Game Overview ::
By mike johnson >>
- The Chiefs carry the league’s best record into Vegas for a matchup with a reeling Raiders team.
- This is a matchup of “buyers” and “sellers,” as Kansas City just acquired WR DeAndre Hopkins via trade a week after the Raiders shipped Davante Adams out of town.
- The Chiefs have built their winning foundation around their defense and simply finding ways to outlast opponents as their offense has taken a big step back from past years.
- Gardner Minshew will return as the starting quarterback for the Raiders after Aidan O’Connell broke his thumb, which will cost him four to six weeks at a minimum.
- Perhaps Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs passing game can get back on track against the Raiders 32nd ranked coverage unit.
How kansas city Will Try To Win ::
The Chiefs continue to mow down their opponents in a methodical fashion, staying undefeated after a surgical victory over the depleted 49ers in San Francisco in Week 7. No matter who is catching the passes from Patrick Mahomes, the offense continues to be “good enough” to win. While Mahomes is not putting up the kind of stats he did early in his career, he is playing very good “winning” football. Many have discussed his interceptions and how he has more of them than touchdown passes this season as a stat that indicates a decline in play. The reality, however, is that many of those mistakes happen at the right time in games and in the right spots on the field to where they don’t hurt the team as much as a 4th quarter interception or one deep in your own territory or in your opponent’s red zone may hurt. This is not all encompassing, but more just a big picture way of saying don’t let the stats fool you as Mahomes is engineering victories for his team in ways that just aren’t as fun for fantasy football players.
The Chiefs pass rate over expectation (PROE) has normalized a bit after starting the year off very low. They are now 7th in the league in PROE and rank 6th in that category over the last four weeks. Their overall pass rate is down due to the fact that they have controlled many of their games, however, and this week sets up as another game where they should not feel the need to press too hard and they can pick their spots. Kansas City traded for former All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins and he will be a much needed presence for their receiving corps down the stretch after they lost Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice for the season and JuJu Smith-Schuster’s hamstring is acting up, which will cost him this week as well. The trade happened on Wednesday so it is hard to say how involved Hopkins will be this week. Odds are he is able to play on a somewhat limited package and may be more involved in high leverage situations like third down and red zone. Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce were the focal points of the Chiefs passing game last week and combined to see 13 of the team’s 25 targets, just over 50%. Tight end Noah Gray was targeted four times and turned those targets into 4 receptions for 66 yards to lead the team, as Kansas City increased their “12” and “13” personnel usage coming out of their Week 6 bye. No other player besides Gray, Kelce, and Worthy saw more than two targets in the contest. Considering the success Gray had and the continued state of the Chiefs receiving corps, it would make sense for Gray to stay involved. If there was ever a week for Worthy to turn his targets into production, this would be it as the Raiders have PFF’s worst graded coverage unit and Worthy’s speed will be difficult for them to keep in front of them all game. Kareem Hunt has assumed control of the backfield and is a capable all-around back. He should have some success on the ground this week as the Raiders 27th-ranked DVOA defense is nothing to write home about.
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