Unorthodox but Welcomed: Chiefs Beat Raiders

Ric Tapia/NFL

KC - 28                          OAK - 0

If you told me before the season started that the Chiefs would only be 3-3 entering their Monday Night Football game against the Chargers, I would have said that record is simply not good enough. If you had told me the Chiefs would be 3-3 entering their Monday Night Football game with a chance at first place in the AFC West, I would have called you crazy. But, that's where the Chiefs find themselves, and I will discuss this seemingly unthinkable feat later in the week.

For now, I will continue to bask in the glory that is a SHUTOUT BEAT-DOWN of the hated Oakland Raiders. As always, here's the breakdown:

WHAT THE CHIEFS DID RIGHT

• Looking at the scoreboard, it's not hard to say that the Chiefs defense had a dominating day of football. But when you look at the stats, it's even more amazing. The Chiefs defense had SIX interceptions. I can't remember the last time the Chiefs had that many interceptions in a game. And TWO of those interceptions were returned for touchdowns. That's 14 of 28 points the defense was directly responsible for.
• And as far as that defense was concerned, Brandon Flowers and Derrick Johnson had dominating performances. Flowers had two interceptions and Derrick Johnson lead the team in tackles with 13, including three key ones on the 1 yard line, keeping the Raiders out of the endzone. A Raider touchdown at that time could have changed the game, but instead Oakland came away with nothing.
• Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston continued their domination of defensive backs, making big catches at big moments and single-handedly achieving many first downs because of their ability to gain yards after the catch. They turned many short catches into long gains, which is an asset you have to love.
• Speaking of wide receivers, wasn't it nice to see our first round draft pick, Jon Baldwin, finally playing some football for the Chiefs? I sure thought it was, and he wasn't ineffective. And although he only had one catch for 14 yards, that catch included a first down he created with yards created after catch. And he was targeted five times, which means he is considered a valuable part of the passing game.
• The Chiefs special teams, Dustin Colquitt particularly, did an excellent job of punting the ball, and had several downed within the ten yard line. Succop put all but one kickoff into the end zone for touchbacks which kept Oakland's speedy receivers in check.
• Jackie Battle continued his successful rushing, with 76 on 16 carries, a 4.8 average. And this came against an Oakland team that dominated the line of scrimmage against the Chiefs last year. Well, not today.
• And here's a fun fact, that was the Chiefs first road shutout since 1973.

WHAT THE CHIEFS COULD HAVE DONE BETTER

• When none of your touchdowns come from offensive skill players, you have to wonder about the effectiveness of the offense. Two defensive touchdowns made the game a blowout, but the offense wasn't doing much to help their effort. In fact, the game was so unorthodox, that I'm not sure it can be used as a gauge to effectively evaluate the team following a bye week, especially when it was against such the tepid quarterback situation of Oakland. And in addition to that, McFadden only had two carries before he was injured. So the Chiefs might have looked a lot better than they actually are.
• As mentioned above, the Chiefs two offensive touchdowns weren't scored by typical players. McClain fumbled the ball at the one and it was recovered in the endzone for a touchdown by Jon Asamoah. It was a disaster averted, and if it hadn't been, it could have been a game changer. The other offensive touchdown was a wildcat formation run by Javier Arenas, who kept it and ran untouched for a touchdown. Considering there were only two offensive touchdowns after four defensive turnovers that didn't result in touchdowns themselves is a little disconcerting. 
• The reason for this should probably be put on the shoulders of Matt Cassel. The offensive playcalling has greatly improved, and the playbook has been opened up for Cassel, yet he failed to follow up two games of quality play today. Cassel finished 15/30 (50%) for only 161 yards and 2 interceptions (granted, one of those was on a Hail Mary attempt before halftime). Hopefully this was just some rust following the bye week, because the Chiefs will need the Cassel we saw in Indy to beat the Chargers next week. 
• Since the Chiefs did so well, I'll hold it at that. Good win for the Chiefs; the resolve it took to not quit on the season and get back in the division race is astounding, and I am proud of how the team has rallied around one another. #Suck4Luck seems like a distant memory.