KANSAS CITY — The Raiders’ words and explanations ring more and more hollow as their season turns from disappointing to disastrous.
At this point, quarterback Geno Smith is all but done with the talk anyway.
The breaking point was Sunday’s embarrassing 31-0 beatdown at the hands of the Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The Raiders (2-5) were outplayed and outcoached in all three phases in their fifth loss in six games. They also lost by 30-plus points for the second time in three weeks after a 40-6 defeat to the Colts on Oct. 6.
“That’s embarrassing, man. We put too much into this game to come out here and not have a shot,” Smith said. “My heart’s broken, really, for Raider fans, you know what I mean? There’s a lot that goes into this. And there’s a lot of things on that field that we can do better.”
The Chiefs (4-3) scored touchdowns on their first four drives and kicked a field goal on their fifth to go up 31-0 with 2:36 remaining in the third quarter. Former Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew replaced Patrick Mahomes the rest of the way.
Kansas City finished with a 30-3 edge in first downs, a 434-95 edge in total yards and a 77-30 edge in plays. The Chiefs also posted their first shutout since 2011.
Mahomes completed 26 of his 35 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Rashee Rice had seven catches for 42 yards and two touchdowns in his season debut after serving a six-game suspension.
Smith completed 10 of his 16 passes for 67 yards before being replaced by backup Kenny Pickett in the fourth quarter. Pickett fumbled the snap his first play of the game.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. Defense stood no chance
The Chiefs were on a different planet than the Raiders on Sunday.
Kansas City’s offense toyed with its opponent. The Chiefs’ first three drives went nine plays for 92 yards, 17 plays for 84 yards and 16 plays for 94 yards.
Whatever game plan coach Pete Carroll and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham drew up needs to be thrown in the garbage. Nothing worked. And there seemed to be little passion or attention to detail from the players.
“We needed to play differently to have that chance today,” Carroll said.
The Chiefs, in the first half alone, had 21 first downs and 275 yards. They got right back to work in the second half, going 65 yards on 11 plays to take a 28-0 lead after the first drive of the third quarter.
2. Where was the offense?
Yes, the Raiders played without tight end Brock Bowers (knee), wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (knee/toe) and left tackle Kolton Miller (ankle). But that’s no reason for the team to cave when confronted with adversity.
Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly forgot about running back Ashton Jeanty, giving the rookie just one carry in the first quarter and four in the first half. The Raiders trailed 28-0 by the time Jeanty got the ball on consecutive plays.
Carroll blamed Jeanty’s lack of touches on the team’s inability to get first downs or get the Chiefs off the field. The Raiders hoped to control the clock with their running game. That went out the window when Kansas City took a huge lead.
“We just couldn’t get there,” Carroll said. “We didn’t change our mind about that at all. We didn’t miss that thought. We just couldn’t get in charge of the down and distance well enough.”
Smith looked tentative and settled for mostly short throws. His offensive line didn’t offer much protection, and rookie wide receivers Dont’e Thornton Jr. and Jack Bech struggled to shake free of defenders.
The Raiders’ 30 plays were the fewest for an NFL team since the 1999 Browns, an expansion team.
3. Decision time?
The Raiders have now been outscored 51-9 in their two games against AFC West opponents this season, after a 20-9 loss to the Chargers in Week 2.
The team has some decisions to make as it heads into its bye week. Do the Raiders strip down their roster and go with a full rebuild? The Nov. 4 trade deadline is looming. It might be time for the Raiders to seriously consider some moves.
Carroll said the team for now is focused on getting healthy and preparing for its Nov. 2 game against the Jaguars (4-3).
“We’re moving ahead,” Carroll said. “The next game coming is huge to us.”
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at [email protected]. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
