Chiefs' unflinching defense stumps Raiders for control of AFC West
Channel: information general
Date: 09/12/2016

Chiefs' unflinching defense stumps Raiders for control of AFC West

Chiefs make statement in Thursday Night Football win over Raiders
KANSAS CITY — If the Kansas City Chiefs ultimately wind up winning the AFC West, they can point to two major defensive stops on a frigid Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium that got them there.

The Chiefs defense, playing without their veteran captain and leading tackler Derrick Johnson, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury in the second quarter, faced consecutive third-quarter drives starting in the red zone against an MVP-candidate quarterback in Derek Carr and a dynamic Raiders offense.

In holding the Raiders to just one field goal in those two red zone trips en route to a 21-13 AFC West-altering win, the Chiefs showed championship mettle. Carr completed only one of his six passing attempts for zero yards in those two drives, the second of which ended with an aborted field goal attempt after a bad snap.
Three things became apparent during and after Kansas City’s 21-13 win against AFC West rival Oakland on Thursday night.

The first is that Kansas City, with its staunch defense and respected head coach and frustrating quarterback, is the only team in the AFC in New England’s class. The next is that Tyreek Hill has officially established himself as one of the most electrifying players in the NFL. And finally, with Derek Carr’s lackluster performance, the NFL MVP race is back to being wide open.

First thing’s first. The Chiefs have beaten their third straight playoff team, and their most recent triumph was against a team many believed to be the best in the conference. The Chiefs controlled the line of scrimmage Thursday night and outplayed and outcoached the Raiders for the second time this season.