Raiders rare 15-point home underdogs Sunday vs. Chiefs
ALAMEDA, Calif. — If the Raiders win Sunday, it might be their greatest upset in franchise history.
Certainly, recent history.
The Raiders are a 15-point underdog against the Kansas City Chiefs. Should the line hold, it will be the franchise’s largest-deficit line for a home game dating to when Pro Football Reference’s records first tracked the statistic in 1978. An upset win, however, wouldn’t be the first against an Andy Reid-coached team.
The only other time on record the Raiders were two-touchdown home underdogs came in 2009.
Coached by Reid, the Philadelphia Eagles were 3-1 and averaging 31.8 points. The Raiders, whose head coach was current offensive line coach Tom Cable, were 1-4 and coming off a 44-7 road loss to the New York Giants.
The Raiders won 13-9 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. An 86-yard pass from quarterback JaMarcus Russell to tight end Zach Miller was the game’s only touchdown.
Notable
■ Quarterback Derek Carr needs 69 passing yards Sunday to surpass Rich Gannon for second-most in franchise history. Gannon threw for 17,585 yards in 74 career games with the Raiders. Carr is at 17,517 yards in 73 games.
■ Teammates voted tight end Jared Cook their Ed Block Courage Award nominee, the Raiders announced Tuesday. The accolade honors such qualities as inspiration, courage and sportsmanship. Cook, 31, has 47 receptions for 609 yards and five touchdowns. He is on pace for career highs in all three categories.
■ The Raiders signed former Dallas Cowboys guard Chaz Green. He becomes the 11th offensive lineman on their roster. Three of the team’s seven inactive players in Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens — Ian Silberman, guard-tackle Denver Kirkland and tackle Justin Murray — are offensive linemen.
■ Defensive end Jacquies Smith was formally placed on injured reserve Tuesday in a corresponding move. He exited Sunday with an Achilles’ injury.
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Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.