The Oakland Raiders were able to really bring together the city of Oakland during their acquisition of hometown running back Marshawn Lynch. The Super Bowl Champion was reinstated from his retirement with the Seattle Seahawks and promptly traded to the Raiders, with two years remaining on his contract.
Although the Raiders finished the 2016 season with a 12-4 record, it won’t be an easy ride to repeat in perhaps the toughest division in the NFL. The Raiders found out first hand how explosive the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs can be, as they lost the AFC West title and fell to the Wild Card during the final week of the season.
The tough defenses of the Chiefs and Broncos certainly anticipate some physicality when facing Lynch, along with the top-notch offensive line. Marcus Peters, a two-time All-Pro cornerback for the Chiefs, is also from the Oakland area and has ties to Lynch. He stated that he’s happy for Lynch, but also issued a warning to the Oakland running back, via Jimmy Durkin of Mercury News:
“It’s going to feel good for him,” Peters said of Lynch’s homecoming. “It’s going to be a good feeling, It’s going to be a good feeling for Oakland. But when we come here, we’re going to beat the dog (expletive) out of him.”
The Chiefs have dominated the Raiders of late, with four consecutive victories against Oakland. Lynch, fresh off a year of retirement, has looked great thus far with the Raiders. He has been seen working on his footwork with boots at the beach in the sand, while also torching his defensive unit for a crafty touchdown.
The first showdown between these two teams will occur on Oct. 19, when the Raiders and Chiefs face off at the Oakland Coliseum.
