The Las Vegas Raiders remain the last team to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs with their upset victory on Christmas Day last season. But they have a tall task ahead of them against their hated division rival, who just added a new offensive weapon.
This week, the Chiefs traded for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, a much-needed addition, as their top two receivers, Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown, are both gone for the season. Expect Patrick Mahomes to immediately make use of the former All-Pro as they look to get their struggling offense going.
Mahomes is tied for the league lead in interceptions with eight and that is exactly how the Raiders were able to defeat the Chiefs last season. If Maxx Crosby and the front seven can generate some pressure, the secondary led by Nate Hobbs and Jack Jones must be ready to take advantage and create turnovers, as great field position is needed to help the Raiders’ offense against a Chiefs defense that is one of the best in the league.
Gardner Minshew absolutely must take care of the ball if the Raiders want to have any chance of coming away with the upset win. The Chiefs defense is especially stout against the run and always seems to come up with stops when they need to. Chris Jones is the best interior lineman in football and will cause all kinds of havoc up front if the offensive line isn’t on point.
Some potential good news for Minshew and the Raiders is that Jakobi Meyers has returned to practice and there is hope he will be able to suit up. That would give the offense a much-needed weapon as, so far, rookie tight end Brock Bowers has been the only consistent player on that side of the ball.
Even if Meyers is back, Bowers will still be a focal point as the rookie is proving to be everything he was cracked up to be coming out of college. He is already breaking NFL rookie records, but he can’t carry this offense alone. Any sort of contributions from the run game between Alexander Mattison and Zamir White would be massive, but again, the Chiefs allow the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game, so it could be up to generate some big plays in the air. Tre Tucker, DJ Turner and Tyreik McCallister are all capable, but have yet to make things happen consistently.
Seeing the Chiefs’ defense is the last thing a struggling offense like the Raiders needs right now, but the most important thing for this team remains turnovers. If Minshew and the Raiders lose the turnover battle and make things easier on Mahomes, this game could get ugly. But if they tighten up that area and play disciplined football, this Chiefs team has looked vulnerable and rivalry games always seem to bring out some unexpected outcomes.
Kansas City Chiefs (6-0) vs. Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)
1:25 p.m. PT, Sunday, October 27, 2024
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: CBS
