Kansas City Chiefs vs Oakland Raiders Match Player Stats On Dec 06, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Dec 6, 2015

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Safety Tyvon Branch returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown with 3:14 left to play, and the Chiefs held on for a 34-20 victory against the Oakland Raiders at the O.co Coliseum on Sunday, Kansas City's sixth consecutive win.

The Chiefs (7-5) picked off three passes from Oakland quarterback Derek Carr in the fourth quarter as they solidified their strong position in the AFC wild-card race. Linebacker Josh Mauga and cornerback Marcus Peters also had interceptions and long returns, setting up touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin caught nine passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter. Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith completed 16 of 22 passes for 162 yards and two scores. He also ran for a touchdown.

Carr had a rough day, completing 31 of 48 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns with three costly interceptions as the Raiders (5-7) took a huge blow to their wild-card chances.

The Raiders trailed 26-20 and faced third-and-16 from their 16-yard line with under four minutes left. Carr's pass over the middle went off the fingertips of diving wide receiver Amari Cooper and deflected to Branch, a former Raider. Branch made a diving interception, got up and raced 38 yards to the end zone.

The Chiefs went for two points, and Smith hit tight end Travis Kelce in end zone, making it 34-20.

The Chiefs opened the second half with an 80-yard scoring drive capped by running back Spencer Ware's 10-yard touchdown run up the middle, making it 14-14 with 9:16 left in the third quarter. Running back Charcandrick West's 18-yard burst and Smith's 26-yard pass to s Kelce set up Ware's score.

Oakland countered with an 86-yard drive as tight end Lee Smith caught his first touchdown pass of the season, a 5-yard throw from Carr on second-and-goal. Carr had thrown incomplete on third-and-6 from the 12, but Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson was penalized for roughing the passer, extending the drive.

Kicker Sebastian Janikowski missed the extra point, leaving the Raiders' lead at 20-14.

The Raiders appeared on their way to padding their lead, but on second-and-10 from Kansas City's 33, Carr was hit by two Chiefs as he threw, and the ball barely made it over the line of scrimmage, where Mauga intercepted. Mauga rumbled 65 yards to the Raiders' 2.

That set up a 1-yard touchdown catch by Maclin in the right flat with 11:17 left to play. The Chiefs' PAT failed when holder Dustin Colquitt had trouble getting the ball down and Cairo Santos never attempted a kick.

The Chiefs quickly got the ball back when Peters intercepted a Carr pass and returned it 58 yards to the Oakland 13. Two plays later, Smith hit Maclin on a 13-yard touchdown pass, giving Kansas City a 26-20 lead.

Cairo missed the point after, pushing it wide right.

Oakland drove into Chiefs territory but stalled at the 31, and Janikowski missed a 49-yard field goal attempt with 5:36 remaining, hitting the left upright.

The Raiders took the opening kickoff and marched 80 yards on nine plays for a touchdown on Murray's 2-yard run up the middle with 9:55 left in the first quarter on third-and-goal. The initial ruling was that Murray was down at the 1, but Raiders coach Jack Del Rio challenged the call, which was overturned.

Kansas City answered with 56-yard touchdown drive on its first drive. Facing second-and-goal from the 3, Smith scrambled up the middle and scored standing.

The Raiders regained the lead at 14-7 on Carr's 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Crabtree with 13 seconds left in the half, capping a four-play, 36-yard drive.

Safety Charles Woodson set up the score by stripping the ball from Kelce and returning it 38 yards to the Kansas City 36 with 53 seconds left in the half. Earlier in the second quarter, Woodson recovered a fumble by Maclin, forced by linebacker Malcolm Smith.

NOTES: Chiefs OLB Dee Ford made his first career NFL start, replacing Justin Houston (knee),who was inactive. ... Raiders C Rodney Hudson, a former Chief, missed his second consecutive game due to a sprained right ankle. Tony Bergstrom started again in his place. ... Former Raiders WR Tim Brown received his Hall of Fame ring during a halftime ceremony.