Game Recaps

The Chiefs were only able to put 17 points on the board tonight for the second time this season but that was all they needed to sustain their undefeated record. QB Trent Green followed up his outstanding week 6 performance with a decent 206 yards passing and a rushing touchdown.

RB Priest Homes was the primary benefactor of the Chiefs run based game plan and finished with 173 yards of total offense and a rushing touchdown.

TE Tony Gonzalez was the Chiefs leading receiver grabbing 3 catches for 87 yards.

Oakland Raiders

Raiders QB Rich Gannon sustained an injury to his right shoulder and missed the second half of the game. His first half performance wasn't spectacular with 58 yards and an interception. No word yet on his status, but the Raiders do have a week 8 bye for him to rest up.

QB Marques Tuiasosopo got off to a rough start in the second half, but finished with 224 passing yards, and almost a fourth quarter comeback. Tuiasosopo's pass on the last play of the game was a little short and WR Tim Brown, coming back out of the endzone to catch it, was stopped 1 yard short of the goal line.

Raiders RBs Garner and Wheatley were effectively shut down, and FB Zack Crockett scored their only touchdown from 1 yard out.

Returning from 5 weeks off due to a sports hernia injury, WR Jerry Porter came to play. He looked great and had 69 yards on 4 catches with 10 targets.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Kansas City Chiefs

QB: The Chiefs Monday Night game plan against the anemic Oakland defense was clearly to run the ball and utilize the passing game when necessary. Trent Green (11-22-206, 1 INT passing, 2-6, 1 TD rushing) still managed a decent passing game in which he threw half as many times as he did in week 6 (his 400 yard schooling in Green Bay) and appropriately gained half as many yards. Green added a rushing touchdown himself on a bootleg play in the first quarter.

RB: Priest Holmes (27-123, 1 TD rushing, 4-50 receiving, 6 targets) had 100 yards of combined offense before the two-minute warning of the first half. It did however take him until the fourth quarter to add a score. After the Raiders fumbled a punt and the Chiefs recovered at the 11 yard line, Holmes carried the ball three plays in a row, reaching out while being tackled to break the plane of the endzone. Also, Holmes had a 9 yard reception early in the first quarter called back due to an offensive pass interference penalty.

FB Tony Richardson (1-5 rushing, 1-7 receiving, 3 targets) received few opportunities to handle the ball.

WR: The Chiefs receiving corps were limited by the game plan tonight. WR Johnnie Morton (2-19 receiving, 5 targets, 1-[-9] rushing) was looked to more than most, but only able to find the handle for two catches. The three missed balls were not well thrown, and one was intercepted as Morton was well defended and the Raiders defensive back dove in front of him for the ball. Morton also had one opportunity on and end around that was broken up for a sizeable loss.

WR Eddie Kennison (1-43 receiving, 3 targets) was involved on the Chiefs longest play from scrimmage with a nice grab of 43 yards despite being interfered with.

If for nothing else, credit the Raiders defense for effectively blanking Chiefs WR Dante Hall (0-0 receiving, 1 target) in all aspects of his game tonight. It did look to me that Hall was possibly interfered with on his single target of the game, and may have gotten to the ball, but the officials didn't see it that way.

TE: Tony Gonzalez (3-87 receiving, 5 targets) was the Chiefs most productive receiving threat with long gains on each reception and one thrilling, diving catch in the third quarter.

TE Jason Dunn (0-0 receiving, 1 target) actually caught the ball for a 4 yard gain on his single target of the game, but had the play erased due to an offensive pass interference penalty committed by TE Gonzalez.

K: Morten Andersen had 2 extra points and went 1 for 2 on field goals, hitting from 37 yards and missing from 50 yards, short and left.

Pass Defense: Kansas City's pass defense held Raiders QB Rich Gannon to 58 yards passing in the first half, sacking him three times and intercepting him once. They could not however, find a way to stop Raiders QB Marques Tuiasosopo who came in for the second half and gained 224 yards through the air, with one sack and one interception.

Rush Defense: Kansas City's rush defense was good tonight, allowing only 100 yards on the ground, and holding Raiders RBs Garner and Wheatley to 32 yards apiece.

Oakland Raiders

QB: Rich Gannon (10-19-58, 1 INT passing, 1-1 rushing) did not return to the game after the half time break. Standing on the sidelines during the second half without his shoulder pads on, it was speculated that he might have sustained a shoulder injury on his last play in the second quarter. A play on which Gannon took a sack and received a blow to his right shoulder, fumbling the ball as he went down.

Sparking the crowd, and nearly leading the Raiders to a comeback in the fourth quarter, QB Marques Tuiasosopo (16-28-224, 1 INT passing, 4-20 rushing) had good stats and played through a shaky start relieving Gannon for the second half of the game. Tuiasosopo threw five incompletions and one interception in the third quarter before settling in and playing his style of football in the fourth. He threw the ball on more than 70% of his snaps and ran the ball well to boot.

RB: In a bit of foreshadowing, the Raiders opened their first offensive series with a no-huddle offense and threw four straight passes, three to RB Charlie Garner (10-32 rushing, 8-71 receiving, 12 targets). Garner finished with a combined yardage total of 103 yards but could not get things moving on the ground. He was one of the Raiders leading receivers for the game (Jerry Rice also had 71 yards receiving). On a reception late in the fourth quarter he came up one yard short of a touchdown and was then replaced in the backfield.

RB Tyrone Wheatley (5-32 rushing, 1-20 receiving, 1 target) is the bigger running back for the Raiders and received several touches, performing especially well running straight forward. At one point Wheatley bounced off a tackler and proceeded to run straight over him as he recovered.

Rookie RB Justin Fargas (3-3 rushing, 1-[-4] receiving, 1 target) was utilized minimally but gave the crowd a scare when he fumbled the ball away in the first quarter, however, the play had been whistled dead.

FB Zack Crockett (1-1, 1 TD rushing, 1-5 receiving, 1 target) got in the game just enough to grab a touchdown in the fourth quarter, the play after RB Garner was stopped at the 1 yard line.

WR: It took WR Jerry Rice (5-71 receiving, 10 targets) until the fourth quarter, but he continued his streak of 264 consecutive games with a reception and finished as the Raiders top performing wide out. Rice did have one short catch in the second quarter but it was erased by a penalty, and he caught another ball out-of-bounds in the fourth quarter that would have been a nice gain.

In his first game back after having a sports hernia repaired earlier this season, WR Jerry Porter (4-69, receiving, 10 targets) showed us why he was missed. Porter made several nice catches, got open despite double-teams, held onto the ball while being hit, and threw one defender about 5 yards with a nice stiff arm, showing us he hasn't lost a step for taking 5 weeks off.

WR Tim Brown (4-42 receiving, 8 targets) came up 1 yard short of the endzone on the last play of the game, as QB Tuiasosopo's pass was a little short, forcing Brown to come out of the endzone to catch it.

WR Alvis Whitted (0-0 receiving, 1 target, 1-11 rushing) did not get a second chance after his only receiving target of the game rolled off his fingertips. Prior to that, he was given the ball once on the end around play for a nice gain.

TE: Tight ends were utilized minimally in the Raiders game and starting TE Doug Jolley (1-0 receiving, 2 targets) was unable to gain yardage on his only reception, while TE Teyo Johnson (1-8 receiving, 1 target) made good on his lone opportunity.

K: Sebastian Janikowski had 1 extra point and one field goal, from 27 yards.

Pass Defense: Oakland's pass defense wasn't great, but wasn't put to the test either by Kansas City QB Trent Green as the Chiefs game plan was obviously on the ground. They allowed 204 yards through the air, but gave up no passing touchdowns and counted 2 sacks and 1 interception. The 2 sacks are somewhat impressive considering Kansas City has one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.

Rush Defense: Oakland's rush defense was somewhat porous allowing Kansas City RB Priest Holmes 123 yards on the ground.