Game Overview ::
By mike johnson >>
- This game is a rematch of the Week 12 matchup where the Raiders jumped ahead early before the Chiefs ran away with it.
- Both defenses have been far more beatable on the ground than through the air this season.
- Kansas City should be getting back starting running back Isiah Pacheco after he missed the last two games.
- The Raiders are coming off a dominant performance against the Chargers where they scored 63 points and got Brandon Staley fired.
- Both offenses rank in the bottom 10 in seconds per play, which indicates this could be a game with low play volume.
How las vegas Will Try To Win ::
Las Vegas had an awful outing in Week 14, losing 3-0 (yes, you read that right) to the Vikings at home. Playing on a short week last Thursday it would have been easy to see them fold once again, but they had one of the more impressive outings of the season as they scored 42 first half points against the Chargers and walked away with a 63-21 victory. The Raiders played well, without question, but a lot of that performance was thanks to Los Angeles looking completely disinterested in competing and making huge mistakes that gave the Raiders several turnovers and a couple of defensive touchdowns. The Raiders have a 3-3 record since Antonio Pierce took over as head coach and all three of their losses have come against teams that would be in the playoffs if they started today. This week, Las Vegas will have its hands full again as they travel to Arrowhead in December.
Xmas Slate Ownership Projections!
Ownership updates automatically
The Raiders are facing a Chiefs defense that has been extremely good against the pass this season while struggling to contain strong opposing rushing attacks. Las Vegas has not been an overly aggressive team through the air with Aidan O’Connell at quarterback and Antonio Pierce as their head coach, and this does not seem like the week where they will open things up unless they are forced to. Star running back Josh Jacobs missed last week’s game but is reportedly working his way back and Pierce expressed optimism that he will be good to go. If that is the case, we should expect Jacobs to get a big workload, and the Raiders may mix in Zamir White a decent amount as well after he had a solid outing in the absence of Jacobs. The Raiders offense hasn’t been great in any area this season, but they clearly want to be a run-focused team and it seems unlikely that they will have much success against a ferocious Chiefs secondary this week. The Chiefs blitz at the fifth highest rate in the league and have defensive backs who are very physical and make it difficult for opponents to create quick separation. That combination is likely to cause issues for the Raiders through the air, increasing the likelihood of a run-focused game plan.
Las Vegas ranks 26th in situation neutral pace of play and ran the ball on half of their first half offensive plays the last time they faced the Chiefs. Given the way the Chiefs defense is built and the way the Raiders want to play, it seems very obvious that Las Vegas will try to turn this game into a slugfest and win behind their defense and running game. The Raiders defense has been very good since Pierce took over and only the Chiefs have been able to score more than 21 points against them during their six games under Pierce. This game will be played in the cold outdoor weather in Kansas City and the Raiders have seen the Chiefs attack once, very recently. It would stand to reason that they will be better prepared to slow down Mahomes and company this time around and they will rely on Jacobs and their offensive line to keep their very slim playoff hopes alive.
You must be logged in to view collective notes about a game.
You must be logged in to add notes about a game.