Raiders stun Chiefs, earn first win in a year

Reuters

(Reuters) - The Oakland Raiders earned their first win in more than a year on Thursday as rookie quarterback Derek Carr rallied the team with a late scoring drive to stun division rivals Kansas City 24-20. With the Raiders (1-10) trailing 20-17 in the fourth quarter, Carr marched the team 80 yards downfield in a drive that took seven minutes off the clock and culminated with a nine-yard touchdown pass to James Jones. Kansas City had little time to recover and could only make it to their own 48 yard line with their last possession, which ended with Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith throwing an incompletion on fourth down. It was Oakland’s first win since beating Houston on Nov. 17 2013 and snapped a 16-game losing streak. “I don’t even know how to explain the feeling,” Oakland linebacker Sio Moore told reporters. “I’m just happy to see that on both sides of the ball, we finished it.” The defeat halted the Chiefs' (7-4) five-game win streak and saw them drop out of a tie for first place in the AFC West. The only sour note for the Raiders was the loss of running back Latavius Murray, who had dominated the first half with 112 yards and two touchdowns but exited with a concussion in the second quarter. Murray had just recently begun seeing more playing time for Oakland, and he needed only four carries to leave his mark in a performance that included a 90-yard touchdown scamper. “He did a great job and gave us a spark taking the ball 90 yards,” said Raiders running back Darren McFadden. “We finally came out and put the game together and finished the way we’re supposed to.” The Raiders led 14-3 at halftime and moved ahead 17-3in the third quarter. The Chiefs began to seize the momentum when Smith threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Fasano late in the third. Jamaal Charles tied the score at 17-17 on a sparkling 30-yard touchdown reception with 12:20 remaining, and Cairo Santos kicked a 25-yard field goal a few minutes later to put the Chiefs up 20-17. Charles finished with 80 yards rushing and 42 yards receiving for the Chiefs, who have a big divisional matchup with the first-place Denver Broncos on Nov. 30. (Reporting by Jahmal Corner; Editing by Peter Rutherford)