For the second time in two meetings, the Raiders offense had no answer for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Oakland (10-3) squandered a chance to take a two-game lead atop the AFC West, and instead fell out of first place, losing to the Chiefs 21-13 in frigid conditions at Arrowhead stadium Thursday night.
The loss knocks Oakland out of first place in the AFC West, with Kansas City (10-3) now owning the head-to-head tiebreaker this season. The Raiders win streak ends at six games, with their previous loss also coming at the hands of the Chiefs on October 16.
The Raiders had a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter down 21-13, driving down to the Kansas City 19, but were undone by an untimely false start by Austin Howard on 4th and 1. Terrance Mitchell knocked away Derek Carr’s pass intended for Seth Roberts on the next play.
In below freezing temperatures, MVP candidate Derek Carr was all over the place, going 17-for-41 for 117 yards, averaging a measly 2.6 yards per pass. Amari Cooper was the Raiders’ leading receiver with 29 yards on five catches.
Latavius Murray was the lone bright spot for Oakland rushing for 103 yards on 21 carries.
The Oakland offense squandered multiple opportunities throughout the game, turning three turnovers in the Kansas City red zone into just six points.
The game got off to a bad start for Oakland before the opening whistle even sounded, with stellar offensive guard Kelechi Osemele a late scratch due to illness. The Raiders replaced him with a platoon of rookie Vadal Alexander and Jon Feliciano.
The Raiders were lucky to finish the first quarter with a 3-0 lead, mustering just 18 total yards while averaging 1.2 yards per play in the game’s first 15 minutes. A muffed punt by Chiefs return man Tyreek Hill proved to be the early difference, leading to a 44-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski.
Hill made up for his early mistake on the first play of the second quarter, when Alex Smith connected with him for a 38-yard touchdown pass on a deep post, giving the Chiefs a 7-3 lead. It was only the third TD of 20+ yards Smith has thrown since 2014.
Known for being the most conservative quarterback in football, Smith put on a show in the first half, slinging the ball all over frozen Arrowhead Stadium for 202 yards. Smith had the Oakland defense reeling on the Chiefs second consecutive scoring drive, throwing for 78 yards before Charcandrick West punched it in from three yards out to extend KC’s lead 14-3.
Hill made the Raiders pay again soon after, returning a punt 78-yards for a TD for his second score of the game, giving the hosts a three-score lead midway through the second quarter. KC tight end Travis Kelce turned the knife after the TD, doing Oakland punter Marquette King’s patented horse-riding celebration right in front of him.
Oakland finally came to life at the end of the half, when an achilles injury to All-Pro Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson was followed up by the Raiders first decent drive of the game. Carr marched the Raiders 92 yards on 14 plays, capping the drive with a Latavius Murray 1-yard TD run to close the gap to 21-10 at the half.
Smith followed up his brilliant first half with two quick turnovers, first on an atrocious interception to T.J. Carrie and then losing the ball on a strip sack by Khalil Mack on the following drive. Mack extended his streak to eight consecutive games with a sack.
Both turnovers gave Oakland red zone opportunities, but they were only able to muster a total of three points, with a botched snap spoiling Janikowski’s third field goal attempt.
With the Raiders trailing 21-13 Amari Cooper seemed to blow a huge opportunity early in the fourth quarter, appearing to lose a deep pass down the field by Carr in the lights for what would’ve been a sure touchdown.
The Raiders play their second consecutive division road game next Sunday when they head to Qualcomm Stadium to face the San Diego Chargers (5-7). Oakland beat the Chargers 34-31 in their first meeting on October 9.