Raiders Walk Away Half-Empty Again : Pro football: They blow a 10-point lead against the Chiefs, 31-20, and miss a chance to tie for the AFC West lead.

In pro football, teams play for 60 minutes.

Except in Los Angeles.

Time and again this season, the Raiders have played superbly for 30 minutes, then disappeared.

Sunday was another such time.

Before a sellout Coliseum crowd of 66,553, the Raiders dominated the Kansas City Chiefs early, soared to a 14-0 lead, held a 17-7 advantage at intermission, then collapsed in the final 30 minutes, losing by 31-20.

Collapse might not even be a strong enough word. There were dropped passes, blown coverages, drive-killing penalties, missed tackles, and some clock mismanagement.

The numbers tell the story. The Chiefs had 218 total net yards in the second half to 65 for the Raiders. Kansas City outgained the Raiders, 101-8, in rushing yards and 117-57 in passing yardage after intermission.

As a result, the Raiders, with a chance to move into a tie for the AFC West lead with the Chiefs, instead fell to 5-4, two games behind Kansas City (7-2).

“I really don’t know,” defensive lineman Howie Long said of the Raiders’ inability to maintain their first-half intensity and execution. “We are searching for answers, but we have no one to blame but ourselves.

“It (the loss of momentum in the second half) was mentioned all week. It was mentioned at halftime, so it’s not like it’s a surprise. It’s got to stop. We’ve got to find a way.”

It would not have been a surprise if the Raiders had started slowly Sunday. Although the Chiefs were scheduled to introduce their defense before the game, Coach Marty Schottenheimer switched to the offense so running back Marcus Allen, in his return to the Coliseum, could receive an ovation from the crowd.

And that’s exactly what he got from fans who weren’t willing to forget his four years with USC and 11 seasons with the Raiders simply because he was wearing the uniform of the enemy.

But if there was any momentum to be gleaned from such a moment, it was temporary.

The Raiders seized the initiative and scored two early touchdowns, the first coming on a four-yard run by their new goal-line back, Napoleon McCallum. After an Allen fumble, the Raiders scored again on an eight-yard pass from Jeff Hostetler to Ethan Horton.

Going into Sunday’s game, the Raiders had been outscored, 89-55, in the second half thisseason, 62-38 in the fourth quarter.

The Chiefs actually got back in Sunday’s game late in the first half.

Under the direction of quarterback Dave Krieg, playing for the injured Joe Montana, the Chiefs put together an 80-yard drive that consumed 6:59 and ended with a 15-yard pass from Krieg to running back Kimble Anders.

The Raiders still had two minutes to score. They got to the Kansas City 35-yard line, where they had a first down with 38 seconds to play and one timeout remaining.

But the Raiders failed to use it. They got off two passes, an 18-yard completion to Rocket Ismail and one James Jett couldn’t hold onto in the end zone.

Jett appeared to have a sure six points, but he later said the ball glanced off the helmet of a defensive back.

“The ball went off the helmet, then skidded off the top of my hands,” Jett said, “but you’ve got to make those plays.”

By not stopping the clock after the Ismail catch, the Raiders found themselves with only three seconds left after Jett’s drop.

Still, Jeff Jaeger kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the Raiders a 10-point lead at the half.

Then came the final 30 minutes.

The crucial play came on what would have been a 44-yard completion from Hostetler to Tim Brown. Instead, offensive tackle Gerald Perry was called for holding.

That killed that drive and then Allen, as he has done so many times before on the Coliseum floor, completed the momentum swing with a 39-yard, direction-shifting, tackle-breaking run, followed by a four-yard burst to narrow the margin to 17-14.

Late in the third quarter, Kansas City took the lead when Krieg went to Willie Davis for a 66-yard pass play. Because of a defensive breakdown, Davis was wide open when he caught the ball at the Raider 20.

Krieg had faked a handoff to Allen, but safety Eddie Anderson took full blame for the embarrassing foul-up.

“I checked to another coverage,” he said, “but when I do, I’ve got to go to (Davis). I didn’t. I just blew it. I was too busy reading (the offense), instead of watching my guy.”

Jaeger’s fourth-quarter, 30-yard field goal brought the Raiders to within 21-20.

But Nick Lowery countered with a 29-yard field goal on a drive kept alive by an 11-yard quarterback draw by Krieg on a third down.

The crusher then came when Hostetler was intercepted by Lonnie Marts at the Raider 30.

Krieg responded by going to Keith Cash with the four-yard touchdown pass that put the game away.

In the locker room at the half, Raider Coach Art Shell had told his players, “It would be nice if you could finish the game now, but you’ve still got 30 minutes left.”

For the Raiders, that has proved to be way too much time.

* MARCUS ALLEN: Former Raider has a big game, but he would rather talk about his new team than his old one. C8