Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Full Report Card Grades for Oakland

Three major faults contributed to the Oakland Raiders’ 26-10 blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

First, the defense didn’t have an answer for running back Spencer Ware, who logged a career-high 131 rushing yards on 24 carries. Unlike the Chiefs, who adjusted to slow down the Raiders’ most effective offensive weapon, wideout Amari Cooper, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.’s halftime tweaks didn’t faze Ware. 

Nonetheless, we already knew the Raiders came into this contest with a faulty run defense. Oakland ranked No. 27 in yards allowed per game. The Raiders have also surrendered at least 393 total yards in every game this year. Why did this particular contest end in a blowout?

For the first time this season, the Raiders failed to force a turnover in a single game. Despite giving up yards, the Raiders typically come up with impact plays through fumble recoveries or interceptions. Oakland ranks No. 6 in takeaways with 10 but recorded zero on Sunday. 

Here's the nail in the coffin. Kansas City started Week 6 with the No. 29-ranked run defense, but the Raiders didn’t have a backfield at full strength. Without back Latavius Murray running between the tackles, the Raiders couldn’t shorten distances to first downs and sustain drives. Without ball control, the offense often went three-and-out and relied heavily on Cooper to move the ball downfield.

After the Raiders’ successful first drive and the Chiefs’ second-half adjustments to Cooper in the passing attack, Oakland’s offense became unsustainable. The Silver and Black went scoreless in the second half, which allowed Kansas City to bleed the clock out for a victory.

In a postgame comment to local reporters, Derek Carr said the “offense misses Murray.” As the leader in the huddle, he’d know best.

How about group performances? Where do the smaller faults lie within the on-field personnel and coaching-staff decisions? Prepare for plenty of Fs.

Quarterback

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Carr couldn’t pull the Raiders out of this muddy mess at the Oakland Coliseum. He hurt the team in a game that placed a premium on mistake-free football and field positioning.

The Raiders offense turned the ball over multiple times in a game for the first time this year. Carr sailed a pass off balanced and gift-wrapped an interception for cornerback Marcus Peters, who leads the league in interceptions. His poor decision led to the Chiefs’ first touchdown on a short field. 

Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford strip-sacked Carr halfway through the fourth quarter, which essentially sealed a victory for Kansas City. The Raiders’ signal-caller logged the team’s two turnovers, while Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith handed off and protected the football.

Grade: D

Running Back

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After a 50-yard opening return, Jalen Richard’s other highlight came in the final quarter when Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson flattened him on a short pass over the middle. He finished with 13 yards as a non-factor on offense.

DeAndre Washington amassed 49 yards on 10 carries, but he gained 21 yards in the final 18 minutes when the Raiders faced a prevent defense preparing for the pass.

When the Raiders trailed by a single score during the first half, Washington couldn’t break free on the ground. His longest run went for eight yards. Neither running back flashed their skills as receivers.

Grade: F

Wide Receiver and Tight End

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Clive Walford caught a pass down the middle, which led to a field goal before halftime. However, the tight ends logged three catches for 41 yards, which doesn't amount to much in the passing attack.

Cooper put the offense on his back in the first half. He amassed nine catches for 117 yards. The second-year pro clearly worked on the difficult catches near the sideline, and it showed against a decent secondary.

However, a good coaching staff makes halftime adjustments to counter the opposition’s game plan. The Chiefs held Cooper to one catch for 12 yards in the second half. With one tweak, the Raiders offense struggled and scored zero points in the final 30 minutes.

Grade: C+

Offensive Line

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The offensive line allowed two sacks but also seemed to struggle to accommodate for the rookie ball-carriers. The Raiders have five maulers up front, but the quick-twitch running backs failed to take advantage behind the bigger bodies. 

With two subpar performances for the rookie running backs, it’s fair to question whether Murray’s between-the-tackle run style optimizes the ground attack. As smaller backs, Washington and Richard may require more athletic offensive tackles who are quicker to move up field and clear space.

Grade: C-

Defensive Line

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Ware deserves a game ball for his career-best performance on the ground. He gashed the Raiders all day after the handoff. Fellow running back Jamaal Charles powered his way through the trenches for a four-yard touchdown run and added a 17-yard gain in the open field. 

The Raiders couldn’t stop 346-pound defensive tackle Dontari Poe from stumbling into the end zone on a backward pass.

Khalil Mack sacked Smith in the first quarter but after allowing nearly 200 rushing yards, the defensive line deserves an F.

Grade: F

Linebackers

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The linebacker corps put together a sloppy performance and displayed various mishaps across the board.

The coaching staff pulled Perry Riley for Malcolm Smith, but the substitution didn’t stop Ware one iota. In fact, the Chiefs running back burned him on a 45-yard run, per Mercury News reporter Courtney Cronin via Twitter. 

Bruce Irvin whiffed on a tackle, which allowed Ware to scamper 30 yards downfield to the Raiders’ six-yard line.

The Chiefs challenged the Raiders defense with a conservative dink-and-dunk approach targeting the linebackers in coverage. Smith completed high-percentage throws and didn’t take many risks. He completed 19-of-22 passes for 224 yards as an effective game manager.

Grade: D-

Secondary

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A solid B may surprise you here, but the Raiders secondary didn’t allow the wide receivers to rack up big plays after the catch.

None of the Chiefs receivers eclipsed 50 receiving yards. Kansas City's wideouts amassed 135 receiving yards, only six more than Cooper alone. 

On one particular play, Mack found himself in coverage on wide receiver Albert Wilson. The miscue cost the defense 26 yards and an eventual score.

Nonetheless, the blame falls on the coaching staff for the disadvantageous matchup. The Chiefs’ passing attack didn’t sink the Raiders or pierce holes in the secondary.

Grade: B

Special Teams

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Sebastian Janikowski missed a 52-yard field goal attempt. Some would argue in poor weather conditions while battling for inches on the field, the Raiders should’ve punted. Regardless, he’s the record holder in 50-plus yard field-goal conversions and missed the kick to put his team up 10-7.

On a brighter note, Janikowski nailed a 46-yard field-goal attempt. Richard returned the opening kickoff for 50 yards, which shortened the field on the only drive that resulted in a Raiders’ touchdown.

Grades: B

Coaching Staff

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The coaching staff can’t escape a capital F this week.

Fullback Jamize Olawale logged zero rush attempts. He could’ve helped control the clock early in the game while the Raiders trailed by one score.

Walford and Rivera continue to suit up but serve as decoys for 55 minutes per game. Even without Murray, the Raiders have enough offensive weapons to keep the ball moving, but secondary and tertiary assets have been dormant over the past couple of weeks.

The Chiefs beat Norton’s defensive line with one primary ball-carrier for 60 minutes. The Raiders defensive coordinator failed to tweak the defensive line effectively for a clear-cut game plan to attack the heart of the defense.

The coaching staff didn’t have a sound contingency plan to stop the run if the initial plan fell short. As a result, the Chiefs beat the Raiders with a simple and basic offensive game plan.

Grade: F

Box score stats provided by NFL.com.

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