OAKLAND – Raiders got beat soundly in a 26-10 home loss to the rival Kansas City Chiefs, and head coach Jack Del Rio made it clear no one escapes blame after this disaster.
What was the issue?
“We got outplayed and outcoached,” Del Rio said.
They certainly did.
Execution was poor on offense and defense. Play calls didn’t help overcome on-field issues, which left the Raiders listless as the game wore on.
Pointing the finger at one player, coach or position group would ignore a system-wide misstep in this key AFC West showdown.
Kansas City played Chiefs football, with steady defense, a dynamic run game and enough short/intermediate passing to keep chains moving.
Sports
The Raiders weren’t themselves on offense, scoring a season-low 10 points. The committed multiple turnovers for the first time all year. Derek Carr was erratic. The run game was not productive. Amari Cooper was taken away late and Michael Crabtree was invisible.
Carr didn’t know exactly what went wrong offensively.
Del Rio did.
“We got outplayed and outcoached,” Del Rio said. “Take your pick.”
The Raiders NFL-worst defense was porous yet again, though 406 yards allowed wasn’t mitigated by takeaways and strong third-down defense.
Raiders veterans were worried after last week’s win that all that yardage would eventually bite them. It did on Sunday.
“It can’t continue,” Del Rio said, “not for us to be the kind of team we have designs on being.”
Players were pissed after this one. They knew it was a missed opportunity to take control in the AFC West, which is now congested at the top. Denver and Oakland are tied for first, with Kansas City equal in the loss column.
Team captain Reggie Nelson’s takeaway from this one: “We need to get better.”
That’s essential to compete against the league’s better teams.
Del Rio found a positive in a game where nothing outside an opening touchdown drive went right.
“The biggest silver lining is that it’s just one day,” Del Rio said. “We didn’t get anybody hurt. … Good or bad, we’re moving on.”
