Report card: Chiefs passing game shoulders load in Oakland
The Chiefs earned their 10th win of the season and remained unbeaten in AFC West play by beating the Oakland Raiders 40-33 on Sunday in Oakland.
The recap
Player of the game: Tight end Travis Kelce caught 12 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. He hauled in more than half of the completions Patrick Mahomes threw and more than half of Mahomes’ passing yardage.
Reason to hope: The Raiders were able to take away Mahomes’ first option on several plays and make him hold the ball. Mahomes still threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns without Sammy Watkins at his disposal.
Reason to mope: The Chiefs leading rusher on the day was also Mahomes with 52 yards. With Kareem Hunt now gone, you’d like to see more production from non-quarterback running options.
Looking ahead: The Chiefs return home and will host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
Report card
Rushing offense: C. The running back duo of Spencer Ware and Damien Williams combined for 85 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries. Both running backs were out-gained on the ground by quarterback Patrick Mahomes (52 yards). Overall, the offense averaged 5.8 yards per carry.
Passing offense: B+. For the most part, the Raiders opted to play coverage instead of bringing a variety of pressure or blitzes against Mahomes. The offensive line allowed Mahomes the time to sit in the pocket (no sacks allowed) and scramble around. Mahomes made plays on the run without committing a turnover, and even with Tyreek Hill’s contributions limited to one catch, Mahomes tossed for nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns.
Rushing defense: C-. Jalen Richard rushed for 95 yards on six carries as a complementary runner to Doug Martin (18 carries, 61 yards). The Raiders averaged 6.1 yards per carry and gained 171 yards on the ground.
Passing defense: C. They’d minimized the passing game until the last drive of the first half. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns. While the pass rush got to him for three sacks, tight end Jared Cook racked up 100 yards receiving and wide receiver Jordy Nelson had 10 catches for 97 yards.
Special teams: C. The field goal/PAT unit had another extra point try blocked, and the Raiders avoided giving Tyreek Hill any chances in the punt return game. Tremon Smith had a solid day on kickoff returns, and they handled the onside kick attempt well at the end of the game. Coverage unit were also solid and forced a pair of fair catches on punts.
Coaching: B. Given the off-field upheaval of the previous few days, the team did not appear to suffer from an egregious lack of focus or come out flat. Offensively, they didn’t seem quiet on the same level as at other points this season, yet still managed 40 points and adjusted to the Raiders game plan. Defensively, the final statistics for the Raiders were gaudy, but the Chiefs stifled their opponents for most of the first half and came up with key turnovers.
Lynn Worthy
Lynn Worthy covers the Kansas City Chiefs and NFL for The Star.
This story was originally published December 2, 2018 at 9:29 PM.