Week 5: Raiders at Chiefs, OPEN THREAD

Week 5: Raiders at Chiefs, OPEN THREAD

Laddie Morse

Let me begin by quoting the Kansas City Chiefs beat reporter, Matt McMullen, “No matter what, we hate the Raiders.” I couldn’t agree more. Not only would a loss to the Raiders represent a loss to an AFC West foe, but it means the Chiefs would have been beaten by their longest rival. right now, the Chiefs are up 16 games on the Raiders in their head to head competition, 70–54–2. Also, with the Chiefs standing 3-and-1 and the Raiders at 1-and-3 this game may be another team, like the Colts, who see their season slipping away if they don’t win. Does that at all mean I think K.C. will lose to Vegas? No. Not at all. However, on any given Sunday (Monday, in this case)….

Recent Head to Head

In a piece on the Chiefs and Raiders game for CBS Sports, their staff has a piece in which they says,

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“The Chiefs have won the last three games against the Raiders, including a 48-9 thrashing in the last meeting on Dec. 12, 2021, and 13 of the last 15.”

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That means that over the past 15 contests between these two teams, the Chiefs have a winning percentage of 86.6%. In other words, K.C. appears to heave their number.

New Management

I’m not sure why Josh McDaniels keeps leaving the New England Patriots and coming to the AFC West (he was the head coach of the Broncos in 2009 and 2010, but he clearly thinks he can win this division. However, he should not be taken lightly. He’s been a coach on the Patriots teams that have won 6 Super Bowls so he has the resume to get most any job in the NFL. SI.com quotes Josh McDaniels as saying this about the game on MNF:

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“So, you don’t get this opportunity much, and to have it be a division opponent on the road and have it be the Chiefs in specific, I think that there’s definitely will be some adrenaline, no question. You have to manage that a little bit, but I hope our guys are really excited. If what I see from them is any indication, I’m sure we will be. Excited to perform, excited to compete and excited to play in this atmosphere this one time.”

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WR, Davante Adams

The raiders made a huge offseason addition — besides hiring HC Josh McDaniels — by bringing in WR Davante Adams. Adams has been considered the best WR in the NFL for two or three years now, yes, even better than Tyreek Hill. The way K.C. chooses to defend him will tell a lot about who wins this game. Adams had 1,553 receiving yards last year, 1,374 yards in 2020, 997 yards in 2019 (when he only played in 12 games), and 1.386 yards in 2018. Of course, Aaron Rodgers was throwing him the ball then but the big reason he moved to the Raiders was the chance to play with his college teammate, Derek Carr.

Adams is 6-foot-1, weighs 215 lbs., run a 4.56 40 yard dash, so I’m guessing that who ever is lined up across from him, that’s who will cover him. IOW, the Chiefs will not plan on having L’Jarius Sneed — their best cover corner — on him at all times. Adams has 290 yards receiving and 3 TDs this year so he’s not to be taken lightly either.

RB, Josh Jacobs

Josh Jacobs can be a nuisance if he’s not stopped at the beginning of the game. I believe that’s exactly what the Chiefs plan on doing… stopping the run first, then putting the Raiders in a position where they have to come from behind, forcing them into more throwing situations. Jacobs has 308 yards rushing this year and is averaging 84 YPG. His Yards Per Carry — 4.8 — is not as good as Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s YPC of 5.1, but Jacobs YPC is close enough to 5 yards per carry for the Raiders to trust giving him the ball repeatedly… if he’ll be able to produce a first down.

Raiders Offensive Line

Silverandblackpride.com has a piece called, “Raiders vs. Chiefs preview: Area of Concern” in which they say:

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“There’s no better way to truly gauge if your ground and pound attack is on truly on track than matching up with a team that’s the best at defending the run. That’s what awaits the Las Vegas Raiders when they step foot on the field at Arrowhead and go toe-to-toe with the host Kansas City Chiefs this Monday night… Las Vegas ran roughshod over the horsemen to the tune of 212 rushing yards. Running back Josh Jacobs had a career day in the victory galloping for 144 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries.”

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The Chiefs of 2022 will need to step up again and prove they are as advertised vs the run. If the Chiefs can shut down the Raiders rushing attack, they should win this game going away.

Injury Lists

I won’t be at all surprise to see Harrison Butker stay away from the active list until after the BYE… were just too close now. My greatest concern is Trey Smith. However, if Trey is sidelined, Nick Allegretti should step in and do admirably. While WR JuJu Smith-Schuster sat out of practice for some of Saturday, I expect him to be back in action and not miss this one.

Referee Crew

Referee Carl Cheffers and crew going to officiate the Chiefs game vs the Raiders on “Monday Night Football.” From Chiefs Wire:

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“Chiefs fans likely remember Cheffers for officiating Super Bowl LV against the Buccaneers. Kansas City was penalized 11 times during that game for 120 yards, while Tampa was only flagged four times for 39 yards.”

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Monday Evening Weather

It looks like it will be another idyllic evening for football. I expect tailgating — waiting in line at Arrowhead — to begin as soon as the sun comes up. Clyde Edwards-Helaire opens this video by using the word “dynasty” which makes me very uncomfortable. However, this is a good game preview so:

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My prediction is that this game between the Raiders and the Chiefs, may turn out closer than expected, so I’ll go with Chiefs 31, Raiders 24. And no… I do not think this is a trap game!

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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