White rushes for 145 yards in Raiders’ ‘huge win’

Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff WriterDec 25, 2023, 07:40 PM ET
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Zamir White, making his second straight start in place of injured All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs, promised his Las Vegas Raiders offensive linemen that he would buy them each a pair of Nike Jordans if he went over 100 yards rushing Monday.

White had run for more than 28 yards in a game only once in his brief career, so it seemed a safe bet.

Then he rumbled for 145 yards on 22 carries, and his 43-yard burst up the right side at Arrowhead Stadium with 2:35 to play iced the Raiders’ 20-14 upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

“These are moments that you dream of and with my o-line and teammates, anything is possible,” White said. “I should just go out there and trust in them guys right there.”

With Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell not completing a pass after the first quarter — he was a combined 0-for-10 in quarters 2-4 and had a career-low passer rating of 50.3 while the Raiders had just 48 net passing yards — Las Vegas also had to trust in its defense.

The faith was warranted as, in a seven-second span in the second quarter, the defense scored two touchdowns — a Bilal Nichols 8-yard scoop and score off an Isiah Pacheco–Patrick Mahomes botched exchange and fumble, as well as a 33-yard pick-six by Jack Jones off Mahomes. And the Raiders (7-8) not only denied the Chiefs (9-6) a chance to clinch the AFC West, but also kept their faint playoff hopes alive while further solidifying interim coach Antonio Pierce’s claim on getting the job full-time.

Remember, the Raiders were coming off a 63-21 blasting of the Los Angeles Chargers, coming four days after a historic 3-0 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Not that a postseason bid was necessarily on the front of the Raiders’ minds in middle America.

“It’s a huge win,” said Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, whose bookend edge rusher Malcolm Koonce sacked Mahomes three times and had seven pressures. “Back-to-back division wins. We’re playing good football right now, so we’ve just got to keep improving.

“It’s incredible. Every time we come out here, especially at Arrowhead, we know we’re going to have to fight and we’re going to have to claw. That’s what everybody did out here, and I’m so proud of everybody involved. It’s a beautiful day.”

It was only Crosby’s second win in 10 tries against the Chiefs since he entered the NFL in 2019.

Defense and a running game both travel, Pierce said, referencing the traditional staples of what works when teams are on the road.

As such, it was an old-school showing for the Raiders, who limited the normally high-powered Chiefs offense to negative-18 yards in the first quarter, and milked the clock in the fourth quarter.

“We talked about it all week,” Pierce said. “Ill intent. Violence. Physicality. Pain. Enough is enough. I think that was displayed just right there.”

White, meanwhile, had the third highest rushing total in franchise history against the Chiefs, trailing just the 164 yards Darren McFadden rushed for in September 2008 and the 154 Jacobs had last October.

“I’m happy for him because coming into the start of the season, people were talking about him and saying he’s a wasted draft pick and stuff like that,” Raiders right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor said of White.

“He takes that personal, and to come out against one of the top rushing defenses in the league and put up 140 on them, that solidifies his commitment to this game and this team and how great he wants to be.”

In his two starts, White has rushed for 214 yards on 39 carries, perhaps giving the Raiders more to chew on this offseason with Jacobs scheduled to become a free agent.

White, a fourth-round draft pick out of Georgia last year, is focusing on the here and now — both on and off the field.

“You have to be patient,” he said. “You have to just trust your linemen and let them block for you.”

That way, White can happily dole out more footwear while running the Raiders into rivalry wins.

“That’s part of football right there,” Pierce said. “When you can pound the rock and take three knees [to end] the game. Best formation in football? Victory formation.”