Chiefs KO Raiders, seize control of the AFC West

KANSAS CITY:

The Kansas City Chiefs took control of the AFC West with a 21-13 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Thursday in chilly weather conditions. The result left the teams with identical 10-3 records, however, Kansas City has the tiebreak edge with two victories over Oakland this season. The loss snapped a six-game Raiders winning streak. The Chiefs suffered a big loss when inside linebacker Derrick Johnson went down with five minutes to play in the first half and needed help getting off the field.

The 34-year old first-round choice by Kansas City in the 2005 draft, missed 15 games in the 2014 season with a torn right Achilles. The Chiefs controlled the game in the first half thanks to rookie receiver-returner Tyreek Hill. He scored on a 36-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Alex Smith and added a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown. Running back Charcandrick West also contributed a three-yard scoring run. But in the second half, Kansas City was suddenly in a giving mood as Smith threw an interception and then was stripped of the ball on a sack by Oakland’s Khalil Mack.

The Raiders were not able to take advantage, scoring only on a 33-yard field goal from Sebastian Janikowski. Another field goal attempt in the third quarter went awry due to a bad snap. Kansas City kept handing the ball back to the visitors, as its offense was unable to generate any first downs or long possessions. Oakland quarterback Derek Carr completed just 41.5 percent of his throws (17 of 41). The only reliable part of Oakland’s offense was the running game as they rushed for 135 yards as a team with Latavius Murray contributing 103 yards on 22 carries. —Reuters