Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' divisional matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs where the Raiders had a lot of opportunities with the defense generating 2 turnovers, getting after the quarterback with 4 sacks, but the offense was a little too conservative and made too many mistakes against a streaky Chiefs team, losing 34-20 and possibly putting playoff hopes to rest for good.
Crushing loss, but it's no surprise that the Raiders couldn't handle a team that is on a hot winning streak. That was evident with the way they handled the game vs. Minnesota three weeks ago. I said last week that starting from this game against Kansas City, this was going to be a tough stretch for the Raiders to try and extend their playoff hopes and it was obviously a long shot. There's just absolutely nothing to say here other than that this is the game where the playoff hopes die.
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Defense. You take away Carr's 3 turnovers in which two of those set up some TDs, the defense bended at times, but they didn't break. The Raiders defense managed 4 sacks against a very mobile QB in Alex Smith and they did a good job exploiting Kansas City's thin O-line. Charles Woodson, the ageless wonder, generated two turnovers off forced fumbles when the Chiefs had an ongoing streak of not turning the football over since their game against Minnesota. Despite giving up two rushing TDs, the defense held its own. When the Chiefs scored off two turnovers, they managed to block a pair of extra points to keep the game within reach. Another note, Mack had another multiple sack game and that should put him at double digits in the sack category this season, great leap from his rookie season.
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Derek Carr's 3 turnovers. No doubt Derek Carr is a polarizing figure among the Raider Nation. Some say, he's the answer, while some are still skeptical. I consider myself a Derek Carr fan, but at the end of the day, I'm a fan of the team first and the player second and Carr wasn't that good this game, especially down the stretch. I like his competitiveness, I like his leadership, but there are times when he does too much. Particularly in this game, he was under pressure, he tried to make a play, and then it gets picked off by Josh Mauga who almost took it to the house. Carr looks like a seasoned veteran, but there are times when he should realize that the play is dead and best way is to just throw it away and live another down. The next two picks: one by the rookie Marcus Peters and the other by former Raider, Tyvon Branch were a result of miscommunication and putting the ball at the wrong place. Knowing Carr, he holds himself accountable for every game, but he still has much to learn in clutch situations even though he already lead three game-winning drives in his young career.
Bill Musgrave's playcalling. I had to laugh at what Dennis O'Donnell said in the 5th Quarter Post Game show that he said Bill Musgrave did a good job in the playcalling. Technically speaking, he did a good job for four possessions, but the rest of that was just bland playcalling: run up the middle, short pass, screen passes that weren't gaining anything because the Kansas City defense saw it coming, check downs on 3rd and long. He got bailed out on the turnovers and the quick 3 and outs the defense was generating to make his playcalling look respectable. The only time he did a good job was on the Raiders' first possession in both halves on offense. Everything else, he just shut it down and played too conservative.
Sebastian Janikowski, 1 missed PAT, 1 missed field goal. He'll benefit from the poor field conditions at the Coliseum and Marquette King's slight mishandling of the hold, but both of those kicks ricocheted off the tip of the upright and both the missed extra point and missed 49 yard field goal came back to haunt the Raiders. Those are things that Sebass can make in his sleep, but they were just terrible misses.
Conclusion
The good news, the Raiders are not mathematically out, the bad news, they play the Broncos in Denver next week and Brock Osweiler is doing one heck of a job filling in for Peyton Manning. Oh, and they still have a pretty incredible defense. The outlook is looking bleak for the Raiders and their playoff hopes. I look at this as a "play for pride" game. Let me remind you guys again, there is no other divisional rival I hate more than the Broncos. They haven't won against the Broncos since opening night in 2011 and that was the last time they won a game at Mile High. They need to snap the losing streak. It's been so long that they've won a game against them and they are due, but it's going to be a tall task with that defense and since Osweiler allows Gary Kubiak's offense to run properly. A win against them at Denver can salvage this season and may help establish the Raiders' AFC West dominance next season and beyond whether they stay in Oakland or move to L.A. I'll see you guys next week for the Broncos game.
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