Upon the Denver Broncos suffering their second consecutive loss on Thursday, the Oakland Raiders had a chance to obtain a one-game lead in the AFC West. In their second consecutive game at the Coliseum, the Raiders unbuckled in a 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Raiders offense was held in check in the second half, halting any potential comeback efforts from quarterback Derek Carr.
However, the defense was once again unable to shown any vast improvements, which dug a hole for them to come back from. For the game, the Raiders only collected one sack, courtesy of Khalil Mack.
The Chiefs held about 36 minutes of possession for the game, which was 13 more than the Raiders. The ground game for the Chiefs dominated once again, courtesy of Jamaal Charles and Spencer Ware. The duo combined for 164 yards on the ground, with a touchdown apiece.
After the game, defensive end Bruce Irwin was asked about the lapses in defense and gave credit to Kansas City Chiefs, via Raiders.com:
“We go over this every week. It’s the same thing; I don’t know what else to tell ya’ll,” Irvin said. “Kansas City had a great game plan, hats off to them. They did a lot we didn’t address.”
For the contest, the Raiders allowed 407 total yards on offense. While that outing alone ranks amongst the worst in the league, it is an improvement for head coach Jack Del Rio’s defense.
Heading into the game, the Raiders were allowing roughly 460 yards per game. However, after the lackluster performance on Sunday, it dropped to an average of 444.8 yards per game.
While the defense was also unable to force a turnover in the game, the rain presented many difficult opportunities on the field. Players were seen constantly slipping, which factored into Carr’s lone interception.
Irvin shed light on the defense, stating he still believes in the unit and how they will improve:
“It’s frustrating, but I still believe in this group,” Irvin stated. “I still feel like we got a great group of guys. We’re not going to fold or anything like that. We will continue to work and turn this thing around.”
Throughout the postgame interview, Irvin continually emphasized the importance of consistency.
In the National Football League, consistency is the model of success. Franchises must be able to maintain focus throughout the game, avoid lapses on defense.
Irvin reiterated the mental lapses, stating that improvements must be made in terms of the entire game.
