Extra Points: Raiders fourth quarter surge not enough to beat Chiefs

Dec 02, 2018 at 04:22 PM

Kyle Martin

Former Raiders.com Contributor

From the opening kickoff to the final whistle, the Oakland Raiders rivalry game against the Kansas City Chiefs was a thriller. When most people think of rivalries, the Celtics-Lakers, Red Sox-Yankees, and Real Madrid-Barcelona come to mind — to name a few — but the rivalry between the Raiders and Chiefs is one of the best in football. On a couple of occasions Sunday, the two AFC West opponents got in minor scuffles, and it got Raider Nation fired up.

It was an exciting affair at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum; take a look at the Extra Points from the Week 13 action.

First play madness - Following the opening kickoff, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense trotted out for the first drive of the game. In the shotgun, Mahomes faked a handoff to running back Spencer Ware before firing a strike to Travis Kelce. The Pro Bowl tight end had room to run, but was tracked down by Raiders linebacker Tahir Whitehead, who proceeded to punch the ball out and force a fumble. The ball was recovered by rookie cornerback Nick Nelson, and the Raiders took over. Unfortunately the Silver and Black were unable to convert the takeaway into points, but it was a good start to the afternoon for the defense.

Martin coughs it up - Well, after the Chiefs fumbled on their first drive of the game, the football gods declared it the Raiders' turn to fumble it. After a 24-yard pass to wide receiver Jordy Nelson, and an eight-yard quarterback keeper by Derek Carr, the Raiders handed the ball off to running back Doug Martin, and had the ball jarred lose. The turnover gave Mahomes and Co., possession once again, but the Raiders defense didn't allow them to reach the end zone. The Chiefs were forced to settle for a 29-yard field goal.

Another fumble - It was the Raiders second fumble of the first half, and set the Chiefs up with decent field position once again. Mahomes led the Chiefs down the field, extending plays with his feet, and converting a crucial third down, but the Raiders defense once again held them to only three points. With seven minutes left in the second quarter Kansas City led 13-0.

Roberts draws a PI - On third-and-five, from the Chiefs' seven-yard line, Derek Carr targeted wide receiver Seth Roberts in the end zone, but had a defender draped all over him. The play resulted in a pass interference call against the Chiefs, and gave the Silver and Black a fresh set of downs from the two-yard line. Veteran back Doug Martin ended up punching a one-yard run into the end zone, and gave the team its first points of the afternoon. With one minute left in the first half, the Raiders trailed KC by six after Martin's touchdown.

Daniel Carlson's connects from deep - The rookie kicker didn't have the best start to his career with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this year, but since joining the Raiders, the former University of Auburn War Eagle has knocked through eight of his nine field goal attempts, and Sunday he drilled a big one through the uprights. From 50 yards out, Carlson nailed the field goal with ease. No. 8 continues to establish himself as a reliable kicker for the Raiders.

Jared Cook sets a career-high - The former South Carolina Gamecock is on pace to set career highs in every major receiving category. Cook is less than 100 yards away from surpassing his career-high in receiving yards (759), seven receptions shy of tying his career-high (54), and with a 24-yard touchdown Sunday against the Chiefs he set a new career-high for touchdowns with six. Cook is making his case for a Pro Bowl bid, help him get there by tweeting his name with the hashtag #ProBowlVote on Twitter.

Lee Smith finds paydirt - For the first time since 2015, veteran tight end Lee Smith hauled in a touchdown reception. Normally used to get physical in the trenches, Smith found himself wide open in the back of the end zone for a one-yard receiving score. The touchdown brought the team back within 10 of Kansas City.

Marcell Ateman's grown-man move - He might be a rookie, but the former Oklahoma State Cowboy's touchdown reception in the fourth quarter was a grown man play. With just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Raiders lined up on the Chiefs nine yard line, and Carr threw a jump ball to Ateman who bodied his defender and hauled in the pass. The touchdown was the first of his young career, and he brought the Raiders back within three points.

It was a valiant fourth quarter effort from the Raiders, but the Silver and Black were unable to hold off the Chiefs at home, falling 40-33. The Raiders accounted for over 400 yards of offense, but it wasn't enough to beat their division rival. The team will return to the Coliseum next Sunday to host the Pittsburgh Steelers for another AFC showdown.