Taking advantage of Kansas City's sloppiness, the Raiders defense helped power Oakland to a 26-16 win. Now, 3-4, the Raiders could find themselves tied for first place in the AFC West by the end of the night.
In many ways, it was a bizarro Sunday afternoon in Kansas City.
The Raiders won this game because they won the turnover battle (four takeaways to just one giveaway) and committed only two penalties, as opposed to the Chiefs who had five infractions for 40 yards.
Carson Palmer's numbers won't look great (14-of-28 for 209 yards, two TDs and one INT), but he was poised and made enough plays to overcome a few drops and misreads by his young receiving corps.
Credit must be given to Darren McFadden, who turned things in the second half. At one point, he had 13 carries for 16 yards. His last 16 carries went for 98 yards to give him his second 100-yard game of the 2012 season. Denarius Moore had a couple of drops but also caught five passes for 96 yards and a nice nine-yard touchdown.
As I do every week, I highlighted five keys to a Raider win. And here's how they did.
Don't Give Away Points
This one started ominously as Palmer's first pass of the game was intercepted by former Raider Stanford Routt, who returned it 17 yards and put the Chiefs in prime position. But the Raiders defense shut down Kansas City and didn't allow even a field goal attempt.
From that point on, the Raiders protected the ball and forced the Chiefs to earn what they got. It helped them get, maintain and hold their lead. Well done today.
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Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
