Inexcusable Loss to Raiders Reveals Chiefs as Super Bowl Pretenders

It takes more than defense to win championships. 

This was the lesson showcased by the Kansas City Chiefs in a 24-20 Week 12 loss to the 1-10 Oakland Raiders. It seemed as if every single break needed to go the Raiders' way for them even to have a chance. But against one of the league's best defensive units, Oakland quarterback Derek Carr found a way to be successful, and big credit goes to running back Latavius Murray. 

Murray, who left the game with 112 yards and a possible concussion, seemed to add far more to the Raiders offense than anyone could have logically expected. 

The Chiefs shouldn't have to work this hard. 

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

They're supposedly better than this. 

It took every bit of effort out of the Raiders for them to pick up their first win, and it happened against an unlikely opponent, as the Chiefs were not only 7-3 headed into the game but also first in an extremely tough division, the AFC West. 

Yet, with games against the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals coming up, this screamed "trap game" for the Chiefs, and the Raiders played their part to perfection. After the contest, Oakland interim head coach Tony Sparano simply said, "Today was our day."

Let's set aside Kansas City's low-scoring offense for a moment. Though the Chiefs have a fine defense—as I'm about to describe in a minute—there's a difference between watching a unit in game and depending on that unit to win a football game. On Thursday Night Football, the Chiefs had a fine defensive effort, but they were ultimately let down by the side of the ball that is supposed to win games for them. 

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

It all comes down to this: Do you blame a team for not doing what it can't, or failing to do what it can?

In that light, frankly, the Chiefs' low offensive output maybe isn't really all that surprising. The Raiders defense hasn't been fantastic, but it's been improving on an almost-weekly business. Just last week, the Raiders held quarterback Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers to 13 points in a loss. 

Still, the best teams in the NFL are always going to be those that can win in a variety of ways. For the Chiefs, not only have they needed fourth-quarter heroics to pick up their last couple of wins, but they've also had to lean inordinately on their defense. 

Can the Chiefs defense win games for them? Absolutely. 

The pass rush, led by linebacker Justin Houston and featuring a number of impact players like defensive linemen Dontari Poe and Allen Bailey and linebacker Tamba Hali, is an incredible scale-tipping force in just about every game, and it had its say for part of this one as well.

Each and every week, this top defensive unit serves up a game on a silver platter for the offense to win, requiring about as little effort as humanly possible from Alex Smith and Co. It's an offense that still hasn't thrown a touchdown to its wide receivers and ranks 23rd overall despite having a well-equipped rushing attack. 

"

Key play of the game was Alex Smith settling for a field goal with a wide open WR in the end zone.

— Cian O'Fathaigh (@Cianaf) November 21, 2014"

The Chiefs are refreshing to some, yes, because they're such a throwback team. In an era of gaudy passing numbers and records broken just about every weekend, it's a change of pace to see a team built around defense and the running game. 

As proud as Vince Lombardi might be of that kind of strategy, though, is it the way to win the trophy with his name on it in 2014?

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Each week, the Chiefs head into battle with a game plan built around keeping the margins low and mitigating risk. They're dominant at times, yes. But it seems almost like an accident when that happens. Their offense is more about staying out of their own way than establishing any real kind of dominance. 

The Chiefs cannot continue to lean solely on their defense to win games. This has long-term impact, but more notably in this year's burgeoning playoff race. Kansas City can continue to pad its win total against lesser opponents the way it has done, and it may even continue to sneak wins against better foes as well, but the Chiefs can't be taken seriously unless their defense takes a step forward. 

And until they prove they can put up real points on a consistent basis, it is impossible to take them seriously as a Super Bowl threat. 

Michael Schottey is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report and an award-winning member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Find more of his stuff on his archive page and follow him on Twitter.