Week 6: The Test - RAIDERS vs. Kansas City Chiefs 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the first half open thread and discussion for Week 6 of the Raiders' divisional matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. Leave a comment below the post about your thoughts on the game.

Q2

KC 13 OAK 10

Amari Cooper has been the highlight of this game so far. One thing so positive about him is that he works hard and continues to polish his skills as a receiver. We've been screaming on him to drag that last toe as the college rule are still implanted on his head that all you need is one foot in to be inbounds. But, he's been putting in work to drag that toe and he has destroyed the Chiefs' secondary so far. Jano was able to hit the field goal at the end of the quarter to cut the lead into 3. You gotta love rainy football weather, especially in the Oakland Coliseum given how slippery the field is. Despite the low scoring affair, the defense did a good job on stopping Alex Smith and the Chiefs offense on the first drive, but they allowed a pair of TDs during that half. Part of it was that the Chiefs had good field position to start. An early missed field goal by Jano and Del Rio's failed gamble on 4th down basically gift wrapped Alex Smith some solid field position to start. Despite the rainy weather, the Raiders have to find a way to execute better and specifically, the defense needs to communicate. Five weeks they've been a liability. I like the turnovers. The sacks are getting there, but they have to find a way to contain the big play and unlock Alex Smith's "Mr. Check Down" persona. The 2nd half open thread will open shortly.

Q1

KC 7 OAK 7

I'd say that first quarter was a deadlock between those teams. The Raiders started with some fireworks with a Jalen Richard 50 yard return. AC/DC did work. Carr found Cooper a lot of times for the majority of the first drive, then capped it off with a TD to Holmes. Defense held Alex Smith and the Chiefs' offense in check. Mack got his 2nd sack, he's gonna need more of that. The Marcus Peters INT was deflating to say the least. The Chiefs answered right back to tie it up. The offense is driving. Hopefully, the Raiders get another score.