Though quarterback Derek Carr downplayed the idea, it is easy to wonder if the Oakland Raiders’ offense finally started feeling the weight of having to carry a disproportionate share of the load Sunday while the defense again struggled.
The Raiders had a season low for points and managed just 286 total yards as they lost to the visiting Kansas City Chiefs 26-10. The loss snapped Oakland’s three-game winning streak and dropped it to 4-2.
Coming into Sunday, the Raiders were the fifth-highest-scoring team in the NFL with an average of 28.4 points a game. Their 391.6 total yards a game ranked fourth.
Conversely, the defense was 25th in points allowed (27.4) and last among the 32 teams in total yards allowed (452.6).
“I really don’t have time to think of those kinds of things,” Carr told reporters after the game of his team’s defensive problems. “My mindset is so focused on my job. I’m just focused on that so I really don’t think about that.”
Carr threw for just 225 yards, his second-lowest total of the season, while completing 22 of 34 passes. He had one touchdown pass and one interception.
Down 13-10 at halftime, the Raiders were shut out in the second half, partially because the Chiefs clamped down on wide receiver Amari Cooper. Though he finished with a career-high 10 receptions for 129 yards, Cooper was limited to one catch for 12 yards over the final two quarters.
“Not the kind of afternoon we were hoping to have today,” Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. “We took our lumps. We were outplayed, outcoached. Take your pick.”
The Chiefs used a balanced attack to roll up 406 yards of offense, 223 passing and 183 rushing as quarterback Alex Smith again proved too much for the Raiders. He is 8-1 in nine career starts against Oakland.
“We go over this every week,” Raiders linebacker Bruce Irvin said. “It’s the same. I don’t know what else to tell you. Kansas City had a great game plan, hats off to them. They did a lot of window dressing. They did a lot of stuff, disguising stuff to make us believe one thing and they actually did another thing.”
Down 16 points, Carr tried to rally the Raiders and they reached the Chiefs’ 20-yard line with 7:22 remaining. However, he fumbled when sacked by Dee Ford and linebacker Tamba Hali recovered for the Chiefs at the 12.
“It hurts to lose, especially in a division game, especially against the Chiefs,” Carr said. “We didn’t do enough at all. That was a bad performance by us.”
