Intriguing Game– NFL, Week TenĀ
Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas RaidersĀ
Chiefs: Although they won on Sunday, I still have my concerns with them. On both Monday Evening Quarterback and The Prime, I said this one thing. They don’t have the confidence nor swagger as they once did. If you watched them from the first year when Patrick became the starting quarterback to even last season, they always found ways to stay afloat in football games. Even when they would get down, they would crawl back into the game. No moment ever phased them. Now, you see a team that gets defeated easily. When they get down, they stay down and body language tells me everything I need to know. I’ll be real here. The Chiefs should’ve won that game against the Packers by more than the six points they did. There’s no excuse, especially since they didn’t have Aaron Rodgers. The offense is still struggling to hold onto the ball. Now that defenses are forcing them to earn everything underneath, they haven’t adjusted and it shows. They still also need a true second option. Mecole Hardman and DeMarcus Robinson just won’t cut it because they’re both speedsters that play in the slot. It’s been shown if you keep Tyreek Hill in check and double Travis Kelce, you stop this offense. That’s what I mean when I say they don’t have that other weapon for the quarterback to rely upon. On Sunday night, they have a huge divisional showdown.
Raiders: They have a dark cloud hovering over them, unfortunately. First, the Jon Gruden emails get leaked out and he resigns. Next comes the Henry Ruggs III situation and the team ends up releasing him after he was driving 156 miles an hour under the influence of alcohol and killed a woman along with her dog. Before all of this transpired, they were off to a strong start. In the first two games, they record some impressive wins over the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers with the Steelers victory being in Pittsburgh. It’s also a big-time thing when you can get wins over playoff teams from the previous year. In all my years of watching Derek Carr, I’m admiring the leader he’s becoming. When times get tough, he rallies his troops and puts his team on his back. How could you not want to play with someone like that? Last week, they were upset at the hands of the New York Giants. The Raiders could never get themselves into a rhythm nor could they climb back into the football game. They turned the ball over a total of three times and when that happens, it becomes tough to win games. I also noticed every time they were in the red zone, they could never punch the football in for six points. Anytime you’re on the outside looking in of scoring, you come away with points. They scored only one touchdown and the Giants held them in check with field goals. They’re back home this Sunday night.
Chiefs X-Factor: Frank Clark– The Chiefs defense is horrible. There’s no way to go around that. However, I always say there are a few shining points. Chris Jones is one of them when he’s healthy and Tyrann Mathieu does all he can for this defense. Frank is also one of them when he’s consistent. His pursuit of the passer is a relentless one. Even if he doesn’t bring the quarterback down, he can still push the pocket and make the quarterback adjust on the fly.
Raiders X-Factor: Josh Jacobs– He makes a difference when he’s on the field and he’s healthy. I classify him as a power back with some finesse to his game. At the first attempt to tackle, Josh is close to impossible to bring down. The Chiefs struggle to limit the run. I’d expose that weakness as every other team who’s played the Chiefs has done. As a runner, Josh is strong with good cutback ability. He can also catch the football out of the backfield.
Final Thoughts: The AFC West is wide open. Kansas City has been a shell of themselves, the Raiders started hot but have issues on top of issues, the Chargers got off to a fast start but have come back down to reality some and the Broncos aren’t consistent enough for me. This is a big game. Last season, the Raiders defeated the Chiefs in Kansas City and the Chiefs got them back in Vegas. One thing I noticed Kansas City hasn’t done this year is get off to a quick start. That’s key for them in this game. Also, they’ve turned the ball over in every game this season. For once, take care of the ball. Make a statement and get off to a fast start! The Raiders have been good at home this year. They have the chance to bounce back and show they’re here to stick around. With the win, they’d cushion themselves nicely in the division. If this game is anything like last year’s battle in Vegas, we should be in for a good game.
Prediction: Chiefs 28, Raiders 24
