Oakland Raiders: The Good, Bad, And Ugly In Loss To The Chiefs

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October 16, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) celebrates after a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

The Good(ish): Really Stretching For Something Here

Just because we don’t want to end things on a down note and send you all off feeling miserable and despondent, we always strive to wrap things up with some positives. Given how thorough the thumping the Chiefs gave the Raiders was, finding positives in the rubble was a stretch.

October 16, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Spencer Ware (32) runs past Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Bruce Irvin (51) during the third quarter at Oakland Coliseum. The Chiefs defeated the Raiders 26-10. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

First, penalties have been a huge problem for the Raiders this season. They’ve led the league in penalties through the first five weeks of the season and appeared destined to set a league record. But against the Chiefs, Oakland was flagged just three times.

Given that they were averaging roughly twelve penalties a game, Oakland’s three flags were a season low – by far. Though they’re still tied for the league lead in penalties, at least they’re no longer out there alone.

Secondly, the injury bug has hit the Raiders particularly hard this season. The offensive line has been ravaged with a number of guys missing time after getting dinged up. It’s necessitated a lot of shuffling and juggling as well as some guys playing who ordinarily wouldn’t be.

But the Raiders came away from the game with Kansas City without any new significant injuries to the team. There are some guys who are a bit banged up, but there didn’t seem to be anything major, injury-wise.

Told you we had to stretch for some positives.

Next: Raiders In First Place, Still Have Much To Prove

And lastly, that debacle is now in the books. The team can turn the page on it and never have to deal with it again. And this coming weekend is a golden opportunity to wash the foul taste the Chiefs game out of their mouths once and for all.

If this team can come out fired up, focused, and play a complete, well rounded sixty minutes of football – something they have not yet done this season – they should be able to throttle Jacksonville. It will quiet some of the critics – temporarily, at least – re-establish some momentum, and get this team back on track, headed in the direction it wants to go.

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