Less than a week after the Oakland Raiders handled business at home to open the season, Jon Gruden and his team could not replicate that performance six days later, as the Silver and Black fell to the Kansas City Chiefs 28-10 at the OACC.
With the loss – the team's first of 2019 – the Raiders now own a 1-1 record, with a Week 3 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings next on the agenda.
Here are six observations from the Sunday's game in Oakland.
1. Once again, the Raiders started fast
It worked out so well on Monday night against the Denver Broncos, that Derek Carr and the boys decided to run it back Sunday against the Chiefs.
After Kansas City deferred to the second half, Carr and the Raiders took the ball the length of the field, and while they weren't able to find paydirt, they were able to put three points up on the board to give themselves an early lead.
Following the field goal, Paul Guenther's defense held up their end of the bargain, forcing the high-flying Chiefs offense to punt the ball away, giving the ball back to Carr and his friends.
And after getting a little taste of points of their first drive of the day, the Silver and Black took full advantage on their next attempt, as No. 4 four marched the Raiders 74 yards, on six plays, ultimately finding Tyrell Williams for the team's first touchdown of the day.
Following the PAT, the Raiders held and early 10-0 lead, and while that advantage eventually dissipated, for the second week in a row, the Silver and Black came hot out of the gates.
2. DC made history
On a 16-yard pass to Darren Waller in the second quarter of Sunday's game at the OACC, Derek Carr became the franchise's all-time leading passer, supplanting Hall of Famer Ken Stabler at the very top of the Raiders' record books.
And while the end result of Sunday's clash didn't favor the Raiders, it remains important to give Carr his due for an incredibly impressive feat.
Carr finished his Week 2 outing 23 of 38 for 198 yards, one score,and two interceptions, but if you think about all the change that the veteran quarterback has had to deal without throughout his career, from coaches, personnel, and players, and then to look at all he has accomplished in spite of it all, his time in Silver and Black is all the more impressive.
It'll likely fall on deaf ears following Sunday's outing, but nevertheless, congratulations, Derek.
3. Kelce was… a problem
Travis Kelce is one of the best tight ends in the NFL, and he showed it once again on Sunday.
When all was said and done, the four-time Pro Bowler was – once again – thorn in the side of the Raiders defense.
After a slow start statistically, Kelce roared alive late in the first half, hauling in a touchdown on a beautiful pass from Mahomes.
It didn't matter who was on Kelce, whether it was Daryl Worley, Lamarcus Joyner, Gareon Conley or some combination of the three, No. 87 was yet again a man unable to be contained Sunday afternoon.
Without the services of Tyreek Hill, Mahomes fed Kelce early and often, and while the explosive tight end didn't finish the day with the most receiving yards – that distinction fell to Demarcus Robinson – he made sure that he left a permanent imprint on the game.
4. Mahomes did Mahomes things
Look, we knew coming into Sunday's game that it would be near impossible to shut down Patrick Mahomes, and while the Raiders did do a really good job by early, the levies eventually broke, and the reigning MVP showed why he's an elite quarterback in the NFL.
After a relatively quiet first quarter, on the very first play of the second frame, Mahomes dropped back and dropped a perfectly placed ball to Demarcus Robinson that resulted in the first Kansas City Chiefs points of the afternoon.
Later in the second quarter, Mahomes once again showed off the cannon, this time connecting with Mecole Hardman for a 42-yard touchdown, which proved to be just a precursor for what we'd see the rest of the afternoon.
In total, Mahomes recorded north of 440 passing yards, and his play is a big reason why the Chiefs are flying home happy.
5. Josh Jacobs kept running hard
The Raiders didn't earn their second win of the season Sunday afternoon, but that wasn't because of the play of rookie running back Josh Jacobs.
When the clock his triple zeroes, the University of Alabama-product nearly eclipsed the 100-yard mark and was a dynamic force on the ground for the second time in as many weeks.
Jacobs tallied 16 yards on the opening drive, and while he got rolling again in the second half once again, because of the score, the Silver and Black had to go away from feeding their bell cow back.
I know, it won't make people feel better, but I think Gruden and Co., have found their running back of the future.
6. It was a game of runs…
Sunday's gam at the OACC felt a little basketball-esque, as it was undoubtedly a game of runs.
The Raiders struck first, jumping out to an early 10-0 lead, but after that it was all Kansas City.
Following that 10-0 spurt, the Chiefs rattled off 28 straight – in a hurry – and that was ultimately all they needed to take care of business Sunday afternoon.
Things were looking glorious for the Silver and Black early, but once Mahomes got rolling, it was too much for the Raiders to handle.
But, as they say, it was just one game, and Carr and the Raiders will now shift their focus ahead to the Vikings next week.
