Until Sunday, the Oakland Raiders have been miracle workers in the fourth quarter.
The Raiders staged comeback victories over the Saints and Ravens this season, and had a big effort last week against the Chargers in building a 4-1 record. Quarterback Derek Carr, in fact, was the most effective passer in the NFL this season when playing from behind.
But against the visiting Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, the Chiefs were just too dominant on offense -- and solid defensively -- to allow the Raiders to claw their way back into the game. The end result was a 26-10 Raiders defeat.
The Raiders came out quickly to take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 3-yard scoring pass from Carr to Andre Holmes.
But from that point, the Chiefs dominated the game. They held a 13-10 lead at the half, then added a touchdown and two field goals over the final two quarters -- while holding the Raiders scoreless -- to stop the Raiders' winning streak at three games.
With about seven minutes remaining the Raiders' last chance disappeared when Carr lost the football after taking a hard hit, and Kansas City recovered at its own 12-yard line.
The Chiefs won the turnover battle, 2-0, while quarterback Alex Smith -- who was 7-1 vs. Oakland coming into the game -- was brilliant, completing 19-of-22 throws for 224 yards. The Raiders defense also had no answer for third-year running back Spencer Ware, who carried 21 times for 131 yards and a TD.
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One bright spot on the day was the play of Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper, who had nine catches in the first half en route to 10 catches for 129 yards.
The Raiders, tied for first in the AFC West with the Denver Broncos at 4-2, will try to rebound this coming Sunday vs. the Jaguars in Jacksonville.
