The Kansas City Chiefs met the Oakland Raiders for Thursday Night Football on October 19. The Chiefs went into the game with a 5-1 record, coming off of a loss, and the Raiders struggling at 2-4. The AFC rivals battled it out, ultimately resulting in the Raiders coming out on top with a final score of 31-30.

The Chiefs start to the season was strong, according to ESPN.  With Alex Smith in his fifth season as a starting quarterback for Kansas City and rookie running back Kareem Hunt as his right hand man, the Chiefs made a big start to their season with four straight wins.

“Alex Smith was the player of the night for the Chiefs because of the clutch plays he made for the team when they needed it most”, said senior Gavin Knowlin.

The Oakland Raiders experienced a different start to their season, with their last three games being losses. Plus, quarterback Derek Carr making his return to the NFL after breaking a leg last season. Carr threw for 417 yards and three touchdowns, two of those going to the hands of wide receiver Amari Cooper.

“Derek Carr was looking like himself again last night,” said junior Dylan Curtis.

The Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree made the winning touchdown, making the score 31-30 and sending the Chiefs home with their second loss of the season.

“I expected the Chiefs to win because I believe that the Chiefs are the better team overall, but they just made mistakes and the Raiders took advantage of that,” said Knowlin.

Many expect the Chiefs to continue to do well this season, even after facing two straight losses. The Raiders looked improved last night, according to announcer Tony Romo.

“Alex Smith is looking like an MVP and Kareem Hunt saw the best tacklers [in the NFL] last night yet, the Chiefs defense just had to come up big and didn’t,” said Curtis.

Next week the Chiefs host the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, and the Raiders host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday afternoon. Visit www.espn.com for more information.