"Risk three points early, lose by two"

head coach Lane Kiffin learned one hard-taught lesson in his team's 12-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.When you have the chance to put points on the board, put points on the board.The 32-year-old elected to take a risk with six minutes left in the first half, but, in the end, the Steelers 43 Polamalu jersey
decision cost his team three vital points. Facing a fourth-and-1 at the Kansas City 1 and trailing by just six points, Kiffin opted to keep his offense on the field. On the early gamble, running back LaMont Jordan was stuffed by safety Jarrad Page for no gain; the Raiders turned the ball over on downs.Roughly 30 minutes later, it was just a field goal that would have made the Raiders 3-3 and potentially first in the AFC West heading into Week 7, instead of 2-4 and last.The Raiders' Daunte Culpepper-led offense was given the ball at its own 26-yard-line with just 1:46 remaining in the game, trailing by two. The 30-year-old connected on short passes of 7, 8 and 3 yards, advancing the ball to the 44-yard line. On the ensuing play, however, Culpepper hesitated on his release and threw a mistimed pass to wide receiver Ronald Curry that was picked off by, again, Page.The Raiders have now dropped 17 straight games to AFC West opponents, a streak that began with the Chiefs on Dec. 5, 2004.Statistically, the game was a defensive battle between two rush-oriented teams. Both ball clubs finished with fewer than 300 yards of total offense; however, it was Kansas City's rushing game that outdid Oakland's throughout the contest.The Chiefs' "LJ" -- Larry Johnson -- carried the ball 24 times for 112 yards and a touchdown, including a career-long 54-yard scamper midway through the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, across the field, the Raiders' "LJ" -- LaMont Jordan -- struggled all game. The 230-pounder carried the ball 11 times for just 29 yards and failed to find the end zone. Backup Dominic Rhodes also handled nine rushes, but he too struggled with just 21 yards on the ground.Through the air, Culpepper completed 18-of-29 passes for 228 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Chiefs' Damon Huard threw for 177 yards and a pick.It was a 10-point swing in under a minute that kept Oakland in the game until the closing moments of the fourth quarter.Chiefs kicker Dave Rayner missed a 30-yard field goal attempt that would have put his team up by nine with 3:31 remaining in the third quarter. In the next two plays, Culpepper would connect with wideouts Jerry Porter and Ronald Curry for gains of 59 and 21 yards, respectively, to put his team up by one. The possession took 51 seconds.That was, however, the last and only lead Oakland would have on the day.Under five minutes later, Johnson would punch in a 1-yard TD to 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
culminate a nine-play, 74-yard drive.Health permitting, don't be surprised to see quarterback Josh McCown under center next weekend. Culpepper now has four turnovers in his last two outings and is still working with a scaled-back playbook.Next week, the Raiders will travel to Tennessee to meet the 4-2 Titans.