3 takeaways from Raiders’ loss: Ugly mistakes keep losing streak alive
Here are three takeaways from the Raiders’ 19-17 loss to the Chiefs on Friday at Arrowhead Stadium:
1. Inventing new ways to lose
The Raiders did a lot of things right Friday. They put themselves in position to be the first road team to win in Kansas City since they upset the Chiefs on Christmas Day last season.
Then, the Raiders (2-10) found another way to lose. Their losing streak is now at eight games.
Rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson, with the Raiders at the Kansas City 32-yard line with 15 seconds remaining, appeared to snap the ball before quarterback Aidan O’Connell was ready. The Chiefs pounced on the subsequent fumble to seal their 14th straight win in a one-score game, breaking the NFL record.
O’Connell blamed himself afterward. The Raiders weren’t even trying to run an actual play there. The plan was for O’Connell to just waste a few seconds and then throw the ball out of bounds before the team attempted a game-winning field goal. It backfired in spectacular fashion.
The plan was no sure thing even if it had been executed properly. Kicker Daniel Carlson missed three of his four field-goal attempts Friday, including a 58-yard try with 2:21 remaining that would have given the Raiders the lead.
Another of Carlson’s misses came from 55 yards. O’Connell was sacked for a 15-yard loss the previous play, which made the kick far more difficult.
The Raiders’ miscues overshadowed an otherwise efficient day on both sides of the football. O’Connell completed 23 of his 35 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns. The Raiders also held the Chiefs (11-1) to just one touchdown on five trips to the red zone.
2. Sincerely improved ground game
The Raiders may have found a solution for their dreadful rushing attack. And it came from inside their own locker room.
Running back Sincere McCormick played well in Sunday’s loss to the Broncos, gaining 33 yards on five attempts. That earned him a larger role Friday, and he delivered.
McCormick ran for 64 yards on 12 carries to lead a Raiders’ ground game that gained more than 100 yards for the fourth time all season. The team entered Friday last in the NFL in rushing yards per game (74.6), but they had 116 on 25 attempts against the Chiefs.
Running back Ameer Abdullah started with Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quad) out with injuries for the second straight game. But Abdullah took on a complementary role as the game progressed.
He made a larger impact on special teams. Abdullah had a 68-yard kickoff return in the third quarter that set up the Raiders’ first touchdown.
He added an 18-yard punt return in the fourth quarter. Abdullah also had two catches for 14 yards on the Raiders’ final drive.
3. Tight end battle
Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers more than held in his own in his second career matchup with Chiefs star Travis Kelce, one of the best to ever play the position.
The two showed the AFC West is home to two of the NFL’s greatest tight ends.
Kelce finished with seven catches for 68 yards. He was an outlet for quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who faced constant pressure from the Raiders’ defense. Kelce also pulled off a lateral to running back Samaje Perine to help the Chiefs convert a third down in the second quarter.
Bowers, on the other hand, was targeted 14 times and was used in a variety of ways. He got the Raiders’ first touchdown, beating his man on a double move to haul in a 33-yard pass from O’Connell.
The 21-year-old finished with 10 catches for a career-high 140 yards to go with his score.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.