The Raiders came into Week 8 hoping to claim a second straight win against Kansas City, but third-down struggles on defense and missed opportunities in the red zone on offense resulted in a 27-20 loss.
Here are some key takeaways and metrics from Sunday's game.
Getting off script
The Raiders continued to have success on game-opening possessions as quarterback Gardner Minshew II went 5-of-5 for 53 yards and led the offense on a 70-yard touchdown drive.
It was the third time in the last four weeks that the Silver and Black have scored touchdowns on their opening drive. Where they've struggled is sustaining that level of execution. The offense began back-to-back possessions in the third quarter at the Chiefs 28-yard line and three-yard line but came away with only three total points. The Raiders have not scored a touchdown in the second or third quarter since the Week 4 win over Cleveland.
"I thought early on, our offense, again, came out, opened the drive scripted, went down there, was moving," Head Coach Antonio Pierce said. "As that went on, I thought there were opportunities there for us to make plays, and we're not executing at a high enough level. When there are opportunities there, we're not making them, and that's really the bottom line."
Money down mishaps
The Raiders defense came into the game allowing their opponents to convert on only 30.6 percent of their third down opportunities - the second-best rate in the NFL.
Early on, defensive end Tyree Wilson beat left tackle Wanya Morris and sacked Patrick Mahomes on third down to force a punt. But as the game went on, it was the Chiefs offense that dominated on third down, going 12-of-16. Mahomes went 9-of-11 on third-down passes and all nine completions picked up a first down. The Chiefs' 12 third-down conversions are the most in a game by any NFL team this season.
Rushing struggles resurface
After surpassing 100 rushing yards in three of the last four games, the Raiders' rushing attack was stifled by one of the league's best run defenses. Entering Sunday's divisional matchup, Kansas City ranked third in the NFL in opponent's yards per rush (3.8) and tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns allowed (five). That run defense showed up at Allegiant Stadium as the Raiders recorded 33 yards on 21 carries, setting season-lows in yards and yards per rush (1.57). Per Next Gen Stats, Raiders ball carriers were contacted behind the line of scrimmage on 61.9% of their carries.
"We want to run the football, we want to be physical up front and win the line of scrimmage," Pierce said Monday morning. "That didn't happen last night. We got knocked back in critical moments, not all the time, but in critical moments, especially when we were down there at the goal line."
Defensively, the Raiders held up against the run, limiting a Chiefs offense that had topped 100 rushing yards in five straight games to only 82 rushing yards
Individual Milestones
Safety Tre'von Moehrig tied his single-game season high with nine total tackles (five solo) and added his second interception of the year. He is the eighth defensive back in Raiders history – the first since 2014 (Charles Woodson) – to record 2+ interceptions and 4+ tackles for loss in a single season.
Robert Spillane tied his single-game season high with 12 tackles (six solo) and one tackle for loss. Spillane (six) and Denzel Perryman (seven in 2021) are the only two players in Raiders history (since 1987) to start a season with 6+ games of 10+ tackles in the first eight games of a single season. It was Spillane's 16th career game with 10+ tackles, tying Antonio Pierce (16) for the 11th most such games among undrafted defenders since 2000.
Minshew completed 24-of-30 passes (80.0%) for 209 yards, two touchdowns and a 117.9 passer rating. His 80.0% completion percentage is tied for the third best single-game completion percentage in the NFL this season (min. 30 att.).
View the best photos from the Raiders' Week 8 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium.