Raiders defense leads team to 26-16 win against Chiefs

Originally published on SBReport.net on Oct. 28, 2012


The Raiders defensive line was largely believed to be a strong point of the team heading into the season but has not performed up to expectations for the most part.

Richard Seymour and the Raiders front seven were able to dominate the Chiefs offensive line and limit a struggling Chiefs offense.

The Raiders defensive line was able to consistently apply pressure on Chiefs quarterbacks and stop Jamaal Charles and the Chiefs rushing attack.

Starting quarterback Brady Quinn got knocked out of the game with a head injury when linebacker Rolando McClain rushed up the middle and hit Quinn on the Chiefs second drive of the game. McClain was able to force a fumble, the first of his career, but Quinn was able to recover.

Defensive end Matt Shaughnessy was able to get to him on the next play and apply pressure that forced a poor throw that was intercepted by safety Matt Giordano. Quinn would not return to the game after being replaced by Matt Cassel.

Overall, the Raiders defense sacked the Chiefs quarterbacks three times after coming into the game with just seven sacks on the season. They also recorded two interceptions to go along with a forced fumble and recovery.

The offense got to a rough start with quarterback Carson Palmer throwing an interception on the first play from the line of scrimmage. Palmer looked to find Darrius Heyward-Bey deep down the left sideline but Heyward-Bey didn’t attack the ball and the pass was intercepted by former Raiders cornerback Stanford Routt.

Attacking Routt became a habit for the Raiders offense as Palmer continuously looked to target whatever receiver Routt was covering. Both of the Raiders touchdown, one to wide receiver Denarius Moore and one to Darrius Heward-Bey, were with Routt in coverage.

Palmer shook off his early interception to lead the offense to the red zone the next series, but the offense stalled there and the team had to settle for a field goal off the foot of Sebastian Janikowski for the early 3-0 lead. In fact, the Raiders had to settle for four field goals from Janikowski, who has hit 43 straight field goals from under 40 yards.

Palmer and the offense were able to capitalize on a muffed punt by Chiefs return man Javier Arenas that gave the ball to the Raiders on the Chiefs 12-yard line. There, Palmer found Moore in the back of the end zone for the touchdown. The touchdown reception marked the third straight game that Moore has hauled in a touchdown. The score also gave the Raiders a 13-6 lead heading into halftime.

Cassel and the Chief’s offense continued to struggle when Cassel fumbled the snap over to the Raiders on the opening play of the second half. Though the Raiders failed to get into the endzone, they were able to tack on another field goal by Janikowski.

Running back Darren McFadden was able to get the running game going some in the third quarter as he found a big hole behind left guard Mike Brisiel for a 19-yard gain. Tight end Brandon Myers contributed with a nice block downfield that springed McFadden deep into the second level. McFadden finished with 114 yards on 29 carries to go with four receptions for 23 yards.

Four plays later, Palmer was able to find Heyward-Bey on a comeback route who put a move on Routt and got to the end zone to put the Raiders up 23-9.

Oakland’s defense recorded its second interception on the ensuing drive when Pat Lee made a nice diving catch to record the interception on the Raiders own two-yard line.

Kansas City’s first touchdown of the game didn’t occur until about three minutes remained in the game when Cassel found utility player Dexter McCluster on a screen for a 10-yard touchdown to cut the Raiders lead to 26-16.

But the Raiders and McFadden were able to run the clock out from there, not allowing the Chiefs offense to get the ball back and securing the Raiders 26-16 victory. The win marked the sixth straight contest between the two teams at Arrowhead Stadium that the Raiders have been victorious.

Palmer finished just 14/28 for 209 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The Raiders were able to limit the penalties this week, finishing with just two penalties for 20 yards.

A key to the win was the Raider ability to prevent the Chiefs rushing attack. The Chiefs finished with just 102 rushing yards, 53 of which came from quarterback scrambles.

Oakland looks to make it three in a row as they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week.