KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andy Reid swore he could feel the ground shake.
Alex Smith couldn’t hear himself talking to his teammates. Dwayne Bowe said the deafening din inside Arrowhead Stadium reminded him of college.
Just imagine what it must have been like for the Oakland Raiders.
Buoyed by the loudest crowd to attend an outdoor sporting event, the unbeaten Chiefs took advantage of three second-half interceptions thrown by Terrelle Pryor to pull away for a 24-7 victory Sunday.
It was the first time in seven meetings at Arrowhead Stadium that the Chiefs (6-0) had beaten the Raiders (2-4), and it allowed them to press on with the second-best start in franchise history.
The Chiefs won their first nine games during the 2003 season.
“Every win is a great win, and when you can win with a crowd like this, it makes it even better,” Reid said. “That was loud, real loud. The ground was shaking.”
According to an official from Guinness World Records, the volume reached 137.5 decibels in the closing minutes of the game, breaking the record of 136.6 set by Seahawks fans earlier this year.
“I was sitting there on the sideline and I could tell, it’s a hard environment to execute in,” said Smith, who threw for just 128 yards but didn’t make any big mistakes. “It was pretty special.”
It wouldn’t have been nearly as special without a win.
Jamaal Charles ran for two touchdowns, and the Chiefs had 10 sacks while ending a three-game skid to the Raiders (2-4). They also held Darren McFadden, a thorn in their side, to 52 yards rushing.
“We were right there in the game, and we were punching back and forth,” said Pryor, who threw for 216 yards and a touchdown. “I lost the game for us.”
That’s because the Chiefs turned his three interceptions into 17 points. The first led to Charles’ go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter, the second resulted in Ryan Succop’s 33-yard field in the fourth quarter and Husain Abdullah returned the final one 44 yards for a score with 1:35 left.
Part of the problem, Pryor said, was the combination of crowd noise and a patchwork offensive line.
On one possession, Pryor was twice whistled for delay of game penalties because third-string center Mike Brisiel couldn’t hear him. Oakland also had a false start on the same drive, which ended in a punt.
The Raiders finished with 11 penalties for 68 yards.
“It’s a tough environment, but we’ve got to be mentally strong as a team,” Pryor said. “I know sometimes I let it get away from me with the delay of game. Like I said, it’s experience.”
Oakland actually struck first in the second quarter when Denarius Moore beat Chiefs defensive back Marcus Cooper, starting in place of the injured Brandon Flowers, on a quick slant over the middle. Moore caught the pass from Pryor in stride and went 39 yards for the touchdown.
It remained 7-0 until the waning minutes of the first half, when the Chiefs took over at the Oakland 45. Pass interference on the Raiders’ D.J. Hayden on third-and-10 kept the drive alive, and Charles squirmed the 7 yards for the tying score with 1:06 left.
The Chiefs were poised to take the lead early in the third quarter, but Hayden stripped Donnie Avery of the ball inside the Oakland 10 and Charles Woodson recovered it. But the Raiders gave it right back when Kansas City brought a blitz and Pryor lobbed a pass that Quintin Demps picked off.
Five plays later, Charles plunged into the end zone to give the Chiefs a 14-7 lead.
The way their defense was playing, that proved to be enough. Kansas City kept up the heat on Pryor the rest of the way — on one drive, two penalties and two sacks left the Raiders facing fourth-and-48 at their 12. Not even their punt made it to the first down marker.
Cooper’s interception set up Succop’s field goal with 2 minutes left to put the game out of reach, and Abdullah’s pick-6 left the crowd packed inside Arrowhead Stadium rocking at the end.
“Opportunistic team,” Woodson said. “They’ve been doing it all year long, late in games coming up with turnovers and things like that to give them a chance to win. That’s what happened today.”
Notes: Chiefs LT Branden Albert left the game with a bruised left knee. … Raiders C Andre Gurode (knee) and RT Tony Pashos (groin) were injured in the game. … Chiefs OLB Tamba Hali had 3½ sacks. … Charles finished with 78 yards rushing. … Pryor added 60 yards rushing.
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