Grading the Raiders’ 28-10 loss to Kansas City
How the team performed in a 28-10 loss against the Chiefs.
OFFENSE: D
The Raiders actually led 10-0 after one quarter, quarterback Derek Carr having led scoring drives of 65 and 74 yards. But not much else good followed. Carr finished 23-of-38 for 198 yards with one score and two interceptions. Six-year wide receiver Ryan Grant (five targets, one catch for minus-2 yards, two offensive pass interference penalties that were declined and a critical false start on fourth-and-2) was a mess. Rookie running back Josh Jacobs managed 99 yards (51 coming on one play) over 12 carries. and wide receiver Tyrell Williams had his second scoring catch in as many games.
DEFENSE: F
Some of it was miscommunication. Some of it was Kansas City having better players. A lot of it was Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. No matter. You can’t give up 28 points in a second quarter that saw Mahomes complete 12-of-17 for 278 yards and four TDs and expect to compete on the scoreboard. The Raiders flashed some defensively in parts Sunday, but they allowed drives of 72, 95, 94 and 39 yards in a total time of 9:41 of that second quarter. The Raiders sacked Mahomes twice, but otherwise applied little pressure to one of the league’s most elusive quarterbacks.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C
Daniel Carlson made good from 28 yards for a first-quarter field goal, but top returner Dwayne Harris was lost to an ankle injury late in the second. The coverage teams were fine, and punter A.J. Cole averaged 44 yards (36.0 net) with a long of 60 on six attempts.
COACHING: D
Had you told the Raiders that they would hold Mahomes and Co. to 28 points beforehand, they would have believed things would be far closer than an 18-point final margin. But the offense couldn’t keep up after the opening quarter. While it might be easy to blame coverage and a lack of adjustments on the four Mahomes scoring passes, credit the Chiefs for imposing their skill on a few of them. A call to rethink for head coach Jon Gruden: The Raiders, up 10-7, chose to punt on fourth-and-1 from their own 46. Kansas City would then score 21 straight points.
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— Ed Graney
