New FSM Game Preview: Raiders vs Chiefs - Week 14

 

FSM Game Preview: Raiders vs Chiefs – Week 14

Franchise Sports Media

Las Vegas Raiders (6-6) | Kansas City Chiefs (8-4)

 

The Las Vegas Raiders hit the road to Kansas City to take on the rival Chiefs in a key AFC West matchup.

 

The Las Vegas Raiders will be on the road when they set off to face the hated division rival Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday as they look to get back to over .500 and exact some revenge on the Chiefs. Kansas City defeated the Raiders in week 10 in Las Vegas.

Both AFC West teams have headed in opposite directions recently as the Raiders are 1-4 in their last five games while the Chiefs have gone 5-0.

While each team has changed directions on the season, there is always something to be said about playing a division rival. The players and coaches know each other so well that you can throw records out the window as both will be looking to put their best foot forward and finish their second meeting of the season on a high note.

 

The Raiders have struggled offensively to get things going despite all the weapons at their disposal.

 

Things haven’t been so good on offense for the Raiders these last five games. They’ve struggled to get rolling early and often, which has led to some poor outings for the team. In their four losses, the Raiders had scores of 16, 14, 13, and 15. In their lone win, they scored 36 points. The team has what it takes to put points on the board but, for some reason, hasn’t been able to find the level of consistency they had to start the season. The Raiders’ six losses came when scoring 16 or fewer points. In the games in which they scored over 25 points, they came out victorious. So as the offense goes, so does the team.

Quarterback Derek Carr is second in the NFL in passing yards (3,663), while the team is second in the league in passing yards per game at 305. In addition, they have a dynamic running back in Josh Jacobs, a world-class tight end in Darren Waller, a shifty playmaker in wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, and a speedster in DeSean Jackson. Yet still, despite these players, the team can’t find their footing offensively. Yes, the team does have issues upfront with the offensive line with four new starters, but that was known coming into the year that it would be an adjustment upfront. It didn’t seem to slow down the Silver & Black to start the season, so what’s missing?

We understand that the team doesn’t have the offensive mind of Jon Gruden calling the plays as head coach anymore, but with Greg Olson, who’s worked with Gruden for several years and Carr learning from Gruden for the past three seasons, it can’t just be missing the head coach. Likewise, the team lost their speedster wideout in Henry Ruggs due to a fatal DUI accident, but they replaced his speed and play-making ability downfield with one of the best to ever do so in Jackson, who shows he still has tread left on his tires to light it up downfield.

Could it be that interim head coach Rich Bisaccia is not aggressive enough and would rather play conservative football? Carr is not a young quarterback; his playmakers are not young either.  The offensive line has some young talent in rookie Alex Leatherwood, but today’s game is not built for teams to hold back and play it safe. The O-line hasn’t been perfect, but they’ve played well against some stiff competition all season, and the team has shown, when they are aggressive, push the ball down the field, take chances, and allow their playmakers to make plays, can score, and they can win.

The Raiders cannot afford to play it safe against a juggernaut like the Chiefs with one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes throwing the ball around to his many playmakers. If they wish to stay afloat in a tough AFC West division (AFC West & AFC North are only divisions where every team is .500 or better), they will need to find that mojo from the start of the season, let it rip, and let the cards fall where they may. We’ve seen what happens when they don’t, so it’s time to flip this script.

The Raiders defense will have its work cut out for them if they want to earn a victory.

 

The defensive unit will have to step up and not allow the Chiefs to inflict their will if a victory is in order for the Raiders. The defense has been playing at a reasonably high level and making a lot of plays. They frequently apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks, not allowing for the big down-the-field plays, and man, they hit hard.

While the Chiefs are one of the most prolific run offenses in the league, they’ve shown they can sometimes get off their game and struggle. Despite their recent winning streak, the Raiders have the personnel to cause disruptions in the backfield and deliver the wood. If they can manage to keep the Chiefs from extending drives as they are the top team in the NFL at conversion on third down at 50%. If the Raiders can keep them from long drives, frustrate them, and create some turnovers, they will have a chance defensively. It won’t be easy as the Chiefs have always been a creative bunch and can hurt you in many ways. But as I stated, the Chiefs gave the Raiders a thumping back at Allegiant stadium (41-14), and the Silver & Black will be looking for redemption with a shot to even the score with the division foe on the season.

As the season wears on, each week becomes more and more important to put your best foot forward and walk away victorious as the push for the postseason heats up.

The Raiders already have replaced starting members on their offensive line, their head coach, their starting wide receiver, and possibly their stud tight end. To overcome the obstacles this season is a lot to ask of any team, but the season must go on, and the team must still play games. They must continue to find ways to focus, prepare, and attack the task at hand. Because at the end of the day, as the late great Al Daivs said…

 

“Just Win Baby”

 

The Raiders and Chiefs play Sunday at 10:00 am at Arrowhead Stadium and can be seen on CBS.

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-Kalani Lua – Franchise Sports Media

Follow Kalani on Twitter @klua11

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