Lynch misses comeback after ejection
Running back was tossed for making contact with official during a scuffle
Marshawn Lynch ran for more yards coming to the aid of Marcus Peters than he did for the Raiders in a 31-30 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
With 6:12 left in the first half and the Raiders trailing 17-14, Lynch was ejected for contact with an official – and may face a fine or suspension.
On third-and-10 fromthe Chiefs 43-yard line, quarterbackDerek Carr took a shotgun snap and looked as if he planned on running up the middle. Hewas swarmed by Chiefs defenders, with Peters the last to arrive.
The Raiders took exception, with Kelechi Osemele going toward Peters, and Lynch — who wasn’t in the game at the time — came running off the bench to join the fray.
Peters, who went to McClymonds High, and Lynch, from Oakland Tech, have a close relationship.
“They can say what they want, but one thing’s certain— family do come first,” Peters told the Bay Area News Group as he headed for the Chiefs team bus.
During the scrum, Lynch pushed an official, a flag flew and the Raiders running back was immediately ejected and escorted from the field.
“I was disappointed that he ran out . . . I didn’t get a chance to have a conversation with him about it,” Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. “I told him you don’t leave the bench like that. That was about it. Next thing I knew, he was being tossed.”
Up to that point, Lynch had played a minor role in the game, carrying only twice for nine yards while teammate Jalen Richard carried six times for 30 yards. Richard played 13 snaps at halftime, Lynch 11 and DeAndre Washington seven.
Washington finished as the leading rusher with 33 yards on nine carries and had a 4-yard touchdown run.
“As soon as it happened, I went right over to Jalen and said, `It’s on us now,’ “Washington said. “It was unfortunate. I just saw guys going at it and stuff, and I know No. 22 (Peters) is kind of his kinfolk.”
The Raiders ended up not scoring on the drive, with Giorgio Tavecchio having a 53-yard field goal attempt deflected at the line of scrimmage by Eric Murray.
• Amari Cooper had a career night, finishing with 210 yards receiving and two touchdowns on 11 catches.
Cooper’s final catchwas a 39-yard reception that took the ball to the Chiefs’ 42 with 1:27 left in the fourth quarter. The play came on a Raiders’ second and 20 as he was targeted a staggering 19 times in the game. Cooper became the first Raiders’ receiver this season to have 100 yards receiving in a game, reaching the mark in the first half with five catches for 113 yards.
Cooper caught a 45-yard touchdown reception with 40 seconds left in the first quarter that gave the Raiders a 14-10 lead, and later hauled in a 38-yard touchdown with just over eight minutes left in the first quarter.
The catch came after a flea flicker between Carr and Lynch, as it was later confirmed that Cooper had broken the plane after an official review.
Cooper came into Thursday with just 18 receptions for 146 yards and one touchdown.
• The Raiders took four penalties in the first half for 55 yards and finished with 10 penalties for 97 yards, a departure fromwhat’s been a largely disciplined season. Coming into Thursday, the Raiders had just 302 yards in infractions, ninth-least in the NFL.
The Raiders had two other 15-yard penalties in the first half in addition to the one to Lynch. One stalled a Raiders drive and the other helped propel a Chiefs drive for a touchdown.
With 5:20 to go in the first quarter and Kansas City facing third and 10 at the Raiders’ 42, Denico Autry was called for roughing the passer that gave the Chiefs a first down at the Oakland 27.
On the second play after the penalty, quarterback Alex Smith found tight end Travis Kelce for a 10-yard touchdown and a 10-7 Kansas City lead.
• Cornerback David Amerson suffered a foot injury during Thursday’s game and did not return.