Kansas City Chiefs drub Oakland Raiders, snap four-game skid

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs shook off the absence of All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters with one of their stronger defensive outings of the season Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium, knocking off the Oakland Raiders 26-15 and remaining atop the tight AFC West race.

Alex Smith finished 20 of 34 for 268 yards with an interception and Kareen Hunt led the Chiefs on the ground with 116 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries as Kansas City (7-6) ended a four-game losing streak.

Tight end Travis Kelce had seven receptions for 74 yards and Tyreek Hill caught four passes for 75 yards as the Chiefs avenged an earlier one-point loss at Oakland.

Kansas City's defense set the tone early, forcing the Raiders back eight yards on the game's opening drive. A poor punt gave the Chiefs a short field at their own 42-yard line. They capitalized when kicker Harrison Butker connected on a 53-yard field, giving the Chiefs a 3-0 lead.

Kansas City moved steadily and more deliberately on their second drive. Smith marched the Chiefs 86 yards in 14 plays, culminating with a 1-yard scoring run by Hunt. Smith converted a huge third-and-16 pass to Hill to keep the drive alive, and set up the score with a tight-end screen to Kelce off a fake to Hill for a 10-0 lead.

The Chiefs extended their lead to 13-0 on their third drive with another Butker field goal, this time from 29 yards. Smith connected on a 36-yard gain to wide receiver Albert Wilson, who made a difficult catch going out of bounds while holding onto the ball.

Butker added a 33-yard field goal with under two minutes remaining, extending the lead to 16-0 at the half.

The Kansas City defense smothered the Raiders and quarterback Derek Carr throughout the game. The Chiefs entered the game without Peters, who received a one-game suspension from head coach Andy Reid for incidents that occurred during and after last week's game against the New York Jets.

Cornerback Terrance Mitchell drew the start in Peters' place, intercepting a pass and breaking up three others.

Kansas City maintained its steady offensive pressure, racking up 409 yards of offense and holding on to the ball for more than 36 minutes. Butker's fourth field goal of the game gave the Chiefs a 19-0 lead to open the third quarter. Running back Charcandrick West added a 13-yard touchdown run later in the quarter, extending the advantage to 26-0.

Oakland finally broke onto the scoreboard midway through the fourth quarter on a 22-yard touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch.

The Raiders (6-7) recovered an onside kick following that score. Tight end Jared Cook hauled in a 29-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr, who then hooked up with receiver Michael Crabtree for a two-point conversion to cut the lead to 26-15.

Carr completed 24-of-41 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. Lynch added 61 yards on the ground on seven carries with a touchdown while Cook caught five passes for 75 yards and a touchdown.

The loss leaves the Raiders one game behind the Chiefs in the AFC West race. The Chiefs ensured themselves of a least a tie for the division lead with the Los Angeles Chargers, who play later Sunday and visit Arrowhead Stadium next Saturday.

NOTES: Oakland WR Amari Cooper left the game after aggravating an ankle injury midway the rough second quarter. The team listed him questionable to return, but he did not come back into the game. ... Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt established an NFL record earlier this season with 100 yards or more from scrimmage in his first seven games as a rookie, but his 138 yards from scrimmage against Oakland ended a five-game streak with fewer than 100 yards from scrimmage. ... Tyreek Hill led three Chiefs receivers with more than 70 yards receiving with 75 yards. TE Travis Kelce added 74 while WR Albert Wilson picked up 72 yards. ... The Chiefs' defense collected three sacks against Raiders QB Derek Carr. ... LB NaVorro Bowman led all Oakland defenders with nine tackles and a sack. LB Bruce Irvin chipped in two sacks among his four tackles.