Oakland Raiders: Win Against Chiefs Needs to Be Put in Perspective

Any time a defense pitches a shutout, the team deserves some credit.

If there were ever a time to discredit the performance, however, it is when it comes against the 2012 Kansas City Chiefs.

After weeks and weeks of abysmal football, Oakland Raiders fans were treated to a brand of football that was just about a half-point above abysmal this week during their 15-0 win over the lowly Chiefs.

For a team that was badly in need of some positive momentum, any improvement would have been welcome.

As the Black Hole celebrates the win, however, we all need to remember exactly who it was they beat.

This Chiefs team had been held below 17 points in nine of their last 10 games, and held below 10 points in four of their last five games.

So while the Oakland defense saw the end of a stretch in which it had allowed 20 or more points in 10 of its last 11 games, let's not assume the defense has turned the corner.

The good news for Oakland was that its defensive line, which has long been expected to be the team's strength, finally played up to its potential. Whether it can do that for the rest of the season, however, remains to be seen.

Offensively, Oakland continued to struggle. Sure, the Raiders got into scoring position six times, but the team was never able to find their way into end zone. To take it one step further, three of the six field-goal attempts were outside of 50 yards.

Like the defense, however, there was some room for optimism in the Oakland running game and Darren McFadden. For the first time all season, McFadden looked like the all-pro back the Raiders have been looking for all season.

So yes, the Raiders won, and yes, there were some bright spots, but the moral of the story here is simple: It's not quite time to act like the Raiders have turned the corner.

Not yet at least.