocean and Synergy and not the American taxpayer,” Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said in a statement.

The Justice Department alleged that the electrical and mechanical systems on the ship, the Dali, were improperly maintained, causing it to lose power and veer off course before striking a support column on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March. The ship was leaving Baltimore for Sri Lanka when its steering failed because of the power loss.

Six men on a road crew, who were filling potholes during an overnight shift, fell to their deaths. The collapse snarled commercial shipping traffic through the Port of Baltimore for months before the channel was fully opened in June.

Grace Ocean and Synergy filed a court petition just days after the collapse seeking to limit their legal liability in what could become the most expensive marine casualty case in history.

Court records show attorneys for both parties said in a joint filing Thursday that they had reached a settlement agreement and requested dismissal of the Justice Department’s claim, which sought $103 million in cleanup costs.

The claim is one of many filed in an expansive liability case that will ultimately determine how much the ship’s owner and manager will owe for their role in causing the disaster. The other claims are still unresolved. They’ve been filed on behalf of the victims’ families, companies whose business has suffered as a result of the collapse, municipal entities and more.

FBI agents boarded the Dali in April amid a criminal investigation into the circumstances leading up to the collapse.

When it was filed last month, the Justice Department civil claim provided the most detailed account yet of the cascading series of failures that left the Dali’s pilots and crew helpless in the face of looming disaster. The complaint pointed to “excessive vibrations” on the ship that attorneys called a “well-known cause of transformer and electrical failure.” Instead of dealing with the source of the excessive vibrations, crew members “jury-rigged” the ship, the complaint alleged.

It also noted cracked equipment in the engine room and pieces of cargo shaken loose. The ship’s electrical equipment was in such bad condition that an independent agency stopped further electrical testing because of safety concerns, according to the lawsuit.

FILE - The cargo ship Dali is stuck under part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Pasadena, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)