ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Raiders held Patrick Mahomes and the high-powered Kansas City Chiefs in check for three of four quarters.
It's what happened in the second quarter that doomed Oakland and exposed the wide gap between the Raiders and the defending AFC West champion Chiefs.
The Raiders allowed Mahomes to throw for 278 yards and four touchdowns in the second quarter alone, leading to Kansas City's 28-10 victory Sunday in a game where the Chiefs failed to score in the first quarter or the second half for the only time in Mahomes' 19 regular season starts.
"There were a lot of good things. Unfortunately, there were some big plays that they made," Raiders coach Jon Gruden said Monday. "A couple of them we had breakdowns, and we can't have those breakdowns."
Almost all of them came during a dizzying stretch in the second quarter when Mahomes beat Oakland deep on the four deep TD passes that all went for at least 27 yards — most of it through the air.
Some came on communication breakdowns in the back end like when Demarcus Robinson streaked down field all alone for a 44-yard score on the first play of the second quarter. Others when Mahomes made perfectly placed throws into coverage that his receivers caught.
In all, the Raiders allowed eight pass plays of at least 20 yards, with five of them coming in the second quarter.
Defensive back Lamarcus Joyner attributed most of the big plays to mistakes by Oakland rather than a lack of talent.
"When you saw us in single high and we match one on one with those guys we did well," he said. "But when we did a few different zone things when they kind of schemed us up and made us communicate, they got big chunk plays."
WHAT'S WORKING
The Raiders got off to another fast start. They took the opening kickoff and drove to a field goal a week after starting the game with a TD. They added a touchdown on the second drive to take a 10-0 lead. The defense also forced punts on Kansas City's opening two drives as the Raiders got the first two scores of the game for the second straight week.
WHAT NEEDS HELP
Receiver Tyrell Williams and tight end Darren Waller provided more production in the passing game for a second straight week. But the Raiders aren't getting nearly enough out of the rest of the receivers. Ryan Grant was targeted five times, caught one pass for minus-2 yards, committed three penalties and had one pass thrown his way intercepted. Rookie Hunter Renfrow caught four passes but gained only 30 yards on those plays and undrafted rookie Keelan Doss only played a handful of plays. Derek Carr is averaging just 2.6 yards per attempt when throwing to receivers other than Williams.
STOCK UP
First-round running back Josh Jacobs is off to a fast start this season. He had 12 carries for 99 yards, tied for the seventh most in a game for a Raiders rookie. That comes after he became the first player since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2001 to gain at least 100 yards from scrimmage and score two rushing touchdowns in his debut. His 184 yards rushing are the second most ever for a Raiders rookie in the first two weeks of the season. He showed elusiveness and power, especially on a 51-yard run that he extended for about 10 extra yards by initiating contact instead of going out of bounds.
STOCK DOWN
Carr followed up one of his best games under Gruden with a rather forgettable one. He went 23 for 39 for 198 yards, one TD and two interceptions and struggled after the opening two drives. He threw an interception in the end zone on a miscommunication with Williams that thwarted any comeback attempt. In all, he had his 21st career game with at least 30 attempts and less than 200 yards, by far the most in the league since his rookie year in 2014.
INJURED
The Raiders have several injured players getting checked out, including Jacobs (groin), Williams (hip pointer), RT Trent Brown (sore knee), and returner Dwayne Harris (ankle). There were no updates on their status. ... Gruden said RG Gabe Jackson is making good progress recovering from a knee injury but won't be ready to play this week. ... LG Richie Incognito returned to the team after a two-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
KEY NUMBER
90. The game changed when the Chiefs scored TDs on back-to-back drives of at least 90 yards in the second quarter to take a 21-10 lead. The Raiders had allowed multiple TD drives of at least 90 yards in a game just twice in the previous 20 years, doing it in last year's season finale against Kansas City and against Miami in the final game before coach Dennis Allen was fired in 2014.
NEXT STEPS
The Raiders now embark on a long road trip that won't have them returning to Oakland for a game until November. They visit Minnesota this week followed by a trip to Indianapolis. They go straight from there to London for a "home" game against Chicago before going to Green Bay and Houston following an off week.
