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Chiefs blank Raiders, Palmer struggles in debut

Oct 24, 2011 - 3:55 AM Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Brandon Flowers finished with two interceptions -- one returned for a touchdown -- and the Kansas City defense totaled six interceptions, as the Chiefs took down the Oakland Raiders 28-0 Sunday afternoon.

Jackie Battle picked up 76 yards on 16 carries, while Javier Arenas and Le'Ron McClain scored rushing touchdowns for the Chiefs (3-3), who have won three straight games.

Matt Cassel threw for 161 yards and two interceptions and Dwayne Bowe hauled in six passes for 76 yards.

Kyle Boller started for Oakland (4-3), but struggled in two-plus quarters of work, throwing three interceptions.

Boller was relieved by Carson Palmer in the third quarter amid chants of "Palmer, Palmer" from a fed-up Oakland crowd. The former Bengal didn't fare much better, however, as he was also picked off three times.

"To be beat like that will, in the end, be something that propels us through the second half of the season and hopefully into the postseason. We have a lot of work to do," Palmer said.

Darrius Heyward-Bey caught five passes for 89 yards and Michael Bush rushed for 99 yards on 17 carries, but the Raiders' eight-game winning streak against AFC West opponents was halted.

Kansas City struck first with a big defensive play on Oakland's first possession of the game when Boller was intercepted by Kendrick Lewis on 3rd- and-6. It was returned 59 yards to paydirt, giving the Chiefs a 7-0 lead.

Late in the opening stanza, Kansas City struck again when Cassel led a nine-play, 61 yard drive, paving the way for McClain to push his way up the middle into the end zone for a one-yard score and a 14-0 lead.

Early in the third quarter, Kansas City extended its lead to 21-0. Following another dismal offensive effort from Oakland, Cassel led his team on a eight- play, 64-yard drive, and the Chiefs dialed up some trickery to get in for the score. On 3rd-and-1 from the Oakland seven, a direct snap went to Arenas, a defensive back, who scampered up the middle untouched for a seven-yard touchdown run and a 21-0 advantage.

Early in the final quarter, Kansas City extended its lead to 28-0 just as it looked like the Raiders' offense was starting to move the ball with Palmer under center. Palmer, though, was baited into a short pass by Flowers, who quickly jumped the route and took the ball 58 yards the other way for a touchdown.

Oakland had one last chance to break the shutout with just over five minutes to go in the game, but the Raiders' offensive struggles continued and they were forced to punt back to the Chiefs with just over 4 1/2 minutes to go.

Kansas City was able to keep the ball and run out the clock to seal the victory.

"Any time you keep someone out of the end zone...that's huge," Chiefs head coach Todd Haley said. "It's tough to do in the NFL."

Game Notes

Kansas City holds a 53-47-2 edge in its all-time regular-season series with Oakland...Chiefs head coach Todd Haley is 2-3 against the Raiders during his tenure with Kansas City, while Raiders head coach Hue Jackson is 0-1 against the Chiefs...Kansas City's six interceptions were one short of a franchise record for one game...The last time Kansas City recorded a shutout on the road was November 4, 1973, when the Chiefs came away with a 19-0 win over the San Diego Chargers...Kansas City went 7-for-15 on third down, while Oakland converted four of its 13 chances on third down.