The Oakland Raiders are back in primetime.
The Silver and Black have descended on Arrowhead Stadium for this evening's Thursday Night Football clash against the Kansas City Chiefs in a Week 14 matchup that has major division implications up for grabs.
Winners of six in a row, Derek Carr and Co., will try to avenge their Week 6 loss to the Chiefs, while Andy Reid's team will look to take over first place in the division with a primetime win over the Raiders.
Pregame:
The Silver and Black will be without the services of rookie safety Karl Joseph who was ruled out of tonight's game following the team's Wednesday practice, as were linebacker Shilique Calhoun and defensive tackle Stacy McGee.
In a somewhat surprising development, guard/tackle Kelechi Osemele – who was listed on the injury report with a knee ailment all week – will be inactive for tonight's game at Arrowhead Stadium due to illness.
The full list of inactive players are as follows:
Quarterback Connor Cook
Cornerback Antonio Hamilton
Safety Karl Joseph
Guard/Tackle Kelechi Osemele
Defensive tackle Darius Latham
Linebacker Shilique Calhoun
Defensive tackle Stacy McGee
The captains for tonight's game are quarterback Derek Carr, defensive end Khalil Mack, safety Reggie Nelson, guard Gabe Jackson, and center Rodney Hudson.
The Chiefs won the opening coin toss, and have elected to defer to the second half.
First Quarter:
The Raiders were forced to punt after going three-and-out on their first drive of the evening, but Tyreek Hill muffed the Marquette King punt, which James Cowser was able to the recover in Kansas City territory.
While the Raiders weren't able to get into the end zone, they were able to take advantage of the Kansas City gift, as Sebastian Janikowski connected on a 44-yard field goal to give the Silver and Black a 3-0 lead with 11:34 left in the first quarter.
Alex Smith drove the Chiefs into Raiders territory, but Kansas City wasn't able to come away with any points on their first drive of the evening, as they were stopped short on 4th and 1.
However, the Raiders came up empty on the ensuing possession, punting the ball back to the Kansas City Chiefs after going three-and-out. The two teams traded punts for the remainder of the quarter, and at the end of the first quarter, the Raider still hold a 3-0 lead.
However, the Chiefs will face a 1st and 10 from the Raiders 36-yard line when play resumes.
Second Quarter:
Alex Smith and the Chiefs have struck, as the Chiefs quarterback has just connected with Tyreek Hill on a 36-yard touchdown pass.
Cairo Santos has added the PAT, and the Chiefs have now gone ahead 7-3 with 14:51 left in the second quarter.
The Chiefs have now added to their lead, as Smith just engineered a seven-play, 78-yard drive that was punctuated by a three-yard touchdown run from Charcandrick West.
With the score, and converted extra point, Kansas City now leads 14-3 with 8:34 left in the second quarter.
The Chiefs lead has now ballooned to 21-3, as Tyreek Hill just returned a Marquette King 78 yards for a touchdown.
With the converted PAT, the Silver and Black now trail 21-3 with 6:25 to go until halftime.
We've reached the two-minute warning, and the Raiders offense is showing signs of life.
When play resumes, Carr and Co. will be facing a 1st and 10 from the Kansas City 28-yard line.
The Silver and Black have now pulled closer at 21-10 following a one-yard touchdown run by Latavius Murray, his 12th of the season, and that will be the score when we resume play following halftime.
The Chiefs will receive the ball to start the second half.
Third Quarter:
On the second play from scrimmage in the second half, TJ Carrie has picked off an Alex Smith pass and returned the ball to the Kansas City 18-yard line.
While the Raiders weren't able to find the end zone, Sebastian Janikowski has connected on a 33-yard field goal to bring the score to 21-13 in favor of the Chiefs with 13:09 left in the third quarter.
Oh man, Khalil Mack has done it again.
On the very first play following the Raiders field goal, Mack rushed around the edge, sacking Alex Smith and forcing a fumble in the process.
Denico Autry recovered the fumble, but after a botched field goal attempt, the Silver and Black were unable to come away with any points.
The teams traded punts for the rest of the quarter, so as we head into the final frame, the Chiefs still lead 21-13, and will face a 1st and 14 from their own six-yard line when play resumes.
Fourth Quarter:
Neither team has been able to get anything rolling offensively thus far in the fourth quarter, as both defenses have dug in and looked impressive.
As it stands now, the Chiefs are facing a 1st and 10 from midfield with 9:00 left in regulation, still leading the Silver and Black 21-13.
The Raiders defense has forced yet another Kansas City punt, and so with 7:25 left in the fourth quarter, the Silver and Black is now facing a 1st and 10 from their own 10-yard line.
With just under two minutes left in the ball game, the Raiders couldn't convert on a 4th and 6, and the Chiefs will now take over at their own 19-yard line with 1:56 left.
The Chiefs ran the clock out, felling the Raiders 21-13, dropping the Silver and Black's record to 10-3 in the process.
