Raiders at Chiefs Recap, Highlights, Final Score, More

The Kansas City Chiefs used a second-quarter explosion and strong defensive effort to defeat the Oakland Raiders and take the AFC West lead.

After a dismal first quarter on Thursday Night Football that saw only the Oakland Raiders score three points after Tyreek Hill muffed punt, hopes weren’t high for excitement on a cold night at Arrowhead Stadium. Then the second quarter got underway and those worries went away quickly.

The first play of the second quarter opened the floodgates for the Chiefs. Hill blew by his coverage and a cheating-up safety to score on a long touchdown pass from Alex Smith. After Justin Houston and the defense were able to stifle the Raiders again on the next drive, Smith orchestrated a great drive down the field that was capped off by a Charcandrick West score from in-close. Another stop then led to Hill getting loose again, this time for a 78-yard punt return score.

However, the Raiders found a little life at the end of the half as Derek Carr cured his woes momentarily to lead a drive that was capped off by a Latavius Murray rushing score. That made it 21-10 for the home team at halftime.

Following that, Oakland seemed to have momentum on their side. They opened up the second half with a T.J. Carrie pick of Smith, which led to another field goal. Back on defense, Khalil Mack came up big (as he does) with a strip-sack that gave the Raiders great field position again. But a bad snap and botched hold thwarted their efforts for points.

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Scoring was nonexistent for the rest of the second half, but Oakland made it interesting at the end of the game. Late in the fourth quarter, they drove the ball down into the red zone. But with two questionable play-calls to attack the Cheifs with fade routes, they fell just short of scoring. KC eked out a first down on the next drive to pick up the win and take the AFC West lead.

Three Stars

Tyreek Hill, Chiefs – The speedster rookie for KC was an absolute terror for the Raiders in this game. Not only did he beat them for a 78-yard pun return touchdown, but won field position all night because of it. Moreover, he added six catches on six targets for 66 yards and another touchdown.

Travis Kelce, Chiefs – Though he didn’t find paydirt on Thursday night, he gashed Oakland all night long. He caught five of his eight targets for 101 yards on the night. Oh yeah, he also mocked Marquette King for another highlight.

Latavius Murray, Raiders – While Carr may have struggled, the Oakland running game was working all night. Murray averaged 4.7 yards per carry while going for 103 yards and a touchdown.

Highlights

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/807052284706201600

Next Game

Now AFC West leaders, the Chiefs stay at Arrowhead next week to take on the Tennessee Titans. Meanwhile, the Raiders will look to keep playoff hopes alive as they’re on the road again, taking on the San Diego Chargers.