Raiders Stun Chiefs

Seven years of misery at Arrowhead Stadium ended for the Raiders with a 40-32 win over the unbeaten defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

It was a signature win for quarterback Derek Carr, who was 0-6 at Kansas City, as well as the biggest win in the second tenure of coach Jon Gruden.

Carr had touchdown passes of 59 yards to Nelson Agholor, 5 yards to Darren Waller and 72 yards to rookie Henry Ruggs III, with Josh Jacobs (23 carries, 77 yards) adding touchdown runs of seven and two yards. Carr completed 22 of 31 passes for 347 yards, shaking off an early interception that led to a Chiefs touchdown.

It was a Carr quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 with less than two-minutes to play at the Chiefs’ 45 yard line that sealed the win.

Daniel Carlson had field goals of 38 and 43 yards for the Raiders, who improved to 3-2 heading in to their bye week after facing four straight opponents that were in the playoffs in 2019.

Kansas City, which matched the Raiders point for point in a 24-24 first half, stalled as the Raiders’ much-maligned defense came out of nowhere to force three straight punts and get a huge interception and 48-yard return from safety Jeff Heath.

Gruden did his best to be under control on what was his most significant Sunday since he won the Super Bowl against the Raiders against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following the 2003 season.

“We’re getting better,” Gruden said. “We’re finding ways to move the ball. We got some stops when we needed them, but we still have a long way to go.”

For the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes (22 of 43, 340 yards) had a three-yard touchdown run and scoring passes of 10 yards to Tyreek Hill and eight yards to Sammy Watkins. Harrison Butker also kicked a 32-yard field goal. Mahomes threw a third touchdown pass to Travis Kelce and hit Darryl Williams for a two-point conversion to cut the Raiders’ lead to 40-32 with 3:57 left. They never got the ball back.

During the seven game losing streak at Arrowhead, the Raiders had never scored more than 17 points in a game. They scored 21 in the second quarter alone.

After the Raiders forced three straight punts, the Chiefs had to go for a first down on fourth-and-7 in their own territory and Mahomes threw an interception to reserve safety Jeff Heath. Heath returned it 48 yards to the 2-yard line, where Jacobs finished it off with a 2-yard run and a 40-24 lead with 5:26 remaining.

It was Mahomes’ first interception of the season and highlighted a defensive effort that saw the Raiders force three straight punts before Heath’s play.