Raiders keep playoff hopes alive with 16-13 win in K.C.

BOX SCORE
Sebastian Janikowski's 36-yard field goal gave the Raiders a 16-13 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday before an announced crowd of 70,803 at Arrowhead Stadium.The Raiders won the overtime coin flip and on the Raiders' first play from scrimmage, Carson Palmer hit Darrius Heyward-Bey for 53-yard pickup, preceding a pair of Michael Bush runs before Janikowski's game winner.

A beautifully executed fake, except: The Raiders' fake field goal in the second quarter was a thing of beauty, holder Shane Lechler tossing the ball forward to Brandon Myers, who scampered 36 yards for the touchdown. Exceptlong snapper Jon Condo hiked the ball after the play clock had expired, resulting in a delay-of-game penalty. The score was scrubbed from the scoreboard and the Raiders had to attempt a 59-yard field goal.SeaBass comes up just short: No trickery this time. On the ensuing field-goal attempt, Janikowski's kick was shy, the ball hitting the crossbar and bounding away harmlessly. Of Janikowski's four misses this season, it was only the second time he missed on a clean kick. Two were blocked.Giordano steps up: Cut in training camp and re-signed just before the season opener, safety Matt Giordano has been a revelation, especially with Michael Huff's injury woes this season. He was in the right spot at the right time in the second quarter. Kyle Orton threw the ball right at him three yards deep in the end zone and Giordano snagged the pass for his team-leading fourth interception, returning it 62 yards.Palmer still jittery: Every now and again, especially when he throws an interception that defies description, Carson Palmer resembles another former big-armed, turnover-prone former Raiders quarterback. Or am I the only one that saw a little Jay Schroeder in that pick he threw to Javier Arenas last in the second quarter?Palmer gets comfy: Then again, Palmer looked downright Jim Plunkett-like in the third quarter, when he hit Denarius Moore deep for a 61-yard touchdown.Defense steps up: Roundly, and rightly, criticized for epic failings the past three weeks, the Raiders defense stepped up midway through the fourth quarter, stopping the Chiefs on a 4th-and-1 on their own 44-yard line.Defense collapses: With two minutes to go and holding a 13-6 lead, the Raiders let the Chiefs go 80 yards in five plays, culminating in a three-yard TD pass from Kyle Orton to Dwayne Bowe.Almost, but not quite: The Raiders tied a season high with 15 penalties, for 92 yards. They are four penalties and 11 penalty yards away from eclipsing single-season penalty marks of 158 penalties for 1,304 yards, set by the 1998 Kansas City Chiefs.