KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It took the Kansas City Chiefs four games and a bye week ruminating over an embarrassing loss to Pittsburgh before they finally were able to execute their blueprint for victory. The Oakland Raiders wound up on the receiving end of it.

In a crucial AFC West matchup on Sunday, the Chiefs were able to dictate the tempo of the game with their robust ground game and to put quarterback Alex Smith into smart passing situations. The Chiefs’ defense also made life miserable for Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.

Smith acknowledges the Chiefs’ frustrations had been mounting. He deflected much of the praise to the team’s running backs. The Chiefs ran for 183 yards and passed for 223 — the kind of split they believe is ideal to get a win. Smith had his best day of the season, going 19-of-23 even without throwing a touchdown pass.