The Kansas City Chiefs will return from their bye this week to face the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders are currently tied for the lead in the AFC West, while Kansas City is coming off an absolute thrashing two weeks ago on Sunday night. It’s no secret that these teams don’t like each other which will likely make this divisional matchup all the more intense. Here are three things the Chiefs will have to be successful at if they want to win this Sunday in Oakland.
Kansas City Chiefs Week Six Keys to Victory
Get the Ball to Travis Kelce
Kansas City should be working the ball into Travis Kelce at every opportunity this week. The Raiders have a serious problem covering tight ends. Tight ends playing the Raiders average 76.2 yards a game against them. The Raiders linebackers simply are not great in coverage. The speed and quickness of Kelce possesses will be very hard for this Oakland defense to counter, especially when Jamaal Charles also has to be accounted for. If Kelce is consistently getting open, the Oakland pass rush, headed by Khalil Mack, will have a much smaller impact.
Play Physical and Contain Derek Carr
Derek Carr has started off the year looking brilliant. He’s currently ranked eighth in passing yards and tied for third in passing touchdowns. This is in large part due to his ability to extend a play with the use of his legs. Whether it’s a designed bootleg or him sensing pressure and scrambling out of the pocket, Carr always finds a way to extend the play. This extra time allows his receivers run secondary routes and find open space, often resulting in a chunk play for 15 or more yards. Kansas City must keep Carr contained in the pocket, which will force him to get rid of the ball quicker.
Derek Carr also has a pair of great receivers in Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper. Both receivers are great playmakers with they’re leaping ability and quickness. I actually like this matchup for Marcus Peters and Phillip Gaines. wide outs who burned them two weeks ago. Peters is a very physical corner who excels at jamming receivers at the line and bumping them off their routes. Gaines is also a speedy defensive back that has shown he has the physicality to be more than a nickel corner. Both of them will get physical early against the receiving duo. Crabtree is the one most likely to be affected. He has struggled getting separation off the line when he’s being pressed, leading to visible frustration. He also acts as Derek Carr’s safety blanket, getting very risky balls thrown his way. Look for Marcus Peters to capitalize on one of these instances and pick up an interception. Amari Cooper is a different story, his has both strength and speed. Kansas City’s corners will need to be able to match his physicality when positioning for jump balls. Peters and Gaines will need to prevent Cooper from boxing them out when the ball comes his way.
Establish the Run
With a healthy Jamaal Charles in the backfield this week, the Chiefs should have a solid day running the ball. The Raiders come in with ranked 27th in rushing defense allowing 122 yards a game. They also allow an average of and average of 4.9 yards per carry, putting them as the third worst in the league. Kansas City should look to run the ball at least 20 times this week on this poor defense. They seemed to struggle most with runs up the middle, so look for Charles and company to utilize plenty of off tackle and inside zone runs. Running the ball additionally will let the Chiefs dictate the pace of the game. As we saw two weeks ago, the Chiefs can’t keep up in a shootout. Therefore it is key for the Chiefs to dominate the time of possession and keep the ball out of Derek Carr’s hands.
In Conclusion
Division matchups are never easy games. Both teams know each other tendencies better than anyone, forcing coaches to get creative with their game plans. The Raiders are no longer the NFL’s doormat either. They’ve got a good young quarterback and solid receivers, but still lack any semblance of a defense. Kansas City’s offense should be able to move the ball well against this unit. The real test is whether the defense will be able to contain this explosive Oakland offense.
