By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Those heart-thumping overtime wins and the 3-0 and 5-2 records seem so long ago even though those early Raiders wins came during the very same season that is officially swirling down the drain.
Even the most loyal Raiders fans — and they are loyal when you consider the team’s annual records over the last two decades — couldn’t find any silver lining in the Silver & Black’s first half performance against rival Kansas City Sunday.
The Chiefs pummeled Las Vegas, 35-3, in the first half. The Raiders points came on the last play of the first half when kicker Daniel Carlson booted a 26-yard field goal. But the game’s fate was long over before the Carlson chip shot.
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It was total domination by KC over that the Raiders, who thought it was a bright idea to have a pregame field meeting on the Chiefs midfield logo. Thirty minutes of game time later, the Las Vegas team trailed by 32 points.
Three turnovers plus seven penalties by the Raiders led to the lopsided and embarrassing score at halftime.
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The Raiders scored their first touchdown in the third quarter on a Derek Carr to Hunter Renfrow pass. But kicker Daniel Carlson, who signed a multi-year contract extension missed the extra point. It was his third extra point miss in 26 tries this season.
The Raiders played without two of their best players — receiver Darren Waller and linebacker Denzel Perryman. Inactive players here:
The Chiefs put in the reserves midway through the fourth quarter and waltzed to the win.
Final score: Kansas City 48 Las Vegas 9
The Raiders lost their fifth game out of their last six and now have a 6-7 record.
The Raiders travel to Cleveland for a Saturday game against the Browns.
LVSportsBiz.com is now off to report from the Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights game at T-Mobile Arena.