Raiders dominate both lines of scrimmage

OAKLAND -- It's a simple game, really.

Dominate the line of scrimmage and, more often than not, you win the game.

The Raiders on Sunday won the battles in the trenches on both sides of the ball -- left no prisoners, really -- and there was no surprise, then, that Oakland ended its six-game losing streak with a 15-0 defeat of Kansas City in the Raiders' home finale, their first shutout victory in almost a decade.

Indeed, it is a symbiotic relationship.

"Yeah, I felt like up front that we did a nice job," said Raiders coach Dennis Allen. "I thought we were able to run the ball effectively. We were able to control time of possession, which I think was critical in our defense being able to play as well as they did.

"I think we had 40 minutes time of possession in the game, so that was outstanding, as far as keeping our defense fresh."

[INSTANT REPLAY: Raiders 15, Chiefs 0]

Consider: on offense, Oakland rushed for a season-high 203 yards, on 45 carries, and for the first time this season, the Raiders had more rushing yards than passing yards, even as quarterback Carson Palmer was not sacked for the third time this season.

"Just for guys to go out there, still laying it on the line and showing people that we haven't laid down," said Darren McFadden, who rushed for 110 yards, "we're still going to go out there and fight every down."

The Raiders held a 40:06-19:54 time of possession advantage.

"Our defense outplayed them," Palmer said. "It's good to get a win against a team that's also struggling."

Defensively, the Raiders limited the AFC's leading rusher, Jamaal Charles, to 10 yards on nine carries. Charles came into the game with 1,220 rushing yards and averaging 5.1 yards per carry but in two games against the Raiders, he had a mere 14 yards on 14 carries…total.

"Not too many holes today," offered Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel.

"It's easy to say, hard to do," said Raiders defensive end Andre Carter. "But we were on point."

The Chiefs entered with the No. 5 rushing attack in the NFL, but the 10 yards they gained on the ground equaled a Raiders single-game franchise low, set on Dec. 10, 2000, against the New York Jets.

Plus, the Raiders had a season-high four sacks of Brady Quinn, with one each from linebacker Philip Wheeler, defensive tackles Tommy Kelly and Desmond Bryant and Carter.

The Chiefs did not get a first down until the 5:30 mark of the third quarter.

And the Black Hole even got into the action when, with 2:36 to play in the third, and the Chiefs at the Raiders' 4-yard line, Quinn was called for a delay of game penalty.

"He couldn't hear me, obviously," Quinn said of his center. "It's loud down there."

Kansas City was 1 for 12 on third down, 0 for 3 on fourth down.

"We smelled blood," said linebacker Philip Wheeler.

Indeed, the last time the Raiders shut anyone out came on Dec. 28, 2002…against the Chiefs.

"It definitely felt great," said strong safety Tyvon Branch. "It's our last home game, we had to make a statement and tell our fans we're still playing hard. We're still playing with that same passion."

It showed up down in the trenches.

"To get that goose egg on the board," said defensive end Lamarr Houston, "it's the best feeling in the world."