Raiders earn first win in over a year
OAKLAND, Calif. -- In a game in which a new running back prospect burst onto the scene, rookie quarterback Derek Carr reminded everyone why he's considered the future of the Oakland Raiders offense.
Carr capped an 80-yard, do-or-die drive by hitting veteran wideout James Jones with a 9-yard touchdown pass with 1:42 remaining, giving the Raiders their first win of the season, a 24-20 stunner over the NFC West-contending Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night.
Carr's heroics produced the Raiders' first win since beating the Houston Texans on Nov. 17, 2013, after second-year back Latavius Murray scored his first two NFL touchdowns -- 11- and 90-yarders in the first half -- as Oakland (1-10) built an early 14-point lead.
"It felt like I just took a bath in the fountain of youth," Raiders veteran defensive tackle Antonio Smith said. "I found the key to life now, man. It's just flowing through my veins right now."
Murray sustained a concussion later in half and left the game for good with 112 yards on just four carries.
It then became Carr's game to win or lose.
The loss dropped Kansas City (7-4) out of a first-place tie with Denver in the AFC West. The Chiefs and Broncos meet Nov. 30 in Kansas City.
"Congratulations to the Raiders," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "They outplayed us (and) outcoached us. I didn't have the football team ready to go the way we should have."
Oakland's game-winning drive started after Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos broke a 17-17 tie with a 25-yard field goal with 9:03 remaining in the game.
Carr drove the Raiders 80 yards in 17 plays, including his own sneak on fourth-and-1 at the Kansas City 43.
The touchdown pass to Jones came on first-and-goal, completing a drive that ate up 7 minutes, 21 seconds.
Quarterback Alex Smith drove the Chiefs into Raiders territory in the final seconds, but he was sacked by linebacker Sio Moore on third down from the Oakland 45, then threw incomplete on fourth-and-13.
"I don't even know how to explain the feeling," Moore said. "We decided when we came in here at halftime that we weren't going to let them get out of the deep end of the pool and we were going to finish it off. I'm just happy to see that on both sides of the ball, we finished it."
Carr finished 18-for-35 for 174 yards and the one score.
Alex Smith threw for two touchdowns. He completed 20 of 36 passes for 233 yards.
The Kansas City comeback began immediately after kicker Sebastian Janikowski gave Oakland a 17-3 lead with a 40-yard field goal with 5:05 remaining in the third quarter.
Alex Smith, who completed just eight of his first 19 passes for 48 yards, connected on five straight for 66 yards on a six-play drive to the Chiefs' first touchdown of the game. Tight end Anthony Fasano hauled in a 19-yarder from Alex Smith for the score, which trimmed Kansas City's deficit to seven with 1:52 left in the third.
Following a Raiders punt, Alex Smith went back to work, completing a 27-yarder to tight end Travis Kelce and a 24-yarder to wideout Dwayne Bowe to set up a 30-yard, catch-and-run by running back Jamaal Charles for the tying score with 12:20 to play.
"We did some good things in the second half," Reid said. "I was probably too conservative all the way around early in the game."
Charles led the Chiefs with 80 yards on 19 carries to complement four catches for 42 yards and a touchdown.
The Raiders built a 14-3 halftime lead on the strength of Murray's two touchdown runs and a dominant defensive effort.
The Raiders held the Chiefs to 120 total yards in the half.
NOTES: The Raiders are now one of two teams with a league-low one win this season. Jacksonville (1-9) is the other. ... The three longest touchdown runs in Raiders history belong to: QB Terrelle Pryor (93 yards) and RB Bo Jackson (92 and 91 yards). ... Legendary Raiders P Ray Guy received his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring during a halftime ceremony. Several Raiders Hall of Famers, including John Madden and Howie Long, were on hand for the presentation. ... The Chiefs have now lost their last four games against teams with 0-10 or 0-11 records ... The Chiefs finished the game without OT Donald Stephenson (separated shoulder), WR Junior Hemingway (concussion) and DT Kevin Vickerson (strained calf).
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