Chiefs hold off Raiders to take over lead in AFC West

Tyreek Hill had touchdowns receiving and on a punt return, Kansas City’s defense made life miserable for Oakland quarterback Derek Carr, and the Chiefs beat the Raiders, 21-13, on a frigid Thursday night to take control of the AFC West.

Charcandrick West also had a touchdown run for the Chiefs (10-3). They moved into a first-place tie with Oakland (10-3) but hold the tiebreaker with two wins over their longtime divisional rival.

Carr completed 17 of 41 passes for 117 yards, though the ugly stat line wasn’t entirely his fault.

Seth Roberts dropped just about everything thrown at him, Amari Cooper couldn’t adjust to a long throw for a would-be touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and several more passes were dropped to the rock-hard turf of Arrowhead Stadium on a night when wind chills had the temperature approaching single digits.

Alex Smith threw for 261 yards with a touchdown and an interception to help the Chiefs, who were returning home after back-to-back road wins, beat Oakland for the seventh time in their last eight meetings.

Hill didn’t seem bothered by the cold, scorching the Raiders for a 36-yard TD reception before bringing a punt back 78 yards for another score. It made him the first rookie since Gale Sayers in 1965 with touchdowns on the ground, through the air and on punt and kickoff returns in a single season.

It was still 21-3 when the Chiefs lost linebacker Derrick Johnson to an Achilles’ tendon injury, and that seemed to briefly deflate them. Oakland proceeded to march 92 yards for a touchdown just before halftime.

But the Raiders kept coming up empty with their chances in the second half.

Smith had a pass intercepted deep in Chiefs territory on the second play of the third quarter, but Oakland had to settle for a field goal. And when Smith was strip-sacked by Khalil Mack on the next play, the Raiders again had to try a field goal — only this time, holder Marquette King couldn’t get the snap down and was tackled for a loss.

The Raiders’ last chance came with about two minutes left, when a questionable pass interference penalty and a fourth-and-four conversion got them deep into Kansas City territory. But after a false start on fourth and one, Carr’s pass toward the end zone was batted incomplete.

The Chiefs went on to pick up the first down they needed to run out the clock.

Etc.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had five catches for 101 yards, his fourth consecutive game with at least 100 yards receiving. That matches the franchise record set by former tight end Tony Gonzalez. … Mack had a strip-sack for the third straight game, and a sack in his eighth straight dating to the Raiders’ loss to Kansas City in October. That matches Lance Johnstone for the longest streak in franchise history since sacks became official in 1982.