AFC Game Of The Week
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders
Chiefs: The question all off-season was can their offense duplicate what they were able to accomplish in 2018? I heard it all during the Summer: “There’s a full year of film on them, Patrick Mahomes won’t do what he did last year this upcoming season, etc”. Go watch the highlights of their first game of the year against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They didn’t miss a single beat. The offense was just as fast, if not faster than what they were last season. Mahomes showed everyone why he was named MVP and it seemed like every time the Chiefs had the football, something explosive happened. They got their first win and hung 40 up on a Jaguars defense that was looking to improve from a down season. I love what they’re able to do offensively because they can push the football down the field in a variety of ways. You just never know what’ll happen or who will get the ball in their hands, that’s how deep they are on that side of the ball. With the good though comes the bad and let’s say the offense struggles in a game to get it going. Can the defense pick things up and help shoulder the responsibility for the team? That’s the only question mark I have with them because of the struggles they’ve had on defense and I feel that’s what’s keeping them from making a deep run in the playoffs. You can outscore people all you want, but if you don’t at least attempt to stop someone, forget about it. It’s another game and another week on the road. How about some divisional football?
Raiders: I’m happy for them. Their off-season was an absolute whirlwind of events. In March, they made the acquisition of a lifetime to add Antonio Brown to their team hoping this would give Derek Carr a solid number one option. As the months went on, the antics followed. It got to the point where AB was on Instagram asking the Raiders for his release and he was granted his wish. Now, the Raiders are set to play without someone they were hoping to build their offense around. How would they respond? I loved what I saw from them on Monday night. The crowd was really into it, the players came out with their energy levels boosted up and they left everything on the field. When incidents occur like they did, your escape is the football field and that was obviously shown in that opening win against the Broncos. How about Josh Jacobs? If he can keep the balance going for the Raiders offense, he will have a great career in the NFL. In his first game, he had over 100 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. I love what I saw from their defense as well. They were tenacious, quick at the point of attack and more physical than the Denver Broncos. This is what Raiders football is all about. Now can this hold up is the million-dollar question? They were a playoff team back in 2016 making it to January for the first time since 2002 when they made it to the Super Bowl. The Raiders are ready to make another run towards the postseason. They will look to make another statement on Sunday afternoon with the best team in the division coming to the coliseum for a divisional showdown.
Chiefs Player To Watch: Mecole Hardman– He fell right into the laps of the Chiefs in the draft this April. With Tyreek Hill sidelined for a few games, Mecole will step in and contribute early to this offense. He’s made some comparisons to Tyreek. He has blazing speed, he can run the jet sweep, he runs the entire route tree and when the ball is in his hands, watch out.
Raiders Player To Watch: Josh Jacobs– When you play a prolific offense, slowing the game down is key. You want to win the time of possession battle and keep them on the sideline. This is where Josh comes into the picture. The Chiefs struggle to shut down the running game on defense. Feed him the ball, let him go to work and everything else will fall into place.
Final Analysis: This is one of the most bitter rivalries in the NFL. They go back to the days of the AFL (American Football League) in 1960 and have shared the same division. I can’t stress this enough about the Chiefs, but they need to get better defensively across the board. Even if they become a bend but don’t break defense, that’s an improvement right there of itself. You can give up all those big plays down the field, but when you get to the 20-yard line and you’re outside the RedZone, you turn it up and stop someone. The Raiders need to continue to mix things up offensively. The Broncos had no idea what Oakland was going to do on Monday night which they used to their advantage. This would be a statement win if the Raiders can prevail. The Chiefs are looking for their third straight 2-0 start.
Prediction: Chiefs 38 Raiders 28
