Sports

ALAMEDA (AP) ― Lane Kiffin tried his best to downplay the significance of the Oakland Raiders' season-opening blowout loss, calling it just a small slice of a very long season.

"It's one game," Kiffin said Tuesday. "There are 15 other teams that are 0-1 just like us, regardless of the score. If we come back this week and go to Arrowhead and win, we'll be 1-1, and everyone will be talking about that game."

Until that happens the talk will all be focused on Monday night's 41-14 loss to Denver that exposed many of the same problems that have plagued Oakland during a run of five straight double-digit loss seasons.

There were the 10 penalties, including five personal fouls that showed a lack of discipline that is an annual issue for every Raiders coach. The defensive front failed to control the line, allowing Denver to run the ball effectively and failing to put any pressure on Jay Cutler.

The receivers struggled to get open for JaMarcus Russell until the game was well out of hand and the line often did not give the young quarterback ample time to throw.

Kiffin hopes the thorough beating will help get his players attention in time to correct those problems for Sunday's game in Kansas City.

"Maybe you lose a one-point game and you start saying. 'Well we're really good and we should have won the game or the refs blew a call,'" Kiffin said. "We got our butts kicked. So we'll come back next week and maybe it made some issues to be addressed this week that wouldn't have been in a close game."

One of the primary issues in week one, disturbingly, was the pass defense that was supposed to be the strength for Oakland. With two-time Pro Bowler DeAngelo Hall joining Nnamdi Asomugha as part of one of the league's best cornerback duos, the Raiders were supposed to be able to shut down the opposition through the air.

Instead, the Broncos were able to get receivers open all night long despite missing their best big-play target in Brandon Marshall. Denver frequently picked on Hall, who was no match in the opener for rookie Eddie Royal, and also capitalized on miscommunications to get big plays down the field.

Kiffin called the performance of his pass defense "shocking," as Cutler went 16-for-24 for 299 yards, including nine completions for 146 yards to the second-round pick Royal.

"Before we make statements that we're not any good at one certain thing, let's play a couple games and look at it because we definitely have the ability to be a great pass defense," Kiffin said. "So, hopefully, this week we'll get back on track."

The players were given the day off Tuesday. But after the game there was some concern that a loss this bad could linger, especially on a team that has had so little success in recent years, posting a league-worst 19-62 record since the start of the 2003 season.

"It's a young team, and you never know how guys are going react to a loss," Asomugha said. "It's the first game of the season. But if we don't fix it right now, then we're going to be in trouble."

Playing a prime-time opener in front of a jazzed up crowd lifted the enthusiasm at the start. But once the Raiders got down 17-0 in the first half, Asomugha said he noticed the team getting flat and Kiffin said the film showed a lack of effort on the part of some players.

One of the few players Kiffin had any praise for in the opener was Russell, who finished 17-for-26 for 180 yards and two touchdowns, with much of the success coming in the fourth quarter after the game had been decided. Russell did not throw an interception but lost a fumble to end Oakland's best scoring chance of the first three quarters.

Russell, making just his second career start, didn't let the blowout get him down.

"You go through so many things in football and in other parts of life, just continue to grind and keep moving forward," he said. "Take your mind off some of the bad things that happened and just act like it never happened. Act like you've been there before and just keep going."

Notes: RB Darren McFadden (shoulder), DE Derrick Burgess (shoulder) and LT Kwame Harris (knee) are expected back at practice on Wednesday. ... Backup OL Paul McQuistan (knee) has a more serious injury and could be done for the season.

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