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Never Say Die: Raiders Beat the Odds and the Chiefs

By Rich Langford
Barnes: "It was slow motion because I was like, ‘Oh, I have it (the touchdown).’ And I said, ‘Oh, I don’t have it.’ And I was kind of disappointed. I caught it, and I looked at the ground and I was like, ‘Am I in the end zone?’ I’m in the end zone,"
Barnes: "It was slow motion because I was like, ‘Oh, I have it (the touchdown).’ And I said, ‘Oh, I don’t have it.’ And I was kind of disappointed. I caught it, and I looked at the ground and I was like, ‘Am I in the end zone?’ I’m in the end zone,"

Caution: If you have a weak heart, please consult a doctor before watching Raiders-Chiefs.

That game was exhausting. It's been so long since the Raiders have played meaningful games, I have forgotten what it was like to watch one when there was anything at stake. This game being a health risk went beyond it's impact in the standings though.

This was the Chief and it was also one hell of a wild ride--a wild ride that put my personal safety in danger. Due to the stupid NFL rules, the game was not broadcast on TV here (Seattle area), because the networks can't broadcast against the home team. This means I had to go to one of the fine local establishments in the area. Two actually, a halftime mojo switch was necessary.

As the second half wore on and the action intensified, it was impossible for me to not start cheering. The surrounding Seahawk fans were in a less than jubilant mood as their injured team was getting trounced 41-7 and here I was doing cartwheels for the team that had just, the week before, injured and embarrassed them. I managed to escape bodily harm, but only because the patrons don't have that head exploding Scanners psychic power.

Enough about their pity party, because we are rolling in good times.

This was a game the Raiders had no business winning. Take a look at AdvancedStats win probability chart. I'd post it, but I am too stupid. If anyone figures it out or knows how to let me know.

After McFadden's fumble the Raiders only had a 16 percent chance of coming back. As the Chiefs were in the redzone to close out the first half, the Raiders only had a 10 percent chance of coming back and the lowest point was actually after Jamal Charles first down run late in the 4th quarter with the Chiefs up 20-17. At that point, the Raiders only had a 9 percent chance of coming back.

And these numbers do not take into account the Raiders injuries. Think about it. The Raiders were without their starting QB (I know this is debatable, but still Campbell came into the game as the backup), their top two leading pass catchers, their best player, Nnam and then they lost their first and third leading tacklers during the course of the game. It's amazing really. Then combine this with the fact that they have been without their most talented WR and best run stuffing DT and you have a team that was battling without 8 out of 22 starters.

The Chiefs on the other hand were without only one player. Amazing! The Chiefs and their fans should be really disheartened. They just blew a gifted opportunity to take this division by the balls.

Some thoughts on the game a little later. Stupid work is really interfering with my Raiders addiction. This is 2010 for crying out loud. People really need to be more tolerant of the disease that is addiction.

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