After a convincing road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Chiefs remain on the road for Week 2 as they travel to Oakland to take on the Raiders.
Despite quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffering a sprained ankle and losing receiver Tyreek Hill for most of the game, Kansas City scored on all but one possession against a very good Jacksonville defense. The Chiefs were a bit shaky defensively but did a nice job of not allowing the Jaguars to keep pace.
The Raiders are coming off a win of their own, beating the Denver Broncos 24-16 on Monday Night Football. Oakland was very efficient offensively, only punting twice. Defensively, it held Denver to just one touchdown which didn’t come until late in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs will be a solid favorite to win this game, but the Raiders cannot just be dismissed. They are noticeably faster and more athletic than in the past, and they are playing with a chip on their shoulder after the Antonio Brown saga. Let’s take a look at what it will take for K.C. to get a victory:
CHIEFS-RAIDERS HISTORY
The Chiefs lead the all-time series over the Raiders with a 65-53-2 record. K.C. blew out the Raiders in the 2018 regular-season finale 35-3. The matchup in Oakland, however, was much closer with the Chiefs edging out the Raiders 40-33 in a shootout.
via the NFL’s official YouTube channel
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 576 yards and six touchdowns against the Raiders last season. Tight end Travis Kelce was especially dominant against them, catching 17 balls for 230 yards and two touchdowns. The Chiefs’ defense forced seven turnovers against Oakland’s offense last season.
RAIDERS’ KEY ADDITIONS
OL Trent Brown
WR Tyrell Williams
S LaMarcus Joyner
LB Vontaze Burfict
OL Richie Incognito
DL Johnathan Hankins
QB Mike Glennon
RAIDERS’ KEY SUBTRACTIONS
WR Antonio Brown
TE Jared Cook
QB A.J. McCarron
OL Jon Feliciano
Continue…
RAIDERS’ COACHING/SCHEMES
Jon Gruden returned to coaching last season after a nine-year layoff. He put the Raiders into complete rebuild mode, dismantling the roster and implementing his new schemes. It resulted in a 4-12 record but enabled them to stockpile draft picks and cap space.
Offensive scheme
Greg Olson (not to be confused with Panthers TE Greg Olsen) is entering his second season as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator. He and Gruden run a pretty traditional West Coast offense, which starts with the short passing game. The idea is to run shorter, underneath routes with the quarterback throwing on time and in rhythm, getting the ball out of his hands quickly.
If the short passing game is effective it forces the defensive backs to play closer to the line of scrimmage, making them vulnerable to the deep ball. Oakland runs a power running scheme led by running back Josh Jacobs, who runs behind a big offensive line. The Raiders were near the top of the league in the usage of a fullback last season.
Gruden is the offense’s play-caller. He called a very balanced game on Monday night with 26 passes and 28 runs. That balance will be key against the Chiefs. If quarterback Derek Carr has to get into a shootout with the Chiefs’ offense and throw more than 30 passes, history shows that won’t be a recipe for success.
Defensive scheme
Second-year defensive coordinator Paul Guenther runs a zone-based 4-3 defensive scheme. He learned under one of the greats, current Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, who he coached with during his time in Cincinnati. Guenther doesn’t blitz much but disguises his intentions well and works to find favorable matchups for his best players.
In the secondary, Guenther calls a lot of Cover 2 and Cover 4, which are designed to take away the deep ball. Cover 2 features two deep safeties who must have a very good range to be successful and Cover 4 features two deep safeties as well as two deep cornerbacks.
Last season Guenther’s defense ranked last in the league in points surrendered and 26th in yards allowed. He didn’t have a ton of impressive talent to work with during 2018. Now, the Raiders have added a nice mix of youthful and veteran players and appear poised to take a step forward.
Continue…
KEY PLAYERS
QB Derek Carr
Carr is in his sixth NFL season, which could make or break for him. After a solid start to his career, it’s been a rough go for Carr the last couple of years. The Raiders have attempted to surround him with more talent by signing receiver Tyrell Williams and drafting running back Josh Jacobs. Of course, they brought in Antonio Brown, but we know how that went.
Carr is off to a solid start in 2019, going 22/26 for 259 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. His offensive line kept him upright by not surrendering a single sack, which is huge for Carr because he is a rhythm and timing quarterback. It remains to be seen if he can stretch the field effectively.
RB Josh Jacobs
Oakland selected Jacobs with the 24th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was one of the most complete running backs to enter the draft, possessing a nice blend of power, speed and receiving ability. In his NFL debut, Jacobs racked up 113 total yards and two touchdowns.
He is a three-down back and should be among the league leaders in carries this season, granted he stays healthy. He had 24 total touches in Week 1 while backup running back Jalen Richard had just two. The Raiders will rely on Jacobs to be the workhorse of the offense and take the pressure off of Carr.
WR Tyrell Williams
For the time being, Williams has made Raiders fans forget about Antonio Brown. Williams caught six passes for 105 yards and a touchdown against a very good Denver secondary last week. He looked explosive and appears to have a good rapport with Carr.
Williams flashed during his tenure with the Los Angeles Chargers but was always stuck in a crowded receiving corps and an offense with multiple pass-catching running backs. Now with Oakland, Williams is the clear-cut No. 1 option in the passing game. 2019 could be his breakout year.
LB Vontaze Burfict
Burfict has always been immensely talented but has had a hard time staying out of trouble both on and off the field. After seven seasons, the Cincinnati Bengals decided they have had enough and parted ways with Burfict. Now with Oakland, things have been so far so good.
Burfict had a good game against the Broncos, tallying six combined tackles. He is a well-rounded linebacker who plays well in coverage and against the run. He won’t hesitate to make a huge hit and can let his emotions get the best of him. If he can stay disciplined, he could have one of the best seasons of his career.
S Johnathan Abram
Another first-round pick for the Raiders (27th overall), Abram figures to be a core defensive player for years to come. He possesses top tier athleticism and speed and excels as a run defender. Like Burfict, Abram is always looking for the big hit. He leaves a bit to be desired in coverage but is adequate.
One thing Abram struggled with in college was penalties, which he carried over in his NFL debut. He was called for a defensive holding and a lowering-the-helmet penalty. Abram has all the tools to be one of the better safeties in the NFL.
Continue…
KEY MATCHUPS
DE Frank Clark vs. LT Kolton Miller
Clark did some nice under-the-radar things against Jacksonville, but considering that he faced a guy who is originally a guard and had never taken an NFL snap before, Clark’s performance in Week 1 was disappointing.
Taking on double teams and setting the edge against the run is all well and good, but at some point, Clark has to produce sack numbers. Against Jacksonville, Clark recorded just one tackle. He did snag an interception, but it was off a deflection by his teammate Tanoh Kpassagnon.
We saw last week that Carr can be effective in a clean pocket. The Chiefs have to make him uncomfortable and force him to improvise. Kolton Miller did an excellent job against two elite pass rushers in Von Miller and Bradley Chubb last week. Clark has to find a way to win some matchups.
Mecole Hardman vs. Raiders’ CBs
After an impressive training camp and preseason, Hardman was a non-factor in Week 1. Despite playing 53/59 snaps, he had just one target, which he dropped. With Tyreek Hill out and Sammy Watkins putting the league on notice with an incredible Week 1 performance, look for coach Andy Reid to scheme Hardman up and get him involved.
Hardman has game-breaking speed that has to be accounted for on every down. Like Hill, Hardman can be just as dangerous as a decoy as he is a receiver for the Chiefs’ offense. His development could really take the already potent K.C. offense to the next level.
Charvarius Ward vs. Raiders’ WRs
Ward is the clear weak link of the Chiefs’ cornerback group. Last week he surrendered seven receptions on seven targets for 122 yards against Jaguars receivers, per Next Gen Stats. After a solid stretch to end 2018, it has become clear that Ward is struggling to adjust to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s system.
Outside of Tyrell Williams, the Raiders’ receiving corps isn’t very intimidating. Spagnuolo would be wise to have cornerbacks Bashaud Breeland and Kendall Fuller shadow Williams to take some pressure off of Ward. If Ward gets carved up by the other Raider receivers, it may be time to get Rashad Fenton or Tremon Smith more snaps.
Chiefs’ offensive line vs. Raiders’ front seven
Although he wasn’t sacked, Mahomes was hit several times and suffered a mild ankle sprain. He continued to play well and his ankle is fine, but getting your franchise quarterback hit is less than ideal. The Chiefs’ offensive line will need to tighten up in pass protection against an aggressive Raider front seven.
It wasn’t all bad for the K.C. offensive line last week. It did a fantastic job opening running lanes for the running backs and blocking on screen passes. One good way to combat an aggressive front seven such as Oakland’s is to run screens, which as we know is an Andy Reid specialty.
OVERVIEW
The Raiders are an improved team, but they’re not a Super Bowl contender like the Chiefs. A loss for K.C. here would be very disappointing. Oakland is confident and will play with high energy and attitude. This could potentially be the last game between the Chiefs and Raiders at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum before the Raiders move to Las Vegas. The Chiefs will have to match that energy but also stay disciplined and play their game.
Go back…
