Oakland Raiders on a Roll: Win Over Chiefs Makes Raiders a Contender in the AFC

The Oakland Raiders just pulled off the biggest win since beating the Titans in the AFC Championship in '02.  The Raiders knocked off the AFC West-leading Chiefs 23-20 in overtime.  It wasn't a pretty game.  The Raiders had 15 penalties for 140 yards yet were able to overcome the adversity and pull out the huge win. 

During a rainy first half the Raiders offense struggled and the Chiefs, with the help of a few penalties, built a 10-0 lead and took it into halftime.  The Raiders dodged a bullet just before the half as the Chiefs had the ball inside Oakland's 10-yard line.  If the Chiefs score a TD here and go up 17-0 you could pretty much book this one.  Instead Matt Cassel gets intercepted thanks to some good coverage by Mike Mitchell and Jeremy Ware being in the right place at the right time.

The second half was a different story.  Jacoby Ford took the opening kickoff the distance swinging the momentum in Oakland's favor.  Michael Huff and Rock Cartwright combined to force a fumble on the ensuing kickoff.  The offense struggled but was in position to tie the game with a FG but Janikowski was off the mark.  The Chiefs then added a FG to make it a 13-7 lead. 

The Raiders offense finally came to life with a seven-play 74-yard drive capped off with a two-yard TD pass from Jason Campbell to 325-lb Khalif Barnes.  The defense held and the Raiders drove 75 yards on 12 plays getting a FG from Janikowski.  The Raiders led 17-13.

The defense held again and forced the Chiefs to punt and seemed to be in the driver's seat in this one.  Nick Miller fumbled the punt then got his arms around the ball as a KC defender did the same.  Rock Cartwright came out of the pile with the football but KC was awarded possession.  The Raider defense was caught confused and out of position and Cassel took advantage hitting Dwayne Bowe for a TD. 

Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders