The Oakland Raiders traveled to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13 needing a win to keep pace in the AFC West. Unfortunately, they laid a dud for the second straight week though, losing 40-9, to fall to 6-6 on the year.
While they likely won’t win the division with the loss, the Raiders still have Wild Card hopes if they finish out the season strong.
With Hunter Renfrow out for an extended period of time, the Raiders turned to Josh Jacobs early to get some offensive momentum. Jacobs was able to do that, notching 28 yards on his first four carries. Unfortunately, Derek Carr did not find similar success, throwing an interception on just his second pass attempt.
The Raiders took on the Chiefs earlier this season and although they jumped out to an early lead, they were blown out by Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs as the game progressed. Mahomes seemed to pick up where he left off as the Chiefs converted on a touchdown pass in under four minutes of possession on their first drive.
Oakland’s bad luck continued as Trevor Davis fumbled the ensuing kickoff return, which was quickly recovered by the Chiefs. Despite the great field position, the Raiders defense did not allow the Chiefs to even gain a first down, forcing a turnover on downs.
The Raiders’ next offensive series was much more successful than their first. Jacobs again led the way, but DeAndre Washington picked up a big 28-yard reception from Carr. Unfortunately, they had to punt it away soon thereafter.
While the Raiders’ defense continued to put pressure on Mahomes, it left him unfazed as he hit on a number of impressive passes. Penalties also plagued Oakland, allowing the Chiefs multiple extra plays in the first half. Eventually, Mahomes ran in a 13-yard touchdown run to extend the Chiefs lead to 14-0.
The Raiders offense continued to rely on Jacobs, but once again it was Carr who could not get it done through the air. He telegraphed a pass and in wound up being a pick-six to make it 21-0.
On the Raiders’ next possession, Jacobs took no chances and secured the first down on his own with a huge 35-yard carry. They eventually got into field goal range, but Daniel Carlson missed the kick by a wide margin.
A defeated Raiders defense trotted back onto the field to start the second half. Despite numerous penalties on Oakland, they did manage to hold Kansas City to a field goal for the first time all day.
In a familiar feel, Jacobs found some limited success once again in half No. 2. The Raiders were quickly forced to a long third-and-14, where no options were available for a scrambling Carr, leading to yet another punt.
As the Chiefs marched down the field, they were poised to score once again. It appeared Trayvon Mullen came up big with an interception in the endzone, but after a review, it was ruled pass interference and overturned. LeSean McCoy capitalized and ran it in to bring the score to 31-0.
Oakland finally got on the scoreboard with a field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but that was essentially it for the offense on the day. The Chiefs and Raiders exchanged late touchdowns late, and the Chiefs tacked on two more points by blocking the extra point and returning it all the way to make the final score 40-9.
One key stat in the loss is that the Raiders were penalized 12 times, while the Chiefs had zero. That has become a theme for Oakland and will need to be cleaned up if they want to get back in the postseason picture.
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