New FSM Game Preview: Raiders vs Chiefs - Week 5

 

New FSM Game Preview: Raiders vs Chiefs – Week 5

Las Vegas Raiders (1-3) | Kansas City Chiefs (3-1)

Franchise Sports Media

 

Riding high off a divisional win, the Raiders will hit to road to face another AFC West rival: the Chiefs. Under the bright lights of Monday Night Football, can the Silver & Black slow down Mahomes?

 

Now that the Silver & Black have secured their elusive first win of the season, a weight has been lifted off the shoulders of Raider Nation. However, there is no rest for the wicked, as the Raiders are next tasked with traveling to Kansas City.

On par with recent years, the Chiefs currently lead the AFC West and have looked fantastic in every game except one stinker in Indianapolis. For the Raiders, they’ll head to Arrowhead Stadium, where they have only won twice since 2012 (despite traveling there once a season).

Raiders vs Chiefs is one of the NFL’s fiercest rivalries and dates back to the original days of the American Football League (1960). Through 126 head-to-head meetings (incl. three postseason contests), Kansas City leads the series 70-54-2. Given all the star power in the rivalry’s current rendition, we are likely in-store for another classic bout come Monday night at Arrowhead.

Of course, Las Vegas will be given the ultimate challenge of containing Patrick Mahomes. Through four games in 2022, he has already thrown for 1,100 yards while also leading the league with 11 TD passes (tied with Goff and Lamar Jackson). If the Raiders truly wish to slow down “Showtime” Mahomes, they’ll need a relentless effort from their pass rush and secondary units.

Also, will the Raiders stick with the ground game that produced over 200 yards last week against Denver? Versus the Chiefs, they’ll face another stout defensive interior, so it will be interesting to see if the Raiders OL can win the war up-front. As long as Vegas does not go down by more than two scores early, I think we see Josh Jacobs get his fair share of touches under the bright lights of Monday Night Football.

 

Previous contests

 

HOF game: Raiders 27 – Jaguars 11
PRE1: Raiders 26 – Vikings 20
PRE2: Raiders 15 – Dolphins 13
PRE3: Raiders 23 – Patriots 6

WK1: Chargers 24 – Raiders 19 (L)
WK2: Cardinals 29 – Raiders 23 (OT)/(L)
WK3: Titans 24 – Raiders 22 (L)
WK4: Raiders 32 – Broncos 23 (W)

 

KEYS TO THE GAME:

 

Somewhere within the first 5-10 plays of the game, [Mahomes] must go down, and he must go down hard

All within the legality of the game, of course. There’s a reason Al Davis’ quote stands the test of time, and that’s because it’s a fairly surefire way to bottle up even the best quarterback. Given Mahomes’ dominance over his five+ years as a starter, he must be pursued physically and tenaciously. As talented as Mahomes is, he’ll have issues completing passes if a bigger man is throwing him to the ground (refer to the Buccaneers’ effort in Super Bowl LV).

Since entering the NFL, Mahomes has pretty much had his way with the league, especially within the AFC West. Head-to-head, the Raiders have only managed to defeat the Chiefs once with #15 as the starting signal-caller (Oct. 2020). In that game, Mahomes still managed to pass for 340 yards and two scores (one INT), so a Raiders win is still possible without having to shut Mahomes down entirely. However, along with relentless pursuit from the pass rush, Las Vegas’ defense will require a “bend, don’t break” mentality; The linebackers and secondary will need to fly around all night. Obviously, the Chiefs’ offense will make plays, but make them earn the points: Vegas will have to keep everything in front, wrap up when tackling, and play through the whistle.

Convert in the red zone

At the professional level, converting long offensive drives into touchdowns (rather than field goals) separates good teams from great teams. Over the past few seasons, that has been an Achilles’ Heel for Raider Nation. This season, the Raiders have scored eight touchdowns (21st-best in NFL) compared to the Chiefs’ 16 (currently 2nd-most behind Detroit). In the kicking department, Carlson’s 12 made field goals lead the NFL. Of course, having a quality kicker is paramount in this league, but the Raiders can’t expect to rely on Carlson for the majority of their points if they hope to beat the elite teams.

Despite Kansas City’s current level of success, I believe their defense leaves some to be desired, especially in the secondary, which should present favorable matchups for the Raiders’ receiving corps. However, in line with previous games this year, Carr and the offense will face a good pass rush unit (Chris Jones, Frank Clark, etc.). Since an abysmal showing in Week 1, the Raiders’ OL has done well to slowly improve; Carr was sacked five times in the opening game against the Bolts and only four times combined in the three games since. Additionally, the OL showed some nastiness against Denver last week, getting a considerable push in the run game en route to a victory. But as stated, this team will need touchdowns to defeat K.C., not field goals.

Silence the K.C. crowd

Thus far in the short season, the Raiders haven’t faced a truly hostile environment. Of course, with Arrowhead annually serving as one of the NFL’s loudest venues, the Raiders will get that taste of adversity on Monday night. Also, throughout his career, Derek Carr has only won once in Kansas City; He beat the Chiefs on the road precisely two years ago by a score of 40-32. That day (with no fans in the stadium), Carr tossed two touchdowns of 50+ yards while Jacobs added two more scores on the ground (sounds like a recipe for success to me).

Dealing with a crowd like the one in K.C. requires high familiarity between members of the offense and the ability to communicate effectively. Given that Carr has solid trust in his skill players (hoping that Renfrow is cleared for play), the Raiders should be able to work well on O. With that said, it will all come down to the offensive line communicating through the noise, making their checks, and picking up the Chiefs explosive defensive front.

 

Coaching matchup

Again, I like what Josh McDaniels is doing with the Silver & Black, and we are starting to see the offensive scheme look more cohesive overall, but I cannot give him a coaching edge over the great Andy Reid. An offensive guru spanning the last four decades, Reid and Mahomes have fit together like Cinderella and her glass slipper, and the abilities of hyper-dynamic tight end Travis Kelce have complemented their offensive concepts.

Even after losing the fastest player in the NFL (Tyreek Hill) to Miami, Reid and Mahomes currently have the Chiefs’ offense as the highest scoring in the AFC. Yes, it took Reid over 20 seasons as an NFL head coach to win his first Super Bowl, but now that he has, the 2002 AP Coach of the Year seems poised to make another run at the Lombardi.

Regardless, the Raiders are talented enough to come away with the win Monday night. I mean, you saw the Chiefs lose to the Colts a couple of weeks ago, right?

 

INJURY REPORT:

Below are Thursday’s (Oct. 6) practice participation sheets for the Raiders and Chiefs …

Las Vegas – LB Jayon Brown (Limited – Hamstring), T Justin Herron (Limited – Knee), TE Foster Moreau (DNP – Knee), LB Denzel Perryman (Limited – Concussion), WR Hunter Renfrow (Full – Concussion), S Roderic Teamer (DNP – Illness), TE Darren Waller (Limited – Shoulder), CB Sam Webb (Limited – Hamstring), CB Rock Ya-Sin (Limited – Knee).

Kansas City – K Harrison Butker (DNP – Left Ankle), C Creed Humphrey (DNP – Personal), DE Michael Danna (Full – Calf), TE Jody Forston (Full – Shoulder), WR Mecole Hardman (Full – Heel), WR Skyy Moore (Full – Ankle), G Trey Smith (Limited – Pectoral), WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (Full – Quad), CB L’Jarius Sneed (Full – Ankle), WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (Full – Abdomen).

WEATHER REPORT:

Monday night’s weather at Arrowhead Stadium is forecasted to be a mild 55 degrees with winds speeds of 6 MPH and a 20% chance of rain. If you’re headed to the game, a jacket would likely do you well. For the Raiders, this will be their second outdoor game of the 2022 season, losing the first in Tennessee.

 

 

In Week 5, the Raiders are headed to the Great Plains for a divisional clash with rival Kansas City, which will take place Oct. 10 on Monday Night Football. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:15 pm PST and can be seen nationally on ESPN (local radio play-by-play on RNR AM920).

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-Gabe Santiago – Franchise Sports Media

Follow Gabe on Twitter & Instagram at @gps_onthemic

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