The Chiefs will be looking to improve their record to 2-0 as they prepare to play the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. This will be the last time the Chiefs will play in Oakland before the Raiders move to Las Vegas as the two add another chapter to this historic rivalry. Here are five things fans should watch for on Sunday.
Is the stage too big for Mecole Hardman?
It’s no secret that Tyreek Hill is a big part of the Chiefs offense and they’ll miss him every week that he’s not on the field. Luckily, the Chiefs have plenty of depth at the wide receiver position with Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson and De’Anthony Thomas.
Fans should keep an eye on Hardman as he looks like to be the direct replacement for Hill considering he comes closest to Hill’s elite speed. Hardman had only one target last week, dropping his first NFL pass. He will be looking to bounce back and have a breakout game. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Andy Reid create some touches for Hardman rather it be with screens or sweeps across the field to get the rookie comfortable before completely opening up the playbook.
This is the perfect test for Hardman to show that he can be a major contributor to the Chiefs offense. It will be interesting to see if Hardman rises up to the challenge especially against an injured Raiders secondary. If Hardman has a big game it should allow the Chiefs to be more comfortable in allowing more time for Hill to fully heal before rejoining the team.
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Who will have punt and kick return duties?
Another big position to fill this week is both return specialist roles. Hill is one of the most dynamic players in the NFL on punt returns, which forces teams to punt away from the All-Pro in order to avoid possibly giving up a big play. The Chiefs also released Tremon Smith, their top kick returner, in order to elevate Byron Pringle to the active roster.
The Chiefs have a couple options that could be a serviceable replacement at the positions. The first player to keep an eye on is Mecole Hardman as he not only looks to be the replacement for Hill on the offensive side of the ball but also at punt returner. He was one of the best punt returners in college football last year for the University of Georgia. Hardman showed he has the ability to make people miss and get good field position for the offense. Hardman received work at the position during the preseason and against the Jaguars so he will most likely be the next man up against the Raiders
At kick returner, we may see veteran De’Anthony Thomas, who returns from suspension. Thomas has over 1,200 kick return yards on 51 career kick returns with the Chiefs. He hasn’t scored a touchdown yet, but he certainly has the vision and speed to make that happen.
Another thing to keep in mind for this week is Raiders punter AJ Cole was a late addition to the Raiders injury report, so hopefully, the Chiefs can take advantage of the Raiders if they decide to bring in a new punter before the game.
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The Offensive line
The Chiefs offensive line will need to be their best this week to help protect Mahomes who played through an injury last week against the Jaguars. Last week the offensive line allowed Mahomes to get hit a few times against one of the best defenses in the league.
Although the Chiefs will be playing a less effective defense this week, the Raiders still have a couple of players to keep an eye on the defensive including rookie Clelin Ferrell who had a sack last week and Vontanze Burfict known for having some big hits during his NFL career.
One thing that isn’t ideal for the Chiefs is that LT Eric Fisher suffered a groin injury during practice on Friday. The Chiefs will have to make due if they are without him. They will have the options of Jeff Allen, Cameron Erving, Martinas Rankin, or moving LG Andrew Wylie down the line to take over for Fisher. Hopefully, Fisher can still play, but if he’s limited in any way it could cause problems for the Chiefs.
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Chiefs defense vs. Derek Carr
The Chiefs defense will be looking to build on their performance last week against the Jaguars. The defense wasn’t terrible last week, but with Gardner Minshew having 275 yards passing and two touchdowns is concerning, even if a lot of it came in garbage time. If the trend continues we could see a similar performance from Derek Carr who has plenty of experience and is a former Pro-Bowler.
Carr can actually do a lot of damage to this defense if they aren’t careful. Last week against the Broncos, Carr had a really good game completing over 80% of passes for over 250 yards and a score. He’ll have to do a little better than that if he wants to keep up with the high-powered Chiefs offense, but it isn’t a bad performance by any means.
There is still hope for the Chiefs defense as they did show some flashes last week. Such as the forced fumble by Damien Wilson and an interception by Frank Clark. Hopefully, we see the defense come out with a little more fire this week, considering it’s a big rivalry game.
If the Chiefs don’t see improvement on the defense against the Raiders, especially at the cornerback position Veach will need to start looking at adding a body to the roster to help stop the bleeding.
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Can Sammy Watkins repeat?
Sammy Watkins was the best wide receiver in the NFL last week due to his performance against the Jaguars. It would be nice to see Watkins have a similar performance this week against the Raiders considering the Chiefs will be without Tyreek Hill.
It will be important for Watkins to be the new No. 1 option for Patrick Mahomes not only for the Chiefs offense to continue to be successful but for Watkins to show that he is back to being the player he once was at Clemson. Watkins already has matched his 2018 touchdown totals, so it’s clear he’s in for a big season. Don’t be surprised if Watkins again has another career game against a banged-up Raiders secondary.
Bonus: Root for Jordan Devey to play
Chiefs fans should actually be rooting for a good performance from one Raiders player. The Chiefs could potentially receive a 2020 fourth-round compensatory pick if former guard Jordan Devey continues to start games for the Raiders this season. Devey was signed by the Raiders this offseason after the Chiefs didn’t re-sign him. Devey has been filling in for Richie Incognito at the left guard spot and if he keeps playing well perhaps the Raiders will keep him there when Incognito returns from suspension in Week 3.
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