Week 11 Game Recap: Oakland Raiders 13, Kansas City Chiefs 17

What you need to know

Oakland Raiders

Oakland was not expected to have a chance in this game. They are in the middle of a losing season that has not had many bright spots. They just reinstated their starting quarterback, Aaron Brooks, after time off due to injury and they were visiting one of the more hostile environments that they regularly visit. Despite all of that, they were competitive for the entire game, led for quite a while, and very nearly pulled off the upset.

The Raiders may have outplayed the Chiefs during this contest. However the Raiders made key mistakes that stopped their drives and other key errors that allowed Kansas City to prolong their time possessing the ball. Oakland penalties halted impressive drives on their second and third possessions limiting them to a pair of field goals. Kansas City’s winning drive was kept going by an Oakland face mask penalty on a fourth and one play. Finally on the Raiders’ last chance, Brooks was intercepted by the Chiefs’ Jarrad Page in the end zone right in front of Randy Moss who had his hands down by his side while not making a play on the ball.

Aaron Brooks looked good for most of the game in his injury return and was able to pick apart the Chiefs’ defense. He completed 13 of 22 passes for 179 yards, due in large part to his scrambling ability and he also looked good running with the ball. He did have to leave late in the game for a few plays due to a hand injury, but he came back in during the final series.

Oakland now has a 2-8 record and their season remains in big trouble. Especially troubling were injuries suffered during the game. Lamont Jordan left the game when he injured his knee on the second Oakland offensive series. He was replaced by Justin Fargas for the game. He is apparently done for the season. Offensive lineman Robert Gallery was taken out of the game in the third quarter with a dislocated elbow.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs escaped with this victory. Despite Damon Huard leading Kansas City to five wins and three losses as a substitute signal caller, this was the Chiefs’ first game with quarterback Trent Green back at the controls. After suffering a nasty concussion in the first game of the year and missing nine consecutive starts, the Pro Bowler was brought back to a simplified offense to give him time to slowly get back to game speed. Green was also without his top receiver, tight end Tony Gonzalez who suffered a shoulder injury in the previous Kansas City contest.

Fortunately for the Chiefs, they were able to get away with Green’s slow return due to another tremendous game from running back Larry Johnson. Johnson collected 154 yards and scored two touchdowns on 31 carries. Johnson had no problem moving through the Raiders’ defense, often reaching the secondary before being stopped.

Green eventually showed a greater level of comfort on the final series of the game as he started to spread the ball around more and found open receivers. Even on that drive, it was still Larry Johnson who finished it off successfully for the Chiefs.

Still this game should be a bit alarming for the Chiefs’ faithful. It was a game they were supposed to win easily, but except for a few lucky breaks and a mammoth effort by Johnson, they would have lost to the visiting Raiders. Like the previous game, they were too often stopped on their offensive drives. Not counting the final possession of the half where they had only one play, they were three and out on two of three possessions in the first half.

What you ought to know

QB Aaron Brooks, Pass: 13 - 22 - 179 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 5 - 34 - 0

Brooks returned to his role as the starting quarterback for the Raiders in good form. The Chiefs mounted a good pass rush throughout the contest, but Brooks kept eluding them with impressive maneuverability while completing his throws. He compiled 179 yards while completing 13 of 22 passes. He would probably have had greater success if not for several damaging Oakland miscues. He did walk off of the field a couple times favoring his right leg and had apparent problems with his right hand late in the game, but managed to finish the contest.

QB Andrew Walter, Pass: 2 - 3 - 15 - 0 TD / 0 INT

Walter was brought in for four plays to begin the last Raiders’ drive while Brooks was worked on. He was then replaced by Brooks who completed the drive with a pass picked off in the end zone by the Chiefs’ Jarrad Page.

RB Justin Fargas, Rush: 19 - 52 - 0, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (2 targets)

Fargas was called on to replace starting running back Lamont Jordan after Jordan was taken out with a knee injury on the second Oakland drive of the game. He found the running difficult against the Chiefs, finishing with less than three yards per carry. With Jordan apparently out for the year, Fargas’ stock raises significantly.

RB LaMont Jordan, Rush: 4 - 24 - 0, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets)

Jordan appeared to be on track with a couple good runs when he suffered a knee injury during their second offensive possession. He was carted off to the locker room and never returned to play in the contest. He reportedly will miss the rest of the season.

RB Zack Crockett, Rush: 5 - 19 - 0

Crockett was effective as a blocking fullback and as a punishing change of pace fullback.

RB ReShard Lee, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0 (2 targets)

Lee was targeted twice and showed no receptions in the final statistics. He caught one pass thrown his way, but the completion was negated due to an Oakland penalty.

WR Ronald Curry, Rec: 5 - 85 - 0 (5 targets)

Curry was one of three receivers who Brooks targeted five times, but the speedy Curry was the most productive as he gained 85 yards while catching each pass thrown his way. With the problems in Oakland with Jerry Porter and Randy Moss, Curry is becoming a favorite at the wide receiver position.

WR Alvis Whitted, Rec: 2 - 37 - 0 (5 targets)

Whitted provided another good target for Brooks’ throws, catching two of the three passes sent his way.

WR Randy Moss (3 targets)

Moss, who is listed as a team captain, was not a primary outlet for Brooks’ passes. He was targeted only three times and did not catch any of them. On one play he was called for offensive pass interference. On the final Oakland play, the ball was intercepted in front of him as he stood there in the end zone with his hands down at his sides. He has been quoted recently that he does not always have motivation for playing and would be interested in a trade.

TE Courtney Anderson, Rec: 3 - 15 - 1 (4 targets)

Anderson provided a favorable target for Brooks who spread the ball around well. Anderson collected three of the four passes thrown his way, including one for the only Oakland touchdown of the day.

TE Randal Williams, Rec: 3 - 41 - 0 (5 targets)

Williams put out a good effort while catching three passes. Like Whitted and Curry, he was targeted five times.

PK Sebastian Janikowski 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points

Janikowski did all he was asked to do. He hit both of his field goal attempts, one from 41 and one from 36 yards out, and his only extra point try. He also handled the Oakland kickoffs.

OAK Rush Defense

The Oakland Raiders’ rushing defense faced one of the premiere running backs in the league and came up wanting. They were beaten for 197 yards by Larry Johnson and his occasional replacement, Michael Bennett. They were also victimized for two touchdowns. Regularly the Oakland defensive front four let the Chiefs’ running backs through and into the Raiders’ secondary.

OAK Pass Defense

The Raiders’ pass defense was pretty effective during most of this contest. Of course they did not have too much challenge early on as the Chiefs relied almost exclusively on the ground attack. In their final and most important confrontation, the real Trent Green stepped up and had success against them while leading the passing attack down the field. They did not give up a passing touchdown and only allowed 102 total yards through the air.

QB Trent Green, Pass: 9 - 16 - 102 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 4 - 0

Green’s timing was definitely a little bit off following weeks spent recovering from a severe concussion suffered in game one against Cincinnati. Fortunately he had Larry Johnson and the running attack to lean on while he worked to get his head back into real game time situations. He finished with only 102 yards through the air, but he was effective passing and leading the team on the decisive final scoring drive of the day.

RB Larry Johnson, Rush: 31 - 154 - 2

Johnson was not utilized in the aerial attack but he was a nightmare for the Raiders on the ground. He accumulated 154 yards and two touchdowns on 31 rushing attempts. He was often called on to convert third down plays for the Chiefs. He had little trouble pounding or slipping through the Raiders’ line, often dragging a defender with him.

RB Michael Bennett, Rush: 3 - 43 - 0, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (2 targets)

Bennett has become a very dependable and successful backup, change-of-pace runner. He could start for many teams and he is a luxury for the Chiefs. He hits the hole faster than Johnson and causes problems for a team that has been working on schemes to stop the punishing Larry Johnson. He totaled 53 yards through the air and on the ground in limited appearances.

WR Samie Parker, Rec: 3 - 44 - 0 (4 targets)

Parker became more prominent again in the offense as Green returned from his head injury and with Gonzalez out with a shoulder injury. Parker hauled in three of the four balls sent his way for a good 44 yards total.

WR Dante Hall, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (2 targets)

Hall caught both short passes thrown to him. He had some trouble with returns during the game, but managed one great 47 yard return just before the end of the first half.

WR Eddie Kennison, Rec: 2 - 38 - 0 (6 targets)

Kennison and Green did not seem to be clicking as well together for this game. Undoubtedly they will be after Green gets in some more first team practice. Kennison caught two of the six passes thrown to him and remains a top downfield threat for Green.

TE Kris Wilson (1 targets)

Wilson served double duty as substitute fullback for the injured Ronnie Cruz and as the primary tight end replacing the injured Tony Gonzalez. He did not have any carries or catches.

PK Lawrence Tynes 1 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points

Tynes had a rare miss, which seemed like cause for concern until the final successful Chiefs’ drive. The normally very dependable Tynes miss was from 35 yards. He did successfully convert his only other attempt from 37 yards and he was perfect on two extra point attempts.

KC Rush Defense

The Kansas City rushing defense bent but did not break. They gave up 133 yards on the ground, but stopped the Raiders when it mattered. They ended up allowing 3.9 yards per carry, but that average was inflated by successful scrambling by Aaron Brooks.

KC Pass Defense

The Chiefs were victimized by an extremely elusive quarterback. They hurried him and flushed him out of the pocket often, but he was able to break out and hit players while on the move and was able to gain 34 yards running. The Chiefs gave up 194 yards and one touchdown through the air. They bent way too much on the final drive for Oakland, allowing the Raiders to march down to the eight yard line in one minute before picking off their only interception of the game on the final offensive play for the Raiders. Rookie Jarrad Page capped a great individual effort with that pick.