Raiders come back to edge Chiefs 31-30 in wild finish.
Lynch ejected from win that could save Raiders’ season
When the game finally reached its surreal conclusion, after the final down was replayed into eternity, the Raiders had survived. Survived the Chiefs. Perhaps survived a 2-4 start.
And survived the bizarre implosion of running back Marshawn Lynch.
Of all the weird things that happened on Thursday night in the Raiders’ 31-30 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs — and no one who watched it will ever again say Thursday Night Football is terrible — one of the weirdest happened in the second quarter.
With 6:05 remaining in the first half, Derek Carr was hammered on a quarter-
back keeper. Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters came in late with a hit. Raiders offensive linemen Donald Penn objected and went after Peters.
“I saw my quarterback on the ground and someone hit him late,” Penn said. “And I don’t play that. I ran over there . ... There was a big old commotion.”
Suddenly, running with an intensity he hasn’t shown on the field in recent weeks, Lynch came flying in from the sideline, headed toward Peters. On his way to Peters, Lynch pushed an official, not once but twice.
Flags flew. Peters received an unnecessary roughness penalty, but Lynch was ejected for making contact with an official.
Peters, an Oakland native, has been mentored by Lynch. Was Lynch trying to protect him and push him toward the sideline? Was Lynch peeved because he had received only two carries for nine yards?
Lynch, of course, won’t give his side of the story to the media. Turns out his protege Peters is also media-unfriendly. He barked at me as he left the locker room when I asked if he would talk.
But Lynch was in the Raiders’ locker room after the game. And his teammates seemed to understand the context for his bolt from the bench.
“He was sticking up for his cousin. They’re that close,” Penn said. “I know that’s what he was doing. The same thing Chris Long did for his brother. That’s what happened. He’ll learn from it. “
In 2013, Long came off the bench to pull his younger brother, Chicago Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long, out of a skirmish. But the then-St. Louis Rams defensive end didn’t put his hands on an official.
Lynch did, so there willbe ramifications. Any punishment — fines or a suspension — will likely be announced by the league in the coming days.
“I was disappointed he ran out there,” Coach Jack Del Rio said. “I knew we had a 15-yard penalty and were in good position. I told him you can’t leave the bench like that.”
It was a noteworthy moment in a very odd night.
“We win it, we lose it, we win it, we lose it,” Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith said of the final play of the game, which kept being replayed, finally ending with a touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree.
“Which play — the final? Or the final final?” said Crabtree who had already had one would-be game-winning touchdown overturned three plays before the eventual winner.
The victory stopped the carnage the Raiders have been suffering. It ended a four-game losing streak, as well as a streak of domination by the Chiefs, who had won five in a row and seven of eight over the Raiders and had never lost to Del Rio.
Though the Raiders still sit two games behind the Chiefs in the AFC West, this game might be a springboard to better things and to a renewed confidence, especially for the beleaguered offense.
“Going into it, I thought it was a must win,” Penn said.
This was desperation time not only for the team but for the fans.
Late in the game, when it looked like the losing streak might reach five, the boos started to fall down like the light rain that misted the field. Fans have invested thousands of dollars in tickets, they drive long distances for games — all to support a team that is turning its back on them for Las Vegas. Out in the parking lot before the game, you could tell the frustration was beginning to mount.
Lynch was supposed to be an antidote to the bitterness of the Vegas move. But his homecoming story has been as disjointed as the Raiders’ season. He is averaging 10.3 carries per game and 3.7 yards a carry. He has scored just two touchdowns.
Back when Lynch was dancing on the sidelines during the Raiders’ first home game in Week 2, it seemed like he and the Raiders would go together like peanut butter and jelly. Instead, it’s been sticky.
Lynch may not still be the player a team can build a ground game around. And though everyone likes to say that Lynch “just does his own thing” and “marches to a different beat,” having a player with a different set of rules is a challenge. It’s one thing to carry a Seahawks team to a Super Bowl. It’s another thing to come into a new team, with an established locker room, after being retired for a year.
Lynch marched to his own beat again on Thursday and wasn’t on the field for the muchneeded win. And he may not be on the field when the Raiders are looking for their next one.
Just one strange development in a night of them.