After removing the pretenders label from the Miami Dolphins Sunday, I signed off from my writing duties for the night, because you don’t make a Mexican family wait to unwrap the tamales on Noche Buena. Don’t worry, Bailey Zappe and Chad Ryland. I caught the highlights of the New England Patriots’ win against the Denver Broncos.

But before shutting the laptop, my editor Mitch Goldich sent me a message suggesting I think of a Christmas theme for my takeaways story on Monday’s three NFL games. I tried to be creative, but all I could think about was the tamales. For example, which one would I eat first? The red one with pork or the green one with chicken? Or the cheese one with jalapeño?

I actually ended up eating pozole first before consuming countless tamales. Anyway, I tried to continue my brainstorming session, but then my girlfriend’s nephew asked if I had seen the horror film Terrifier. I said no, so he made sure I watched the 2016 movie with a cult following. I never expected to watch a scary clown terrorize a handful of people on Christmas Eve, but I was made aware that Terrifier 3 will have a Christmas theme.

Oh, yeah, back to the theme for my takeaways. Unfortunately, nothing really came to mind besides giving every team a tamale rating. The idea sounded better in my head.

But Christmas is about tradition, such as watching scary movies and NFL games. (Sorry, NBA.) This is my way of saying I’ll build off what Mitch started last Christmas by making a naughty and nice list for my takeaways of Monday’s tripleheader. As for some creativity, I’ll give out appropriate imaginary gifts, too.

(This story will be updated after each game.)

Las Vegas Raiders 20, Kansas City Chiefs 14

Nice list

Raiders’ defense

Gift: Amazon Prime subscription to watch Home Alone and Home Alone 2.

The Raiders’ opportunistic defense had better execution than the Wet Bandits, stealing from Patrick Mahomes multiple times. In a seven-second span, the Silver and Black defense scored two touchdowns to take a 17–7 advantage in the second quarter. (This all occurred while I was heating up my tamales for breakfast.) Defensive tackle Bilal Nichols had an eight-yard scoop-and-score touchdown after a botched exchange from Isiah Pacheco to Mahomes. On the following play, Mahomes threw a pick-six to cornerback Jack Jones on a pass intended for tight end Justin Watson.

I enjoyed seeing Jones taunt Mahomes as he crossed the end zone. Tony Romo and Jim Nantz, the CBS TV announcers, kept saying, Don’t poke the bear. But these are Antonio Pierce’s Raiders. Playing scared isn’t the Las Vegas way. Maxx Crosby & Co. punched the Chiefs in the mouth and left Arrowhead Stadium with an upset victory. They also had a critical fourth-and-goal stop from their own 7-yard line. Hopefully the Raiders’ defense enjoys streaming Home Alone or their favorite Christmas movie after a memorable day. But hopefully it doesn’t buffer as much as Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video.

Interim coach Antonio Pierce

Gift: Promotion as the Raiders’ full-time head coach

Pierce might be getting a promotion soon from Raiders owner Mark Davis after leaving Arrowhead Stadium with a victory, one week after smacking the Chargers, 63–21. Pierce has the support from his players and has quickly established a winning identity. But if he ends up being the full-time coach, the Raiders need to find a way to retain defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, too; it wouldn’t be a surprise if Graham lands a few head coaching interviews after giving the Silver and Black their best defensive unit in decades. The Raiders still have ways to go offensively, but Pierce has proven he can run a productive rushing attack, even without Josh Jacobs. Backup running back Zamir White ripped off a 43-yard rush to help seal the victory, contributing to Las Vegas’s 157 rushing yards against one of the best defenses in the league.

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Naughty list

Chiefs’ offense

Gift: Meditation classes

Mahomes screamed at his offensive linemen and Travis Kelce threw his helmet in frustration. It was that type of day for the once mighty Chiefs’ offense. Kansas City was stuck on seven points most of the game and lost Pacheco because of a head injury. Outside of Kelce, Pacheco and rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice, Mahomes doesn’t have many reliable weapons. With the pass-catchers failing to create separation, Mahomes was forced to scramble and try to give Kansas City some type of balance. Earlier in the game, Andy Reid refused to give Kelce his helmet back after tossing it. Perhaps disciplining the star players is what this team needs to wake up. There’s too much shouting and finger pointing on the sideline. The Chiefs were held to 308 total yards, had two turnovers and punted four times.

Final thoughts

The Chiefs (9–6) no longer deserve the benefit of the doubt just because they have Mahomes, Kelce and Reid. They don’t have a switch to turn it on offensively in the postseason, because they don’t have enough reliable, disciplined playmakers. If the Chiefs are forced to play the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card, they could be one-and-done. And if they survive the first round, they might have to travel to Baltimore or Miami in the divisional round. Kansas City appears fatigued from their Super Bowl run last year, and it’s not just affecting the offense. Pierce’s Raiders (7–8) ran the football well and had a suffocating defense. This revamped Raider Way might make real noise next year if Pierce and Graham return in 2024.