KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Here is the seventh in a series of 10 plays that shaped the Kansas City Chiefs' 2014 season. We’re going in chronological order, not in order of importance.
While the Chiefs certainly hadn’t played solid run defense during the 7-3 start to their season, this deficiency hadn’t yet cost them a game. That changed in the 11th game, on Nov. 20 against the 0-10 Raiders in Oakland.
The Chiefs allowed their first rushing touchdown of the season in the first quarter to Oakland’s Latavius Murray, who scored on an 11-yard run to put the Raiders ahead 7-0.
The play that killed the Chiefs came in the second quarter, with Oakland still ahead 7-0. With Oakland at their 10, the Raiders opened a hole up the middle for Murray. Linebacker Josh Mauga and safety Eric Berry overran the play, and Murray popped into the open.
The Chiefs couldn’t catch him, Murray had a 90-yard touchdown run, and the previously winless Raiders had what at the time was their largest lead of the season.
The Chiefs would later rally to take a 20-17 lead, but they had little margin for error after Murray had run over them early in the game. The Raiders went on a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, going 80 yards in 17 plays to claim a 24-20 win that ended the Chiefs’ five-game winning streak and started their tailspin. On the drive, Oakland rushed nine times for 37 yards.
Oakland entered the game last in the league in rushing, and would finish that way. Due in large part to Murray’s long touchdown run, Oakland on this Thursday would rush for a season-high 179 yards.