ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Four days after losing control of the AFC West race with a loss at Kansas City, Oakland coach Jack Del Rio is still lamenting some missed opportunities that helped cost the Raiders the game.A pass that mysteriously changed directions, turning a potential touchdown into an incompletion. The failure to capitalize on three turnovers in Kansas City territory. The decision to pass on third-and-1 late in the game instead of trusting the running game.That last decision might have been the most costly. Despite the earlier problems, the Raiders (10-3) were in position for a potential tying score late when they drove to the Kansas City 14 with just over two minutes to play.Facing a third-and-1, Oakland called for a pass to Andre Holmes in the end zone that Marcus Peters broke up . Del Rio said he considered calling a timeout after hearing the play call to go for a run behind a powerful offensive line that had produced 135 yards on the ground but didnt want to squander a second timeout at a crucial spot.It wouldve made a lot of sense to run right there, Del Rio said. As we look at it as a staff were going, `Geez, what the heck?Del Rio figured that in the worst-case scenario, Oakland could run it on fourth down but right tackle Austin Howard was called for a false start before that play and Derek Carrs fourth-down pass to Seth Roberts fell incomplete. Kansas City ran out the clock to seal the 21-13 victory .You have to go with your gut, Del Rio said. I went with it trying to keep both options alive figuring that worst case wed go on fourth and get it. Then we went a delayed cadence and just really missed an opportunity. There were several throughout the game. You just dont know which one is going to be the one.The Raiders could have taken control of the division by beating the Chiefs to take a two-game lead with three games to play. Instead, Kansas City is tied with Oakland for first place and owns the tiebreaker by virtue of sweeping the season series.If the Raiders want to win the division they can ill afford any more slipups starting with Sundays game at San Diego and will also need the Chiefs to lose at least one game.My approach is really simple, Del Rio said. I tell our guys, `Were not going to lay around and bathe in the adulation of a win. Look how good this is. Were also not going to sit and wallow in misery when we lose. Were going to be matter of fact.There were plenty of other issues earlier in the game. The Raiders had three drives start in Kansas City territory after turnovers and turned them into only six points as Oakland settled for two field goals and then botched a snap on the third.A penalty on Taiwan Jones forced the Raiders to punt a second time and Tyreek Hill took advantage with a 78-yard return for a score. Making matters even worse, punter Marquette King was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after the return, his second straight week with a personal foul.We cant have routine 15-yard penalties out of our punter, Del Rio said. Weve got two in a row, two weeks in a row, and thats got to come to a stop.Then on Oaklands second-to-last drive in the fourth quarter, Carr appeared to have Amari Cooper open deep for what could have been a touchdown. But the ball changed directions at the last moment and Cooper couldnt adjust , leading to an incomplete pass and a punt.There was speculation that the ball might have hit a wire for one of NBCs cameras but the network said that was not the case and the coaches film revealed no reason for the altered flight of the ball.The angel in the outfield, Del Rio said. I mean, it moved. I dont know if it hit a wire or the angel in the outfield moved it, a gust of wind. I dont know. It moved. To me, it was like one of so many plays that could have gone differently. Im certainly not sitting here hung up on that play.Game notes DL Mario Edwards Jr., who has been out since the preseason with a hip injury, looked good in practice last week and could be activated from IR this week. ... OL Kelechi Osemele is expected back at practice this week after missing the game with an illness.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Tony Bradley Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. John Stockton Jazz Jersey . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. http://www.jazzauthentic.com/kids-rudy-gobert-jazz-jersey/ . Meanwhile, there were huge victories for Sunderland and West Ham over fellow relegation rivals, leaving the battle to avoid the drop up for grabs with the bottom 11 teams separated by just six points. Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres scored second-half goals to seal a fourth straight victory for Chelsea, which climbed above Arsenal and Manchester City in the standings ahead of their games on Monday and Sunday respectively. Jeff Hornacek Jazz Jersey . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. Adrian Dantley Jazz Jersey . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler.LONDON -- Insisting they deserve the chance to stage the World Cup, Qatars football leaders on Saturday hit back at their English counterparts for suggesting that FIFA consider taking the 2022 tournament away from the desert nation. New English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke incensed the Qataris by arguing that the heat in the tiny emirate could be "very dangerous" and calling on FIFA to find a new location for the World Cup or anger European leagues by rescheduling it in winter. Concerns about Qatars plans have mounted since its bid surprisingly triumphed in 2010 despite being declared "high risk" by FIFAs own inspection team, which highlighted the sweltering summer heat in the Persian Gulf where temperatures can hit 50 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit). But the Qataris on Saturday insisted that they could deliver footballs biggest event and that the 2010 vote was the "right decision." "Football is the most popular sport in the Middle East and the people of our region deserve the opportunity to have history made in their part of the world," the Qatar World Cup supreme committee said in a statement to The Associated Press. "We are committed to delivering on the promises we made in our successful bid. We are ready to host in summer or winter." Although the English FA is open to rescheduling the tournament for the cooler winter months in Qatar, the English Premier League is firmly against any changes that would disrupt its Augustt-May season.dddddddddddd. FIFA President Sepp Blatter recently agreed that his executive committee should consider in October whether the showpiece event should be moved to the winter, having described a summer tournament in Qatar as "not rational and reasonable." "We have always maintained that this issue requires the agreement of the international football community," the Qatar statement said. "A decision to alter the dates of the 2022 FIFA World Cup would not affect our infrastructure planning." Qatar planned to counter the extreme heat by building air-conditioned stadiums, but potential health concerns remain for players, fans and officials travelling around the country -- an issue the organizers didnt address on Saturday. "The development of environmentally friendly cooling technologies is an important legacy issue for our nation, region and in countries with similar climates," the statement said after Dyke questioned how air conditioning stadiums fits with a "green policy." Oil-wealthy Qatar successfully saw off rival bids from the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia to land the World Cup, allowing FIFA to take the tournament to a new frontier. "Clearly people wanted to take football to a place like Qatar where theres no footballing tradition," Dyke said. "But it wasnt thought through properly ... if thousands of fans turn up for a tournament in Qatar it could be very dangerous." ' ' '
