Welcome in to the full postgame recap of the Raiders' divisional matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs where the Raiders had a chance to increase the gap between them and the Broncos for the AFC West. But, the Chiefs squander that chance as the Raiders lose 26-10, extending Andy Reid's near-perfect record of wins after the bye week.
We've learn a lot of things about the Raiders after this game. The offense is mortal, Jack Del Rio's gambles on 4th down can be costly, and the defense still has its same old problems. This was a gut check game and like how I titled this game, this was "the test." If the Raiders pass this and get a W against the Chiefs, they have every right to be considered contenders for the AFC West. And the Raiders, I'd say, they get a D on this exam and we have to pump the brakes on playoff contention, division title. They started strong, Coop had a good game, but it wasn't enough.
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Amari Cooper, 10 receptions, 129 yards. I think this was the only positive of the game. Coop did work against the secondary and one thing that's different is that he finally knows how to drag his toe to stay inbounds. Carr found Coop open a lot on the first drive. Aside from the Jalen Richard's 50 yard kickoff return, Coop was instrumental in helping the Raiders' offense drive down the field for a quick 7.
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Defense. Are we not surprised? Run defense is bad. Defensive backs are giving receivers a 10 yard cushion for easy gainers. This game alone summed up the entire defensive unit during the season. Okay, Khalil Mack had his 2nd sack of the season. But, everything else, not a single positive thing to take out of this display by the defense. This thing is starting to be routine and Ken Norton, Jr. continues to test some our patience with the scheme and playcalling.
Running game. 65 total rushing yards from the running game against a 29th ranked run defense. I think we all need to owe Latavius Murray an apology. We're asking too much from DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard to do something and the rookies both combined for just 57 yards. Lee Smith done for the year, the revolving door at the right tackle position is definitely hurting the Raiders' ability to run the ball. But the void of missing Tay Train's ability to run between the tackles and in goal line situations showed here.
Right tackle. We're going to need as many bodies on that position as much as possible. I looked at the injury report before this game. Vadal Alexander out. Menelik Watson out. Matt McCants out. Austin Howard was the only active right tackle and he didn't have that great of a game. The right tackle position is going to derail the O-line from being elite if this revolving door continues to happen.
Derek Carr, 1 INT, 1 Fumble lost. Carr still threw for over 200+ yards, but like I said, he's going to check under his bed for the Chiefs' defense before he goes to sleep. We can pinpoint to the weather, but I think trying to exorcise some demons against the Chiefs' defense got to him a little bit and there's no denying that they have his number. We can consider this to be one of Carr's worst games so far of the season.
MVP
Amari Cooper, 10 receptions, 129 receiving yards
Okay, I'm having trouble putting the text next to Coop's pic. Other than that, Coop's game was the only positive. He was a one man show against the Chiefs' secondary and he finally masters the toe drag this game.
Conclusion
Well, the good news is the Raiders are still tied with the Broncos for 1st place in the AFC West, but this game was a missed opportunity to widen the gap. But 4 straight losses to Andy Reid, Alex Smith, and the Chiefs. We can't consider to be division contenders until the Raiders find a way to crack the Chiefs' code. Their blowout loss two weeks ago against Pittsburgh showed that game was fools' gold and like I said, Andy Reid is a mastermind when it comes to gameplanning after the bye week. The next two games in Florida for the Raiders should allow them to regroup after this tough loss. Jacksonville is beatable even they've won their last two games since starting 0-3 this season. Tampa Bay has a promising QB-WR tandem in Jameis Winston and Mike Evans, but they are beatable. The focus right now should be forget about today's game, board the plane to Florida, and go 2-0 in those weeks. They'll be staying there, which saves a lot of travel hassle. It's important to get those games before the big time Sunday night showdown vs. the Broncos in November that could place implications in the AFC West race. I'll see you guys next week for the game against the Jaguars.
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