Photo credit: chiefswire.usatoday.com
By Jeremy Kahn
Time and time again, the Oakland Raiders take a couple of steps and lately they have taken a couple of steps backwards.
Reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes went 15-for-29 for 175 yards and two touchdowns, as the Kansas City throttled the Raiders 40-9 at Arrowhead Stadium.
Things did not start well for the Raiders and it only got worse, and it did not get any better for the visitors.
Derek Carr threw an interception on the Raiders first series of the game, as Tyron Mathieu returned the errant Carr pass into Raiders territory.
Mahomes immediately drove the Chiefs and it ended, when he ended Darrel Williams for a three-yard touchdown pass to give them a quick 7-0 lead.
If you thought, the first series of the game did not end well, just wait and see what happened on the Raiders second series. Trevor Davis took the Harrison Butker kick and immediately fumbled the ball that was recovered by Dorian O’Daniel at the Raiders’ 24-yard line.
Luckily for the Raiders, the Chiefs were not able to cash in, as they were forced to turn the ball over on downs.
Over the next two series, the Raiders were forced to punt and then turned the ball over on downs.
Mahomes decided that enough was enough, as he took the ball over on downs and ended up calling his own number, when he took the ball 13 yards for a touchdown to extend the Chiefs lead.
Jalen Richard tried to get the Raiders going, as he returned the Butker kick to the 26-yard line; however, Carr and the Raiders saw the drive come to a crashing halt, when Juan Thornhill intercepted a Carr pass and returned the pass 46 yards to the end zone to give the Chiefs a commanding 21-0 lead.
Daniel Carlson did not make things any better, as he missed a 44-yard field goal with just over a minute to go in the second quarter.
The Chiefs added to their lead on the first series in the third quarter, as Butker nailed a 50-yard field goal.
Once again, the Raiders were not able to get on the board and then the Chiefs took advantage, when they scored on a LeSean McCoy three-yard touchdown run that came just after it looked like the Raiders were going to get the ball back on a turnover.
Travyon Mullen intercepted a Mahomes pass; however, Chiefs coach Andy Reid challenged the call for possible pass interference and after review it was reserved.
Carlson finally got the Raiders on the board, as he kicked a 34-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, Mahomes went on a methodical nearly 10-minute drive that went 14 plays and 75 yards and culminated when rookie Darwin Thompson scored on a three-yard run.
Carr finally got the Raiders into the end zone for the first time since the fourth quarter of the November 7 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, as he found Derek Carrier for a four-yard touchdown pass.
The Carlson point after was blocked, and returned to the Chiefs end zone for two points, when Charvarius Ward scooped it up and scampered into the end zone for the final points of the game.
NOTES: When the Raiders connected on the Carlson field goal, it stopped a streak of 59 consecutive points, a record for futility in the 122-game series that dates back to 1960, when the Raiders and the then Dallas Texans first faced each other in the AFL in 1960. The field goal also ended a streak of 15 consecutive drives without a point against the Chiefs.
UP NEXT: The Raiders return home for a two-game homestand that begins against the Tennessee Titans on December 8 at 1:25 pm PST.
