Raiders Lose the Shootout vs. Chiefs

 Final Score: KC 35 LV 31 [L] (6-4)

Well, I had a post previously. But, apparently that got deleted when I published. I'm just going to give out a condensed summary of this game.

This game was as advertised as a back-and-forth shootout. Derek Carr and the Raiders' offense did what they can and scored as many points. But, key drops were a big factor down the stretch. The defense did what they could with key players missing due to the COVID-19 protocol. In the end, the Raiders lose off a go-ahead TD from Mahomes to Kelce. Kansas City was methodical in their run game and Patrick Mahomes did what we're accustomed to seeing him doing and that's extending plays with his mobility.

I'm not going to drop stats because I exhausted my effort from my previous post that got deleted. But, the Raiders still remain in the last Wild Card spot and they're now at the softest part of their schedule. The only challenging opponents left are the Colts and the Dolphins. But, first they have a chance to get right next week against the Falcons. Matt Ryan and company had a brutal day against the Saints' defense today. Maybe, the Raider defense can pull a page out of their book for their preparation for this matchup. I'll see you guys later. 

Raiders Pull Off A Major "Stunner" vs. Chiefs; Snap Losing Streak @ Arrowhead

Final Score: LV 40 KC 32 [W] (3-2)

They did it. They absolutely did it! Compelling performance from the Raiders today just a couple of minutes ago. Going on the road at Kansas City to face the Chiefs at a raucous Arrowhead hasn't been kind to them the last couple of years. But today, that nightmare ended as the Raiders beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium 40-32. Derek Carr outduels Patrick Mahomes and gets his first win against Kansas City on the road.

I mentioned this in the last recap, this was a "legacy" game for Derek Carr. One of the blackmarks that he had in his career is that he is 0-6 previously at Arrowhead Stadium against the Chiefs. A lot of those losses came late in the season in cold weather games. This season was his best chance to get a win with the weather being over 80 degrees over there. On the plus side, he got his deep threat Henry Ruggs back and right tackle Trent Brown back. He balled out. I gotta give credit where it's due. He still got ways to go before I can hop back on the Carr train. I want him to regain that 2016 form more than anybody else, which is why I have been harsh on him these past seasons. 

But, this is a stepping stone today. 347 passing yards 3 TDs, 1 INT, and two huge QB sneaks on 4th down. This game is an example of what we always wanted out of Carr. We want him to be aggressive, take shots down field, and give your receivers a chance to make a play. Yes, he threw one pick. But how he responded made that turnover forgettable. He was constantly looking to air it out today. A deep ball to Ruggs for 46 yards on the opening drive. Deep ball to Nelson Agholor for a 59 yard TD. Deep ball to Ruggs again for a 72 yard TD to allow the Raiders to retake a 24-21 lead. And another one to Hunter Renfrow for 42 yards on a critical 3rd and 18 in the 4th. 

How about Henry Ruggs impact today? He only had two receptions, but the numbers I mentioned, he totaled up to 118 receiving yards today and a TD. The Chiefs defense had to be sick to their stomach after letting him loose that first half. They always face someone similar to Ruggs every day in practice. Does Tyreek Hill ring a bell? The Raiders sure gave them a taste of their own medicine for that. Ruggs' presence absolutely opened a lot of opportunities for the offense.

The first half, it was great to see the Raiders scratch and claw back into this game against Patrick Mahomes and a potent Chiefs offense. The 2nd half was even better because they were an absolute no show until late in the 4th. Kudos to the defense and the running game for showing up in that 2nd half. At some point in that half, the Raiders dominated time of possession: 16 minutes to KC's 4 minutes. The offense did a fantastic job keeping Mahomes off the field and kept pushing on the gas with Josh Jacobs securing two more TDs in the ground game. The defense tightened up that 2nd half. The pressure was getting to Mahomes. He was still elusive, but he can only do much. That entire unit hung around and they eventually got a big play with Jeff Heath's INT that helped set up the Raiders to go up by two scores. Holding the Chiefs offense to just 8 points in the 2nd half is a big win and perhaps Paul Guenther lives to coordinate a defense another week. 

This is a monumental win against the defending champs and a great way for the Raiders to head into their Week 6 bye. It was essential to let those Chiefs know that they may be one step ahead in the AFC West, but this Raiders team is on the come up. Raider Nation, we're going to enjoy this win for these next two weeks. We got two weeks to savor this at the expense of Chiefs "King-Dumb." After that, regroup and focus against Tampa Brady and the Bucs on Sunday Night, Week 7. I'll see you guys later. 

Chiefs Rally to Beat 49ers in Super Bowl LIV

TrueRaiderLaker Score Prediction: SF 23 KC 38

Actual Final Score: SF 20 KC 31

The Kansas City Chiefs end their 50-year Super Bowl drought. Andy Reid finally gets his hands on the Lombardi trophy. And Patrick Mahomes continues his stellar young career. Hands down, this Super Bowl was a lot better than last year's snooze fest. If there's anything taken away from this game, it came down to which team can finish the game.

Picking the winner of this matchup wasn't easy. It can go either way. You had a high flying offense  and solid defense vs. the ground and pound running game and good defense. When it came to my prediction, the Chiefs from what we saw this postseason showed that no matter the deficit, they can come from behind due to the fact that they have #15 Patrick Mahomes and the superior weapons. The 49ers are clearly the more balanced team, but there's a lot to ask to have Jimmy Garoppolo put the team on his back if the running game didn't work.

The Chiefs improved run defense proved to be a plus here and it was one of the biggest keys for them to win the Super Bowl. As I mentioned, you contain San Francisco's running game, that puts pressure on Garoppolo to win the game. And you saw it tonight. Raheem Mostert had 220 yards and 4 TDs in the NFC Championship. Tonight, he had 58 yards and 1 TD on 12 carries. They only allowed one big run from Deebo Samuel and that was it. You gotta give credit to Steve Spagnuolo's unit. Spagnuolo's defensive play calling got off to a rough start. But when it mattered the most, his defense stepped up as was the case 12 years ago when he called plays for the Giants defense to beat the Patriots in SB XLII. He dialed up blitzes on Garoppolo. It didn't translate to too many sacks, but the pressure made Garoppolo uncomfortable.

We can't completely discredit the 49ers efforts. Their defense was able to get to Mahomes and they were able to generate two turnovers off of him. It's just that on that second turnover, the 49ers weren't able to go for the knockout blow and Mahomes did what he did best. He rallied the team. The entire offense went no huddle for the majority of the fourth quarter and he was able to toss two TDs to Kelce and Damien Williams to add to a rushing TD early in the 1st quarter. There was no question that Mahomes deserved Super Bowl MVP after dusting himself off of two turnovers. I think the key play that shifted the momentum for the Chiefs entirely was Mahomes' 44 yard bomb to Tyreek Hill. Clearly, the 49ers secondary can't keep up with the speed of the Chiefs' receivers and it showed tonight. Whether it was Tyreek Hill or Damien Williams out of the backfield, they were putting the linebackers and secondary on skates with some ankle-breaking plays.

Overall, this was a refreshing Super Bowl to watch. Both teams were neck and neck in the first half. Niners had some momentum going in the 3rd quarter. But, they couldn't finish the track meet against the Chiefs in the fourth quarter. As a Raider fan, this matchup presented the biggest conundrum. The Chiefs are an AFC West rival. The 49ers are an ex-geographical rival. I'm sure outside of the Bay Area, many Raider fans are upset at the Chiefs winning. I understand that. For us Raider fans here residing in the Bay, the 49ers losing is sweet. They're the ones that helped drive out the Raiders in the first place and hoped to convert the remaining Raider fans here. Regardless, Mahomes and the Chiefs are gonna be a problem for a long time and the Raiders must shift their attention into building a big time counterpunch to that team. As far as the Niners go, they'll still be okay. However, I still question the Jimmy G extension after a small sample size in the 2017 season. So far, it's not a good look with the ACL tear last season and how vulnerable he looked tonight when the running game can't flourish. However, big congrats to Andy Reid for finally winning that elusive Super Bowl title to add on to a stellar head coaching career. Looking forward to next year. I'll see you guys later.

*Congrats Kansas City Chiefs. Super Bowl LIV champions! (I'm gonna puke!)*

Super Bowl LIV Preview: San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs

*This post was already pre-written and was initially supposed to be posted on Sunday. But due to the sudden, tragic death of Kobe Bryant, daughter Gigi, and the 7 other victims who were on board the deadly helicopter crash, the posting of this was delayed. As I continue to mourn with fellow Laker fans and the rest of the sports world, we will try to rebound and move forward. This post shall be the first step in the healing process.*




*Some NSFW language*

Ahhhh, the New England Patriots are not featured in this matchup. No boring, predictable Super Bowl outcomes. This year should be interesting...but they feature the two teams that Raider Nation hates all too well: a bitter AFC West rival and an ex-geographical rival. Whoever wins this, it will leave a sour taste in our mouths. This is your Super Bowl LIV preview between the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers and the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs. Let's see how these two teams matchup.

San Francisco 49ers

Before the 2019 season started, nobody expected the 49ers to do anything special. Most expected this team to finish 3-13 and in last place in the NFC West. And they were a great unknown. Jimmy Garoppolo was coming off an ACL tear, which hindered his significant progress as a franchise quarterback and the "buying in" to Kyle Shanahan's system. There were so many moving parts with this team and nobody took them seriously as contender. Even when they had the top pick to land Nick Bosa, everybody expected the 49ers to make some strides as a rebuilding team, not as contender.

When the season started, all that rebuilding talk went out the window. As the season progressed, the 49ers acquired their team identity. They were a team that was built to run the football to set up play action on offense and had a defense that can get after the quarterback and capitalize in turnovers. Their heavy run game is headed by a three-headed monster in Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert, and Matt Brieda. Though by season's end it became a 1-2 punch with Coleman and Mostert. Outside of that, the 49ers do have some decent weapons for the passing game. George Kittle followed up from his breakout year last season and emerged as one of the best Tight Ends in the game. Deebo Samuel emerged as a big play receiver and John Lynch was able to give the receiving unit more help with the acquisition of Emmanuel Sanders. On defense, Robert Saleh did an outstanding job coordinating this unit as one of the best in the league, harkening back to their vaunted front seven in early part of the previous decade. They have a good blend of youth and experience on that unit. They have Nick Bosa, who's as advertised as a pass rusher coming out of the draft as well as Dee Ford, DeForest Buckner, and Arik Armstead to shore up that D-line. Kwon Alexander, Tre Greenlaw, and Fred Warner make up a solid linebacker corps. And of course, they have Richard Sherman patrolling the secondary.

Despite the 49ers starting out hot with a perfect 8-0 record, there was still some skepticism on whether or not this team was a contender. And yes, they had an easy schedule to start against teams that are .500 or worst. The 49ers were winning games, but are they for real? That was the question everyone's asking. Well, they proved that in the toughest part of their stretch, destroying Green Bay at home and piling up with gutsy road wins in New Orleans and Seattle to secure the NFC West and the number 1 seed in the NFC. From there, it was easy pickings against Minnesota in the divisional round and Green Bay again in the NFC Championship, two fringe teams in the NFC North.

Kansas City Chiefs

Unlike the 49ers, we expected the Chiefs to bounce back after a tough loss in last year's AFC Championship game against the Patriots. No one can deny that Patrick Mahomes is the quarterback of the next generation after an MVP season last year. As the Raiders face them twice every year, we pretty much know what this team is capable of. They got weapons: an elite Tight End in Travis Kelce and a whole lot of speed on the receiving corps consisting of Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman, and Demarcus Robinson. This allows Mahomes to sling the ball at will and he's also backed by a decent running game headed by Damien Williams (if only Kareem Hunt didn't f*ck himself).

The Chiefs, as expected jumped out of the gate with a 4-0 start to the season. Then, things started taking a nose dive just a little bit. If you look back at that Sunday Night game against Indianapolis, Mahomes tweaked something in his knee. He was clearly hobbled the next two games and then on the Thursday Night game against Denver, that knee injury gave way on a QB sneak. And you know, Kansas City's offense carries the heavy load since their defense is a very liable unit. Funny enough, since Mahomes went out, the defense stepped up their game for a bit. Speaking of defense, they made some major changes from last year. Out goes Bob Sutton, in comes Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator. They added Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu to shore up the unit. Yet, they still had some problems, particularly in the run defense. For the time Mahomes was out, the Chiefs were 1-1 with journeyman backup, Matt Moore filling in while he was out.

Since Mahomes returned in Week 10 that's when things started to right the ship for them. They were able to regain control of the AFC West en route to the number 2 seed. Don't get me started with the Week 13 matchup the Raiders had with them. That was a joke of a pivotal matchup for the AFC West title. The race for that number 2 seed, the stars aligned for the Chiefs. It started with their big win in Foxborough where they exacted revenge against the Pats. Then, they got major help from the Dolphins in Week 17 to secure that bye. We can argue they too faced some pretty fringe teams in the AFC South in the Texans and Titans. But Houston put them in a 24-0 deficit before Mahomes and co went bonkers in the 2nd quarter in the divisional round and in the championship game, they faced a Titans team that knocked off the Patriots and Ravens. By the way, they lost to the same two teams in the regular season prior and they exacted some revenge when it mattered the most. While the offense was fine-tuned, their defense turned it up this postseason, particularly in stuffing the run, holding the opposition's rushing attack to under 100 yards, and Spagnuolo calling more blitzes on third down.

Matchups

This Super Bowl is going to present a pretty interesting matchup. For both teams, this might be their toughest test. The 49ers have had their share of going up against mobile quarterbacks this season. That could present a valuable advantage. If there's any vulnerability in the 49ers defense is that their secondary has some unknowns outside of Richard Sherman and are masked by a ferocious front seven. The Chiefs have a lot of "speed demons" in the receiving corps and they'll likely exploit that as long as Patrick Mahomes is mobile and is able to extend plays. The key for the 49ers is that they have to get to Mahomes quickly and contain his running lanes once he gets out of the pocket. The Chiefs' run defense has gotten better as of late. They held Derrick Henry to under 100 yards in the championship game, but they will face a tough test against the 49ers' RBBC (running back by committee) approach. Raheem Mostert has emerged as a stud and of course Tevin Coleman is more than capable as a weapon in the backfield. If the Chiefs' contain the rushing attack, it'll put a lot of pressure on Garoppolo to win the game for the 49ers. But, Jimmy G showed he's more than capable. He just has to play mistake free and know when Spagnuolo and the Chiefs defense will blitz on third and long situations.

Prediction

Regardless of this outcome, I'm going to hate seeing red as a Raiders fan after next Sunday. Between the two teams, the 49ers have a more balanced roster with a potent rushing attack and a stout defense. There's no arguing that. However, they're in for a daunting task of containing Patrick Mahomes and that well-oiled Chiefs offense. They have too many weapons on offense. You double cover Hill, that leaves Watkins, Hardman, and Robinson open. Plus Kelce is a nightmare to cover over the middle. Their defense is better as of late. If there's anyone who deserves to hoist a Lombardi, it's gotta be Andy Reid. He already has a HOF resume as a coach, but years of early playoff exits hindered some of that legacy. I think he finally gets this one and helps end KC's 50-year drought of a Super Bowl win.

SF 23 KC 38

*The delayed Season in Review post for the 2019 Raiders will be posted prior to the Super Bowl. Sorry for the wait!*

Chiefs Make It Look Easy

Final: OAK 9 KC 40

Here we go with another post before the game ends. This team is nowhere near close to being a playoff team. A blowout loss last week. A blowout this week. I am not surprised that this team continues to fold in big moments.

The only positive was the running game. This was exactly the game plan to keep Mahomes and the red hot offense off the field. Josh Jacobs had over 100+ rushing yards. And that's that. You can't really fault the defense on this one. This team had three turnovers. That's the last thing you wanted to do. And the Chiefs made them pay. Carr threw a pick to Tyrann Mathieu after a solid opening drive. Trevor Davis fumbled on the kickoff return. Carr threw a pick 6. All those turnovers allowed the Chiefs to jump to a 21-0 lead. And they never looked back as Mahomes and the offense absolutely gashed this team. As I said, you can't completely blame the defense on this when the offense outside of the running game couldn't anything going. The Raiders went the length of the game to throw one completed pass to a wideout. That's just sad.

Let's talk about Derek Carr for a bit. He makes us Raider fans bipolar. When he plays great, he's great. When he plays poor, he's garbage. It's a controversial topic. Of course, it's a team game. He's not completely to blame. But, let's face facts here. The Raiders are paying him over $100 million just to play game manager and play scared in the pocket. Both Reggie McKenzie previously and Mike Mayock thus far have invested so many resources to build a talented offensive unit around him. And he can't deliver. You can pin some blame on the turnover for offensive coordinators that Carr had the over the years. You can blame the Antonio Brown fiasco. You can blame the turnover from the 2016 and 2017 rosters. But you know what separates the Aaron Rodgers' of the world? The Russell Wilsons of the world? Heck, even the Tom Brady's of the world? They find ways to make the team better with the weapons they have, with the O-line they have. You don't hear many fans clamoring that they need to give them more talent on that unit or give them more time to learn a new system.

For six years, we've made those kinds of excuses for Carr. He needs a better O-line. Reggie McKenzie gave him that with Gabe Jackson and Rodney Hudson and later, Mike Mayock gave him that with Trent Brown. He needs weapons. They give him Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree and later Jared Cook and Darren Waller. He needs a running game. They gave him Marshawn Lynch who still had some left in the tank and drafted a stud in Josh Jacobs. All those years, they've invested on the offensive end to build around Carr. Hence why they couldn't build up the defense as well. Because all of the investments is going to Carr and the offense. I love DC the person. He had some good years in 2015 and 2016. But, it's time to take the blinders off for good. He may be the record holder of stats in franchise history. But, the overall W-L record as a starter, the record in cold weather games, and the record against the Chiefs speak for themselves. He stares down receivers. He's too timid to extend plays with his legs nowadays. There's no time to give him more time. He's either the guy or he's not. It's time to look this in the mirror.

**Next week, I will not be posting all week. The semester is ending and I gotta put all my writing efforts for a Master's paper in progress. Lakers' Weekly Roundup for this week will be posted soon. Then, I'm going dark from this blog all of next week.**

Chiefs Bombard Raiders in 2nd Quarter to Win

Final: KC 28 OAK 10 (1-1)

A little short and sweet, this was an expected result against a human cheat code in Patrick Mahomes and a high-powered Chiefs offense. For the most part, the Raiders tested Kansas City in that first quarter. The defense held that high octane offense without a score in the first quarter, which is a silver lining. The run defense was on point. Secondary jammed the line of scrimmage and didn't give KC receivers any breathing room to turn loose for the most part. Defense had a nice game plan to start.

And then, the 2nd quarter hits and Mahomes just started throwing bombs. The Chiefs quickly adjusted to what Guenther's unit was doing and you have to credit them where credit is due. Mahomes relentlessly heaved a lot of bombs. Two to DeMarcus Robinson. One to Mecole Hardman. The receivers for KC stepped up to open up the playbook in Tyreek Hill's absence. How they managed without getting the run game going is beyond me. But, that is a testament of how unfair this offensive unit is. The next three quarters after Q1, the Raiders were overmatched big time.

On side notes, Derek Carr surpasses the legendary Ken "the Snake" Stabler as the all-time leading passing yards leader for the Raiders. However, that was a little marred by his 2 INTs. The first INT though, Bashaud Breeland outmatched Tyrell Williams off the LOS to get that INT in the end zone to stall a would-be positive drive by the Raiders sparked by Josh Jacobs' 51 yard run. The 2nd INT, there was no receiver in the vicinity. That was the only puzzling throw by Carr this game. The point is, the offense left a lot out there to be desired. Stalled drives, pre-snap penalties, turnovers, the usual suspects of the Raiders' inefficiencies on offense.

It's going to be a while before Oakland sees the Raiders again for the last time this season. They are going to be on the road for 5 straight games. The game against the Chicago Bears is a home game, but that's going international...again. A very daunting 5-game journey awaits the Silver and Black. I'll see you guys next week after the game against the Vikings.

The Silver and Black Shitshow: Chapter 6 - "Orale (Ma)Homes!/Kicking City Chicks"

*Readers' Discretion Advised*

Strap yourselves in people! This is going to be a long ass chapter!

Judgement Day was approaching for the Silver and Black Shitshow. The well-oiled machine known as the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cult of Mahomes were coming to town. As the Shitshow prepared for its inevitable beatdown, one former player opened up about the lackadaisical time during his tenure with the team.

That man would be Amari Cooper.

Since contributing to the Dallas Cowboys to a 3-1 stretch run, Mr. Cooper opened up in an interview since the Tank Commander traded him to Jerryworld. He felt that the trade "changed him as a person." It was well documented during that Thanksgiving game against the Redskins where he started showing more personality than he did in four combined seasons in Oakland. He did pull a string in this interview with a couple of key quotes:

"I wasn't really happy in Oakland."

"I just always felt like I wasn't really being used how I felt like I would have used me if I was the coach."

After reading the entire interview, I only had one question: WHY!? Why did you have to phrase it that way? Because of that interview, you just made yourself Public Enemy #1 to the entire Raider Nation as they turned your back on you immediately. In fact, Raider legend, Phil Villapiano called you a "sissy" and a "punk." Phil really wanted to rewind it back to 1976 along with George Atkinson and "The Assassin" Jack Tatum to pop you in the mouth across the middle. Don't get me wrong, as a fan who endorsed you to be a Raider since I saw your breakout year in Alabama, nobody outside of Bill Musgrave knew how to utilize you and I agreed with the 2nd quote. Your first two 1,000 yard seasons were nothing more than an afterthought as Drowning Downing and Vanilla Olson ruined you following Billy's departure. In fact, you're doing much better now that you have a QB who lets plays develop instead of a Checkdown Derek that gets rid of the ball too quick. You get to showcase your precise route running a little more in Dallas. But the number one rule if you want that "Once a Raider, Always a Raider" title, you don't make your unhappy time in Oakland publicly known! You could've taken the high road like Khalil Mack did. But to say that you weren't happy in your time in Oakland puts you in company with the likes of Warren Sapp, Randy Moss, and JaMarcus Russell, former Raiders who don't deserve the "Once a Raider, Always a Raider" title. You've brought shame to me Amari. Continue on with your great performance with the Cowboys though as you helped the team to an upset victory against the Saints.

Despite the tank job the Silver and Black Shitshow showed all season, they were by all accounts not eliminated from playoff contention. How that was a possibility was beyond comprehension. SB Nation drew up a five week scenario where the Raiders won every game from here on out and a couple of games fell their way over the past week.

- Jaguars beat Colts
- Falcons beat Ravens
- Jets beat Titans
- Dolphins beat Bills
- Broncos beat Bengals
- Texans beat Browns.

I couldn't believe that the best case scenario almost happened. But, the possibility was thrown out the window when the Ravens beat the Falcons and the Titans beat the Jets. But, the Raiders still had a glimmer of hope. They just have to win against the Kansas City-welp that's it they're fucking dead. Mahomes and that well-oiled Andy Reid offense is gonna burn them! However through divine intervention, the Shitshow got a little unsung help to spring a possible upset against their bitter AFC West rivals.

*The other place where Sports Athletes' Careers go to die...from outta nowhere.*

Whenever a sports figure shows up on TMZ, chances are that things are looking bleak going forward in his career. I mean come on! They were integral in getting Donald Sterling kicked out of NBA ownership. The latest athlete to receive the "kiss of death" from the most annoying site of tabloid media in the world, none other than Kansas City Chiefs star Running Back, Kareem Hunt.

Security footage leaked to TMZ last Friday of an incident at a hotel in Cleveland where Kareem Hunt and his entourage were caught in a shouting match with a drunk, underage woman. The woman shouted the "n word" at Hunt repeatedly that Hunt started pushing and shoving the her. Hunt's entourage intervened to calm Hunt down. But, the woman and her girl friend continued to provoke the Kansas City star. Then, all hell broke loose as the woman was pushed to the ground. Hunt got a little too extracurricular by kicking the woman while he was down to the ground. The video was then under investigation by the NFL that the NFL placed Hunt on the exempt list. In return, the Chiefs released Hunt not because of the incident, but they believed he was too dishonest when it came to telling the truth.

A moment of silence for Kareem Hunt Fantasy owners.

In all seriousness, the issue of domestic violence reared its ugly head yet again in the NFL. I understand that Kareem Hunt was getting provoked by these two women as they yelled out racial slurs to him. Who can blame him for standing up? It's a matter of how he did it by being a big, dumb "KHunt." Yes, when your first initial is "K" and your last name is "Hunt," that's what you'll be remembered by. There was no question that Kareem Hunt fucked up his NFL career royally after that incident. Kicking the lady while she was already knocked to the ground? C'mon man, no need to go that far! Unless you were planning on taking over for Harrison Butker as the new kicker for the Chiefs, go kick a football! Going back to the domestic violence issue, it shows the double standard and inconsistency by the NFL when it comes to this issue. The NFL has dragged their feet time and time again with their lackadaisical stance on this issue. They don't even have a set discipline for it either! Some players get a slap in the wrist with one or a few games suspended. Some are banned from professional football. Some get released by their team and no other teams picks them up, but they're still out there (ie: Ray Rice). And others are still playing in the league and the NFL are nonchalant about their cases. The Redskins signed Reuben Foster despite another domestic violence incident that he got cut from the 49ers, the NFL doesn't bat an eye yet. The Kareem Hunt video goes viral and they take immediate action. It's no wonder that this league is dying because the NFL can't make up their goddamn minds when it comes to handling this sensitive issue and not all domestic violence cases among NFL athletes are created equal through the eyes of the league. Nor can they come up with an established, consistent disciplinary system when it comes to this league-wide chronic issue.

Raider Nation thanks TMZ for the assist. But at a cost, the Cult of Mahomes grew bigger and badder. KHunt or no KHunt, the Chiefs were going to put a mud stomping on the Shitshow. Mahomes started with a strike to Kelce and Kelce is off to the races, *Kelce fumbles the football.* Well, well, this makes things a lot interesting. But, the Raiders couldn't capitalize as they stalled with a 3 and out.

*Mahomes hits Kelce for the TD* Yup, it's over. Nothing to see here. Now the Kansas City Chiefs are going to kick our a-*down 10-0 at the end of Q1.* Well, that wasn't so bad. The Raiders held the Kansas City juggernaut to just 10 points. The Raiders are competing, that's a good sign. They just put together a solid drive capping off with a Doug Martin one-yard TD. But, unfortunately they let the Chiefs drive down the field. The biggest gut wrencher was that 38-yard Mahomes pass to Demarcus Robinson. Honestly, how the hell do you allow this guy to go sideline to sideline and not tackle him inbounds? Despite a good showing by Gareon Conley, this doesn't change the fact that this secondary is still fucking trash. Then again every secondary is trash without a decent pass rush. 

*Mahomes hits Kelce with another TD* It's 19-7. Nothing to see here. Blocked PAT. Woohoo. But Kansas City is going to come out of the locker room to whoop some Silver and Black ass. I can see it now.

*Raiders down 26-10* Raider Nation, I can't say that I told you so, but I told you so. This team is just not that good to combat the Cult of Mahomes. Checkdown Derek is suffocating behind Tom Cable's most penetrable O-line. *Carr hits Cook for a TD to cut it to 26-16.* It's no longer AC/DC = TD, it's now JC/DC = TD. Unfortunately, Carr could not hit Jalen Richard in stride for the two-point conversion.

*Fumble by Richard, Chiefs extend lead 33-16.* It's impossible for the Shitshow to win in a shootout. Just drop your flags and tank. The Tank Commander commands it. *Derek Carr hits Lee Smith for a TD to cut lead to 33-23.* Okay, it's back to 10 points, but we all know the Cult of Mahomes and the Cheetah speed of Tyreek Hill and Mini "Gronk" Kelce will respond back.

*Raiders cut the lead 33-30* Holy shit, this is actually a game now! The Raiders can do it! They can pull the biggest upset of the year! Derek Carr has risen! He'll beat the Chiefs from behind like he did in 2014 and 2017. Jordy Nelson has rekindled his Green Bay form! Jared is cooking! Pocket Rocket Jalen Richard has returned to form! The defense just needs one stop for once in its Khalil Mack-less life. They continue to bend, but we just need one stop. Give the ball back to Derek and this inspired Raiders offense. Just hold them in the end zone boys! Hold them to a field-

*Mahomes hits Chris Conley to extend the lead KC 40-30 late in the 4th.* "GODDAMN IT! Y'ALL HAD ONE FUCKING JOB! CAN'T THIS DEFENSE DO ITS FUCKING JOB FOR ONCE?! THIS IS WHY TRADING KHALIL FUCKING MACK AND RELEASING BRUCE FUCKING IRVIN WERE TERRIBLE IDEAS! WE NEEDED THAT QB PRESSURE! FUCK!"

As a Raider fan, I could not be mad at this effort. They could've just let Kansas City "beat the Devil" out of them as they don't have a lot to play for. But there was one thing that they were playing for and that was pride. The Raiders-Chiefs rivalry had lost its luster as it has been lopsided in favor of the Chiefs since the 1990s. And as football fans, we hope that this rivalry returns to its former glory once again as we were cockteased from 2015-2017. There were signs of heart from the Raiders and a Derek Carr that's slowly re-surging back to 2016 form and good to know that some veterans on this roster still give a flying fuck about playing for the Silver and Black. 

Chiefs Kingdom though, my goodness, talk about a weekend for you guys. Your former stud running back did the dumbest shit in the world and now the whole nation sees it. Your defense is ass. You should be mad that you didn't win in convincing fashion against a Raiders team that is completely voided of young, promising talent and veterans on their last legs. This tells me one thing: the Chiefs will keep going depending how far Patrick Mahomes and this offense can take them. Hmmm...that sounds familiar. That reminds me of the 2016 Raiders. The defense was asinine, but Derek Carr and the offense kept putting points on the board until he got hurt. Better hope the same fate doesn't await the almighty Mahomes. Without Hunt, Mahomes is going to have to carry that big load. Oh and Andy Reid is still the head coach. We know how his teams turn out in the postseason. And to top it all off, you guys still won't sniff a Super Bowl as long as Darth Brady, Emperor Belichick, and the Death Star Patriots from Foxborough, MA are still around and exerting their AFC dominance. 

*Oh, the Raiders are expected to make an appearance on the next episode of Days of Our Steelers? I can't wait to do a Silver and Black Shitshow chapter on that... Wait, so you guys think it's best for me to leave this to (Urinating)'Tree? Well, what the hell is my Week 14 content gonna be about then?*

Raiders Flop in AFC West Battle vs. Chiefs

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 14 road matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs where 1st place in the AFC West was on the line, but the Raiders didn't show up for three quarters as they fell to the Chiefs 15-26.

Such an epic fail of epic proportions. But I've seen worse as a Raider fan throughout the losing seasons. This was a game the Raiders had to have not only to be on top of the AFC West, but to keep their playoff hopes alive. And they wet the bed big time today. The first possession of the game set the tone with an incomplete pass to Coop, a run to Lynch for a minimal gain, and a sack on Carr to force a quick 3 and out against a Chiefs defense that's missing some key players. The Chiefs offense under Alex Smith was anemic through the past 6 losses, but they clicked against the Raiders' weak secondary. The Raiders offense finally woke up in the 4th quarter to make the final stretch of the game entertaining after three quarters of mundane football. But 26 down with 7 minutes to go in the 4th, especially when those scores were because of the defense being on the field for too long is a tall task to come back from.

(+)

Slash Bros. Bruce Irvin with two sacks. Khalil Mack with one sack. Irvin looked like he had a third sack this game, but the stats sheet say NaVorro Bowman had that sack. I saw that play again where they had pressure on Smith and it looked like Bowman had the sack rather than Irvin. But aside from that, the Slash Bros came to play today as I said countless times in the comments sections. They were doing their jobs generating outside and inside pressure on Smith.

Jared Cook, 5 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD. It took all three quarters for the offense to finally go to Jared. Why? When the receivers were not connecting with Derek Carr, it's obvious they have to go to the Tight End who can catch! Why wait to find Cook when the game was pretty much out of reach? 

(-)

Entire offense. Like I keep saying, it took three quarters for the offense to finally show up. From Todd Downing's playcalling, to Derek Carr being off target with the receivers, to the receivers dropping balls, the offense was stagnant until the fourth quarter. Shorthanded Chiefs defense and the offense was nearly shut out. So many predictable screens that even a pop warner defense can see through the play. They keep running the ball in singleback formation, which is why Lynch got stuffed early on and why Washington got stuffed when he was giving Lynch a break. Why not run more I Formations when running the ball? It's always gotta be in Singleback formation whenever they call run. That's what's frustrating. Derek Carr was off target. I'm starting to be convinced that it was way too preemptive to give him that extension when he was just coming off a major injury. Receivers dropping balls, looks like the Raiders need to hire new receiver coaches in addition to giving Downing the boot for a proven OC. This offense has been frustrating to watch all season long. They are too talented to be held down like this.

Secondary. No surprises here that there's still problem in the secondary. The Chiefs exposed that big time throwing the ball to Tyreek Hill and Hill just carved up Carrie and McDonald all game long.

Marquette King. This was not good game punting-wise for Marquette King. A 40.9 average on 7 punts is not good. Most of his punts today didn't reach past Kansas City territory, which is why the Chiefs had good field position in some of their drives today. I'd say he only had one good punt today when he punt the ball out of bounds inside the 20 to prevent Tyreek Hill from fielding a decent return. One deep punt went for a touchback and the rest gave Kansas City good field position to start.

MVP

Bruce Irvin, 4 tackles, 2 sacks

Had to give it to one of the Slash Bros. But, Bruce deserves this one considering he's been playing better since Pagano took over. One of the few players who came to play today in this critical division battle.






Conclusion

While the Raiders are not mathematically eliminated, this loss pretty much shuts up any hope of running the table any further. This whole season has been one big disappointment. The most overhyped season after an overachieving 12-4 season playing against sub .500 teams. This was the season where the Raiders needed to prove that last season was no fluke. And with the lackluster season, they're proving that last year was a fluke. Today summed it up. Critical matchup of their lives against a reeling Chiefs team and the Raiders looked more like the team who just lost six straight games rather than the Chiefs. Not much to say. With playoff hopes fading, the Raiders just need to salvage what they can heading into next season. And definitely, expect drastic changes to follow after this debacle of a season. Raiders play the Cowboys next week on Sunday Night. That matchup was supposed be the preview of the Super Bowl, but it's looking more like both teams are playing for pride with their playoff hopes on life support. I'll see you guys next week for that game.

Week 14: RAIDERS @ Chiefs 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread of the Raiders-Chiefs Week 14 divisional matchup for 1st place in the AFC West. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

OAK 15 KC 26

A little drama in the final quarter in this game, but the Raiders waited a little too long to finally get things going on offense. Coming from 26 down in the middle of the 4th quarter is insurmountable. Good effort though with the Lynch TD, the onside kick recovery, the TD to Cook, and the 2-point to Crab, but all for naught if they couldn't do that in the first three quarters of the game. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

OAK 0 KC 26

That last sack from Justin Houston sums up how poor this offense is playing. From Derek Carr to the offensive line to the receivers, nothing positive is generating from this unit. Todd Downing put together a really pathetic gameplan against this shorthanded Chiefs defense. This offense has been a disappointment all season long. 

Week 14: RAIDERS @ Kansas City Chiefs 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

The fight for first place in the AFC West race! This is the first half open thread of the Raiders' Week 14 road matchup against the Chiefs. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

OAK 0 KC 16

With the way this first half went you might as well rewrite this from Raiders vs. Chiefs to Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin vs. the Chiefs. As I said in the comments, they are the only one's coming out to play. They're the only players who look like they really want this game. 3 sacks from Bruce. Khalil had a sack. Both are generating outside and inside pressure on Alex Smith. They are carrying this team. The rest of the defense is giving up a lot of pass plays. I was skeptical about the defense in the last two games and now they're playing against a proven QB and they're getting roasted. The offense, don't get me started. The playcalling is garbage. Todd Downing is calling all kinds of predictable screens and running run plays in singleback formation again! Derek Carr and the receivers are not on the same page. Marquette King is not having a good day punting the ball and pinning KC deep. This is the season is right here and it seems that they don't want it. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

OAK 0 KC 3

Terrible is an overused statement to describe this first quarter. The Raiders get first possession of the game, here were the plays: dropped pass, a run for no gain, and a sack allowed from the O-line. Story of the season on how underwhelming this offense is. KC's defense is shorthanded and the offense outside of Marshawn Lynch's big run cannot generate anything. Meanwhile the defense did its job the last two possessions. The D-line is creating pressure. Bruce Irvin already has two sacks. But, the secondary is starting to break, giving up big pass plays against a really anemic Chiefs passing game. Right now, the Raiders look really unfocused on what's at hand in this game. I'm sure all of you had a weird feeling heading into this game that the Raiders would wet the bed. That is becoming reality with this kind of start.

Double Recap: Raiders Keep Season Alive with Crazy Win vs. Chiefs; Young Lakers Taken to School vs. Clippers

Welcome in to a double full recap in what was a crazy Thursday night for the blog as the Raiders and Lakers played on national TV. The Raiders resurrected some 4th quarter comeback magic as they knock off their divisional rival Chiefs, ending the Kansas City jinx in a 30-31 thriller. Meanwhile, the Lonzo Ball-Brandon Ingram era for the Lakers hit a brick wall in the team's opener, falling to the Clippers 108-92.

Wow, these two games were polar opposites of each other. My goodness. But I'm gonna be honest, I lost a lot of energy from that frantic finish on the Raiders-Chiefs Thursday Night game. The final sequence of that game was a pure example of the torture us Raider fans have to go through with this team. But, hey Derek Carr did it again against the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football in Oakland. I think the NFL seriously needs to consider more Raiders-Chiefs on Thursday Night in Oakland because that's the only way they can beat the Chiefs. All kidding aside, it took five tries in the final seconds. You'd think the game would be over, but finally the Raiders get calls their way and they capitalized on it with Carr's game-winning TD to King Crab. On the flip side, it was a tough sledding for the Lakers in their game against the Clippers. I said last night, despite Chris Paul's absence, the Clippers are still a proven veteran team and it showed tonight. The Lakers committed some silly turnovers and they were too passive offensively. Defensively, they had a lot of breakdowns which lead to some good outside looks by the Clippers and they just didn't have an answer for neither Blake Griffin nor DeAndre Jordan inside the post.

By virtue, I will cover the losing team first. It's a tradition that I've used when I'm covering the Super Bowl or the NBA Finals where I would address the losing team first and then address the winning team later.

Lakers

(+)

Brook Lopez, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 7-19 shooting. The Lakers brought in Brook Lopez for this kind of stat line. His 3-point game wasn't in sync, shooting 1-5 from beyond the arc, but he did most of his damage inside the post and from the perimeter as well. Keep in mind, I didn't see the first half, but in the second half, Lopez ignited a mini run with a couple of floaters and hook shots before the Clippers proceeded to destroy the Lakers' non-existent defense. Lopez is capable of creating his own shot and he's expected to fill the stat sheet up from here on out.

Lonzo getting teammates involved. Since I missed a majority of the game, I couldn't analyze how well Lonzo moved the ball and with his low assists numbers, I assume either players missed their shots or passed up a shot. But, hearing from Chris Webber at the end of the game that he thought Lonzo did a good job getting teammates involved, that was encouraging to hear. Remember, Lonzo is not a scorer. He's a pass first guy and he's looking to make plays for teammates. He had a nice highlight in the third quarter with pick-and-roll action, finding Lopez for a layup.

Jordan Clarkson 18 points, 7-16 shooting. Last season, Clarkson has proven to be a capable sixth man since the Lakers traded away Lou Williams. It's good to see he's carrying that over. Lopez and Clarkson are in reality the Lakers' offense until further notice.

(-)

Blake Griffin vs. Larry Nance Jr. and Julius Randle. There's no way around this, Blake Griffin destroyed the Lakers' Power Forwards tonight. He completely overpowered both of them in the paint. I saw the highlight of Randle getting posterized on Griffin's dunk in the 2nd half. The defensive assignment on Griffin proved to be too much.

Turnovers and indecisiveness. That was evident in the 3rd quarter. I feel it was the Lakers' youth trying to do too much. They're too focused on making the home run, highlight play and placing some overemphasis on the ball movement. It happens to young teams and you'd hope that the Lakers learn to slow down and be more decisive in their execution as this season progresses.

Defensive breakdowns. This has been a problem since forever literally. I couldn't recall how many times the Lakers allowed high percentage shots to the Clippers. They're gambling too much on double teams, closing out on their man too late, and failing to provide help defense at the right time. Luke Walton should continue to coach these players up on communicating better defense because that will be the biggest concern throughout the season.

Brandon Ingram, 3-15 shooting. Trade him. Okay, that was a joke. Clearly, this was not a good 2nd year debut for Ingram. In the 3rd quarter, Ingram settled for a couple of jumpshots. Those are high percentage shots, but they were just falling short. Say what you want about Ingram being a bust, but like I said, you can't judge a player until year 3. Unless Ingram has games like these in 75% of the season, then maybe we can start questioning how untouchable he is. Shooting-wise, bad game by Ingram, but it's only one game.

Raiders

(+)

Amari Cooper, 11 receptions, 210 yards, 2 TDs. These last few games, it was frustrating to see Cooper getting shut out in the game plan and rarely seeing some targets. It was also frustrating that a majority of Raiders fans were hating on him. Clearly the drops are frustrating, but it's not entirely his fault that Todd Downing doesn't trust him. This game was a great way to break Amari out of his slump. He was targeted a lot in this game. I'm disappointed that some are considering this game a bad game for Coop. Yes, he drop a couple of long balls, but you can't expect him to be on target all the time. He had 19 targets today. I'm sure if he was 18 of 19 in his targets, people still find ways to hate. Coop showed us that he's still a big play receiver and a YAC monster. And you wanna question his toughness? He took a big hit from Daniel Sorenson. I'm still one of those few who'll continue to defend Coop.

Derek Carr, 29 of 52 passes, 417 passing yards, 3 TDs. This one has to be extra special for Carr as nothing has gone his way against the Chiefs in the last five games. The completion percentage is by all means bad. And yes, most of his throws were 50/50 balls. But, no Marshawn Lynch, no running game, Carr had to carry the offense behind his back. Three years ago, Carr lead the Raiders to their first win against the Chiefs on Thursday Night. Three years later, he did it again!

NaVorro Bowman, 11 tackles. Wait, I thought 49ers fans said that Bowman was done? Clearly, they're in a youth movement, but Bowman still proved he can be a difference maker in stopping the run. Overall, the run defense held Kareem Hunt to 87 yards. That's not too bad for a defense that has struggled in defending the run. It's safe to say, Bowman's presence patched up some of the run defense woes.

Jared Cook, 6 receptions, 107 yards. Cook may not have a lot of monster games, but he's responsible for a couple of lore plays. If you look at the divisional playoffs, he made a spectacular catch against the Cowboys to give the Packers the win. This game, he added his name to Raiders lore. Without his clutch 4th down catch and deep ball catch to put the Raiders on the KC 1-yard line, the "L" would've been in the bag for Oakland. If there's one game that Cook needed a big game, this was the one.

Michael Crabtree, 3 receptions, 24 yards, 1 TD. Quiet game for Crab overall. Marcus Peters had a lot to do with that. But he wiped that out with the game-winning TD catch. There's nothing more to say about Crabtree. The man is clutch.

(-)

Secondary. Obi Melifonwu's debut can't come any sooner since he's taken off the I.R. list after Week 8. And hopefully, we get an update on Gareon Conley's shin injury. This secondary is the death of the Raiders' pass defense. David Amerson regressed big time. Sean Smith is a waste of $40 million (even though he didn't play as much). Reggie Nelson is a step late. They allowed Tyreek Hill to walk free. They allowed a big pass play when Marquette King once again pinned them deep. Keith McGill could've had an INT, but an unlucky tip to Albert Wilson. This secondary is seriously a weak link and considering they're banged up, makes it even worse.

Marshawn Lynch's ejection. Marshawn Lynch is a real dude, no question about it. If you hadn't seen it, Marcus Peters put a late hit on Carr, leading to an all-out scrum. The O-line already had Carr's back. Hudson, Osemele, and Penn came to his aid. And you got Lynch running from the sidelines to break up the fight, when he shouldn't be and he shoved a ref. Lynch was not needed when you have five big linemen ready to wage war for Carr. Since Lynch got ejected, the run game became non-existent for the most part besides DeAndre Washington's rushing TD.

MVP (Lakers)

Brook Lopez, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 7-19 shooting

Expect these kinds of stats from Lopez as this season moves forward. He's hands down, the Lakers' best scoring option outside of Clarkson.





MVP (Raiders)

Amari Cooper, 11 receptions 210 yards, 2 TDs

So many MVPs to choose from the Thursday Night game, but I had to give it Amari Cooper. There was so much talk about him going MIA, but when you get him involved, he puts the spark in the Raiders' offense.




Conclusion

Thursday has passed by as it hits 12 midnight in the U.S., but what a night it was. Surely you can't win em all. The Lakers have a lot of growing pains that they'll have to endure with their young core. The Clippers are still a good team without Chris Paul. Blake Griffin is a proven All-Star and they have all kinds of veterans on their squad. The Lakers have a lot of young pieces outside of Brook Lopez and they don't have quality veteran presence like the Clippers have. They still have a lot of learning to do, but they should improve game-by-game. For the Raiders, they needed this win against the Chiefs. As I said, this was a script-changer for a season that is shadowed with internal turmoil. With the crazy finish the game had and the Raiders coming from behind to win, they should get their mojo back. Now, coming off the emotional-draining victory, they have to get back to the drawing because the schedule gets harder from here on out. Whew, I'm beat. I'm emotionally drained. This was a crazy Thursday night. I can't wait to do it again in December and hopefully, I can make a few adjustments. Raider fans, I'll see you next week when the Raiders take on the Bills. Laker fans, I personally don't know when the next nationally televised Laker game is. I have to re-check the schedule. But, if you've followed my blog for a long time, Laker games that are available only in the home market in LA will be subjected to a quick recap post (denoted as a "Quick Fact Check"). The Lakers do have a game tomorrow off back-to-back sets against the Phoenix Suns, so expect a quick recap on that. Other than that, I'll see you guys later.

#ReignTogether - Week 7: TNF - RAIDERS vs. Kansas City Chiefs 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half of the Chiefs-Raiders matchup in a mega Thursday night. Raider fans, as usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game. 

Q4

KC 30 OAK 31

Somebody call 911, I'm having a heart attack! Now, that's vintage 2016 Raiders! The Raiders needed a miracle after the Chiefs were pretty much controlling the clock. The Raiders' defense made a clutch stop with a Mack sack. Derek Carr threw a couple of clutch passes to Cooper and Jared Cook on 4th down. But, my goodness that finish! Jared Cook had a TD. No, call overturned, 10 second run off. The Raiders had three tries to get into the end zone. Through divine intervention, the Chiefs committed some costly penalties as time expired. Carr finds Crabtree for the game-winning TD and Tavecchio, my goodness, was that XP close to being wide. But it's good! Holy mother! Stay tuned for the full recap, but I'm turning it over to the Lakers-Clippers game. #ReignTogether

Q3

KC 30 OAK 21

Well, that quarter is the sole reason why the secondary is garbage. Unlucky tipped pass for a TD. The Chiefs winning a couple of challenges to keep the chains moving. It's looking ugly out there. The Raiders' current drive is going to be pivotal. Let's see what Carr and co do.

#ReignTogether - Week 7: TNF - RAIDERS vs. Kansas City Chiefs 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to one half of a super Thursday night! This is the 1st half open thread of the Raiders' Week 6 divisional matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. For Raider fans, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

KC 20 OAK 14

Rough night for Tavecchio so far in terms of field goal attempts. Could've had this thing nodded up at 20. I'd say for 1.5 quarters in this quarter, we saw the explosive Raiders offense from last year. The AC/DC connection was re-ignited as Carr found Coop for the Raiders' two TDs in this game. Like I said, when they get Coop into the game plan, that opens up the playbook. Defensively, they implemented a lot of zone plays because that's how the Steelers shut the Chiefs' offense down last Sunday. But, on the other .5 of the last quarter, the problems of both sides reared its ugly head once again. I'm seeing some questionable offensive play calling by Todd Downing down the stretch. Ken Norton Jr. somehow thought it was a brilliant idea to put David Amerson on an island against the speedy Tyreek Hill. When Tyreek Hill is on the field, 100% of the time you have to double cover him! You leave him one-on-one and Alex Smith is going to heave it and Hill has the speed to burn them. Well, the run game is looking a lot different now since Marshawn Lynch is thrown out of the game. It's common sense for him to stay off the field. Carr has five big offensive lineman ready to go to war for him if any defender touches him. Lynch's presence is definitely going to be missed. That means more work load for Richard and Washington and Carr's gonna have to carry this offense. That work will be a lot to shoulder against a team like the Chiefs. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

KC 10 OAK 14

You see where getting Amari Cooper involved in the game plan gets you? That's what was missing in this offense. Explosive plays! The Raiders are throwing everything in the book at the Chiefs. Carr rolling out for a couple of completions. The flea flicker on the handoff to Cordarrelle Patterson to find Amari Cooper for a TD. And then on the 2nd scoring drive, Coop reminded us why he's a Yards-After-Catch monster. That's what was missing! Defensively, they're taking a page out of Pittsburgh's gameplan. They're playing a lot of zone to prevent explosive plays. It worked so far, despite KC getting a TD off a Denico Autry penalty. Good back-and-forth quarter.

Chiefs Remain a Thorn on the Side for Raiders, Carr, Del Rio

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. 

(+)

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.

(-)

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.

Week 6: The Test - RAIDERS vs. Kansas City Chiefs 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the 2nd half open thread and discussion of the Raiders-Chiefs matchup. As usual, leave a comment below the post on your thoughts of the game.

Q4

KC 26 OAK 10

The Chiefs still haunt Derek Carr and the Raiders offense. Despite the big game by Coop and the TD by Holmes, the offense was pretty much held in check by a Chiefs defense without their star pass rusher in Justin Houston. Like I said in a comment, Andy Reid is a mastermind when it comes to gameplanning after the bye week. Alex Smith, we can call him "Mr. Check Down" if we want to, but it's hard to generate any turnovers from him and that plays a factor in his winning record against the Raiders. Fact check game here for the Raiders. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

KC 23 OAK 10

Almost didn't realize the quarter right there. But not much action went on this quarter. The defense is bending, but not breaking. They managed to create a few key stops against the Chiefs' offense, but Derek Carr and the Raiders' offense, they couldn't anything going this 2nd half. There's a whole lot of conservative playcalling on Bill Musgrave's part and it ate up some precious time during that 3rd quarter to get the Raiders something to jump start the home crowd.

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.

Raiders Bottled Up in Finale vs. Chiefs

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' week 17 divisional matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs where the Raiders had a chance to rally in the final seconds, but the Chiefs' defense had the number of the Raiders' offense all game long as they lose the regular season finale to the Chiefs 17-23.

Last week, the Raiders sent Charles Woodson out in Oakland with a bang. His final game in the NFL is surely a stinger. But let's not turn this attention to Woodson's final game ending on a bad note, this game was bad on all facets of the game offensively. The receivers couldn't get open, the O-line was getting beat around, the running game was held in check, offensive playcalling was soft, and Derek Carr was trying to do too much. The defense, despite giving up 21 points, hung around for the Raiders, created a pair of turnovers to make this a game, but it wasn't enough.

(+)

Turnovers. I'm just going to rehash from what I said in the halftime post, they said Alex Smith barely turns the ball over during the Chiefs' winning streak. This game, the Raiders took it to heart and managed to generate two interceptions on Smith. T.J. Carrie had a pick, David Amerson, another pick for 6. There's no question the secondary needs to be addressed this offseason with Woodson gone and possibly other players getting cut (e.g. D.J. Hayden), but this game proved that Amerson is worth keeping around. He's not going to be a shutdown corner, but he's a decent football player. As much as Carrie had a down year due to injuries and shuffling from corner to safety, he's the Raiders' best player in the secondary. Props to them getting the picks and bringing the Raiders back in this game.

Khalil Mack, 10 tackles. There's no question Mack is a candidate for defensive player of the year. He rightfully deserves Pro Bowl honors and he's possibly moving up in the NFL's top 100 list. When he's not getting sacks, he's a tackling machine. Perhaps the highlight of this game was when he decided to do push ups after stopping a run. He could've had a couple of sacks here like last game, but I saw a lot of times he got held and the refs weren't calling them. Nonetheless, it was an impressive sophomore campaign for Mack, a huge leap from his rookie season.

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O-line. Okay, I know most of the Chiefs sacks were because Carr didn't want to throw the ball away. I'm not pro Carr, so I'll pinpoint that flaw from Carr's game. I think with all the injuries and shuffling, especially from that right side of the O-line, the lack of depth was showing. Obviously, J'Marcus Webb is not starter material, Feliciano still has a long way to go in polishing his game to be the Raiders' long-term answer at right guard. The negatives on the O-line doesn't just stem from the pass protection, but they couldn't open up holes for Murray to get the run game going. 6 sacks on Carr, it's a "bang-bang" argument that it was Carr not getting rid of the ball or the O-line just couldn't block.

Offensive playcalling. I would hate for the Raiders to do this to Carr by hiring a new offensive coordinator and give him a new playbook in three years, but Musgrave needs to go along with this conservative playcalling. He made a fool out of us during the stretch of the Chargers, Jets, and Steelers games, thinking that this offense is explosive, but it's clear that they've regressed. Defenses have a lot of game film on them and Musgrave doesn't make any adjustments. Too many quick screen passes, no elements of surprise, really predictable.

Conclusion

It sucks the Raiders couldn't send Charles Woodson off a winner in his final NFL game and it sucks they did not end the season on a high note. Even though the record is unsatisfactory, a 7-9 finish exceeded a lot of expectations. Although I had this team going at 8-8 or 9-7, the consensus was that this team was going 6-10 and the Raiders proved a lot of experts wrong. This team had a couple games slip away from them this season, but they were virtually in every game except the first game of the season vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. Though this loss against the Chiefs ended the season on a sour note, there's a lot of good things to look forward to for the future. Once again, I'll provide a "season in review" post to elaborate on the good and the bad this season, so stay tuned for that. Sorry if I'm a little slow getting these posts on time. I am currently battling a cold that I got on Friday, so not a good way to start off the New Year for me. But, thank you Raider Nation for following my coverage of the 2015 season for the Oakland Raiders. I'll see you guys later.

Week 17: C-Wood's Last Game RAIDERS @ Kansas City Chiefs

Q4:

OAK 17 KC 23

Game winning drive with no timeouts 101: always aim for the sidelines. The Raiders had a chance to steal one in Kansas City, but they just kept throwing on the field. What were they doing there? It also didn't help that Carr took a sack, pretty much sums this game up. O-line was horrible today, Carr needs to know when to throw the ball away and use his mobility more, Musgrave didn't open up the playbook until that last TD drive to Crabtree. Woodson walks out the game with a loss on the road. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

OAK 10 KC 23

What I said in the halftime post, it's been the same thing like it was all game long in the 2nd half. The offense is just stagnant and they can't decipher this Chiefs defense. O-line can't protect Carr, the running game is still non-existent, predictable quick screen passes from Musgrave. This is just awful.

Q2:

OAK 10 KC 14

Bend, but don't break. As much as the Chiefs' offense are gashing the Raiders' defense, the defense just finds ways to bring life for the team. Two timely interceptions on Alex Smith, one returned for a touchdown, just enough to put the Raiders back in this game. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

OAK 0 KC 14

Well, the majority of this quarter was all Chiefs. They were just methodical in their first two drives. Andy Reid was throwing everything on the offensive playbook at the Raiders' defense and that resulted in two TDs. At the end of the first quarter though, a rare sighting of a long kickoff return for the Raiders as the returning game has been nonexistent all season long. Taiwan Jones provided a much needed spark on the last kickoff return for the Raiders to get back in it.

RAIDERS-Chiefs Halftime Post

OAK 10 KC 14

Welcome in to the halftime post of the Raiders' divisional matchup vs. the Chiefs in Kansas City where the Chiefs have a narrow 10-14 lead at the first half.

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Turnovers. It's been said a lot of times, Alex Smith barely turns the ball over during the Chiefs' hot winning streak. This game, he already has two interceptions. T.J. Carrie managed to get a pick. After Derek Carr threw a costly pick to Ron Parker, the Raiders' defense responded with a pick 6 from David Amerson. As much as the defense is getting picked apart, this category is what's keeping them alive.

(-)

Offense. Latavius Murray held to 22 yards, the receiving corps not doing much, Derek Carr held in check. The Chiefs defense, despite missing a couple of key players are doing their job containing this offense. The only good drive I can pinpoint was when it was set up by Taiwan Jones' big return, but that drive stalled resulting into three points. Whatever it is, the offense has to get going at some point.

Bottom Line

The Raiders fortunately get the ball back after deferring. The offense just needs to find answers to decipher this Chiefs' defense. As much as the defense is keeping the Chiefs offense in check after giving up two TD scores, they're going to need some help if the Raiders sustain long drives on offense. Let's see what happens.