KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A few thoughts on the Kansas City Chiefs' 31-13 win over the Oakland Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium:
What it means: The Chiefs broke a three-game losing streak and raised their record to 8-6. They would make the playoffs as a wild-card entrant for the second straight year by winning their final two games of the season.
Stock watch: The Chiefs at long last got their downfield passing game to work. One wide receiver, rookie Albert Wilson, got deep for a 48-yard catch, while another, veteran Dwayne Bowe, hauled in a 37-yard pass in the first half alone. Running back Knile Davis caught a 70-yard touchdown pass in the second half. The Chiefs were able to harass Oakland rookie quarterback Derek Carr in a way they didn’t in last month’s loss to the Raiders. The Chiefs had four sacks and were otherwise consistently able to make Carr throw before he was ready. Tight end Travis Kelce lost a fumble for the second straight week, which the Raiders converted into a field goal. Kelce later scored on a 20-yard pass from Alex Smith. Rookie kicker Cairo Santos missed two of his three field goal attempts (from 44 and 47 yards).
Improved run defense: The Chiefs limited the Raiders to 78 rushing yards. While Oakland rushed for 4.6 yards a carry, 25 of their yards came on one play by Latavius Murray. Otherwise, the Chiefs were much improved. They allowed Murray to run for 112 yards and two touchdowns on four carries in last month’s game against the Raiders in Oakland.
Game ball: Rookie De'Anthony Thomas gave the Chiefs a boost when their offense was sluggish and needed some help. He returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter to put the Chiefs ahead 7-0. The play was blocked well and Thomas was able to pull away from the Raiders when he got into the open field.
What’s next: The Chiefs play against the 9-5 Steelers at 1 p.m. ET next Sunday in Pittsburgh.
