For a half, the Oakland Raiders appeared as if they might pull off the upset of the day Sunday in Kansas City.
The Raiders led 7-0 in the second quarter, and the combination of the Raiders’ Terrelle Pryor-led offense and stout defense was giving the 5-0 Chiefs a battle.
But after going into halftime tied 7-7 with K.C., the Raiders could generate nothing offensively in the second half and eventually wilted, losing 24-7 to the Chiefs and falling to 2-4 on the season.
Playing behind a patchwork offensive line that was crippled even further by injuries in Sunday’s game – center Andre Gurode and Tony Pashos (both backups playing for injured starters) were forced from the game, resulting in further juggling -- Pryor was under constant siege over the final two quarters.
He had no time to throw, and the Raiders’ line also struggled with holding penalties and false-start flags while trying to hold off the Chiefs’ constant pressure in a loud stadium in which the Raiders had trouble hearing their own calls.
Kansas City sacked Pryor 10 times Sunday for 67 yards in losses, with seven coming in the second half.
On many Raiders possessions, their drives went nowhere – or backwards.
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One early fourth-quarter Raiders possession was a perfect illustration of their woes: With a first-and-10 at the 50 with 7:26 remaining, the Raiders were called for holding. On their next play from the 40, Pryor was sacked for a loss of 12. From the 28, Oakland was called for delay of game. Five yards back at their 23, Pryor was sacked for a loss of 11, setting up a third-and-48 which, of course, the Raiders couldn’t convert.
At that point, the Raiders still trailed just 14-7, but that soon changed, when the Chiefs’ Marcus Cooper intercepted Pryor, resulting in a Chiefs field goal and a 17-7 lead. Four plays into Oakland’s next possession, Pryor was intercepted again, this time by Husain Abdullah, who returned the ball 44 yards for the final margin of victory.
Pryor, put in a desperate situation late in the game, finished with horrible numbers, completing 18-of-34 throws for 216 yards and a TD, but with three interceptions – all three on throws that appeared ill-advised. Oakland finished with just 149 net yards passing.
Now, the Raiders thankfully come up on their bye week, in dire need of time for some of their wounded on the offensive line to heal. Oakland won’t play gain until Oct. 27, when the Pittsburgh Steelers come to O.co Coliseum.
