BY TRISTAN SASSE
Thursday night featured one of the oldest rivalries in the NFL when the Oakland Raiders (2-4) hosted the Kansas City Chiefs (5-1) in an AFC West battle. Entering Thursday, the Chiefs led the all-time series 62-52-2. Kansas City was looking to rebound after losing their first game of the season last week against Pittsburgh, while Oakland was losers of four straight and hadn’t won in over a month. The Raiders went on to win 31-30 in an instant classic.
Kansas City had won nine straight on the road, 12 straight against the AFC West, and five straight against Oakland entering Thursday. All three of those streaks were broken Thursday night.
For Oakland, Derek Carr threw for 417 yards and three touchdowns. Amari Cooper finished with 11 receptions for 211 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Jared Cook added six receptions and 107 yards.
The Chiefs also had offense coming from different areas. Alex Smith completed 25 of 36 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns. Kareem Hunt finished with over 100 yards from scrimmage for his seventh straight game. Hunt had 18 carries for 87 yards and four receptions for 30 yards. Hunt became only the second player in NFL history to have over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in his first seven career games, Eric Dickerson was the first to accomplish this feat. Also, Tyreek Hill hauled in six receptions for 125 yards and Albert Wilson had one reception for a 63-yard touchdown.
Both teams committed no turnovers on Thursday and time of possession was nearly even. The Raiders outgained the Chiefs offensively, 505-425. Oakland also had more first downs in the game (32-19).
Defensively, Daniel Sorensen had nine tackles for Kansas City. Terrance Mitchell and Derrick Johnson added seven each. For the Raiders, NaVorro Bowman had 11 tackles, while Reggie Nelson had eight, and Justin Ellis added seven.
Overall, the night began with Harrison Butker connecting on a 53-yard field goal for Kansas City. The Raiders answered shortly after when Carr found Cooper for a 38-yard touchdown. Near the end of the opening quarter, Travis Kelce hauled in a 10-yard touchdown reception from Smith. At the end of the quarter, Carr connected with Cooper once again, this time for a 45-yard touchdown reception.
Midway through the second quarter, Kansas City responded with a 3 play, 99-yard drive that resulted in a 64-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Hill. Oakland had a chance to tie the game before halftime, but Kansas City blocked Giorgio Tavecchio’s 53-yard field goal attempt. On the ensuing drive, Butker made his second field goal on the night, this time from 39 yards. To end the half, Tavecchio missed his second field goal on the night and Kansas City went into the locker room leading 20-14. Marshawn Lynch was ejected late in the second quarter for running onto the field and making contact with an official.
The Chiefs gave up 280 yards of offense in the first half and 15 first downs. Cooper led all receivers with five receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns. For Kansas City, Hill had three receptions for 80 yards and Hunt had seven carries for 48 yards in the opening half.
The second half began with a 47-yard pass interference penalty against Marcus Peters. DeAndre Washington capitalized on the penalty with a 4-yard touchdown run seconds later. The following drive resulted in a 63-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Wilson. Butker tacked on a 37-yard field goal in the closing minute of the third quarter, improving to 13-14 on the year on field goals, and Kansas City led 30-21 heading into the fourth.
Early in the final quarter, Tavecchio connected on a 26-yard field goal. Both teams failed to score throughout the majority of the fourth. On the final drive of the game, Cook caught a touchdown pass for Oakland, but it was overturned and the ball was ruled down at the one-yard line. The overturned touchdown was then followed by an offensive pass interference against Michael Crabtree, and two holding penalties against Kansas City. On the official final play of the game, Carr found Crabtree for a 2-yard touchdown reception and an Oakland victory.
After starting 5-0, Kansas City has dropped two straight. The Chiefs will look to get back on track on Monday, October 30, when they host the Denver Broncos. The Raiders will travel to Buffalo, New York to face the 3-2 Buffalo Bills on October 29.