Week 2 pits Kansas City against the Raiders in what perhaps is the Chiefs’ last visit to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
The Raiders are high on confidence after their Week 1 win on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos. They are a noticeably improved and more athletic team. It’s clear they are looking to take the next step toward being a contender. As for the Chiefs, they’re just trying to stay the course and take care of business as a Super Bowl contender.
Let’s take a look at the keys for a K.C. victory over Oakland.
Chiefs’ defensive line controlling the line of scrimmage
In Week 1 quarterback Derek Carr faced virtually no pressure and wasn’t sacked once. This allowed him to scan the field and complete 84 percent of his passes. The Raiders also stay committed to the run, handing the ball off 28 times.
The Chiefs’ defensive line must consistently win matchups and get a good push. It cannot allow Oakland to run the ball effectively and let Carr feed off of it with play-action. Shutting down the running game will force him to take deep dropbacks and make big plays down the field, which will lead to sacks, turnovers and a Chiefs victory.
Continue…
Stay creative offensively
Lack of creativity is not a criticism you’ll often hear about coach Andy Reid. Every season Reid wows the NFL with his play designs and play-calling, with other teams often trying to what he does. One thing that allows him to be so creative is his personnel, particularly receiver Tyreek Hill.
The Chiefs will be without Hill for this game, so it will be important that Reid incorporates his other receivers into the offense. Sammy Watkins should’t have any issues doing his thing, but players such as Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson and De’Anthoy Thomas will need to step up and take some pressure off of him.
In order for that to happen, Reid may have to get creative with them. Hardman is a rookie and Robinson and Thomas have been inconsistent throughout their careers. Also not to be forgotten is Reid’s screen game genius, and he has two very good running backs to execute with.
Continue…
CB Charvarius Ward must step up
Ward’s rough training camp and preseason carried over into Week 1. With Bashaud Breeland and Kendall Fuller being solid veteran cornerbacks, teams will continue to relentlessly attack Ward. There are a couple silver linings with Ward, however.
First, he is still a very young player who is just beginning his second NFL season. At 6-foot-1 and 186 pounds, Ward has impressive size and physicality for a cornerback. Secondly, outside of Tyrell Williams, the Raiders don’t boast a very impressive receiving corps. This game is a good opportunity for Ward to get back on track.
Continue…
Travis Kelce’s continued dominance vs. Raiders
Kelce had the best game of his career in Week 13 at Oakland last season, where he caught 12 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. K.C. will need him to be his All-Pro self with Hill out. He’s consistently been a problem for Oakland and they haven’t yet found a solution for him during their matchups.
It would have been fun to watch him go up against upstart Raiders’ safety Johnathan Abram, however Abram has will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. Look for the Raiders to matchup Kelce with linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who they brought in this past offseason.
Continue…
K Harrison Butker stays sharp
Last week Butker went 4-4 on field goal attempts from 28, 25, 46 and 35 yards. If not for his efficiency, the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars would have been much more uncomfortable. Butker has pretty much been nails since his NFL debut in 2017.
To prepare for this game, Butker practiced kicking on the indfield dirt of the Kansas City Royals’ Kauffman Stadium, located just across the parking lot of Arrowhead Stadium. Of course the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is shared with the Raiders by the Oakland Athletics.
Go back…
