How Raiders Can Slow Down Chiefs’ Offense
How Raiders Can Slow Down Chiefs’ Offense
Sports Illustrated, by Carter Landis News, Views, and More about the Las Vegas Raiders
This afternoon at Allegiant Stadium, the Las Vegas Raiders want to upset their AFC West rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs are still 7-3, atop the AFC West, and among the best teams in the AFC for another season, despite some offensive setbacks this year. In an effort to maintain their chances of making the playoffs, the Raiders will try to play spoiler.
But it’s impossible to overlook the Chiefs’ offensive shortcomings. They only have one real receiving threat, they have not scored a touchdown in the second half of a game in three consecutive, and they are severely thin at running back.
But in the end, the Chiefs will always be a danger to have a great day offensively because they still have tight end Travis Kelce, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and coach Andy Reid. Because they are aware of this, the Raiders need to throw off the Chiefs’ offensive flow in order to win.
How then do they achieve that? It all boils down to triumphing in the trench war. Although the Chiefs’ interior offensive line play is excellent, their tackle performance this season has been lacking. Maxx Crosby, the defensive end, is questionable for the game. Tyree Wilson and Malcolm Koonce, two edge rushers, will need to fill in for him.
If the Raiders can get interior pressure, they give themselves an even better shot. While Mahomes can scramble and make plays on the run, it will be much harder for him if he does it more often.
Limiting their run game is another thing the Raiders need to do. They must slow down running back Isiah Pacheco in the backfield since the Chiefs rely a lot on him and on involving some of their wide outs.
The Chiefs’ offense will become one-dimensional as a result, and Mahomes will be forced to depend more on his wide receivers, who haven’t performed as well for him as other receivers have in previous years. Though the Raiders can let him perform if others aren’t, Kelce will still be an option.
Although it’s never simple to slow down the Mahomes-led Chiefs, this year seems more likely than ever. The Raiders need to contain the Chiefs’ offense and give their own offense more opportunities if they hope to upset their rivals.
The Silver and Black will return home this week to celebrate Thanksgiving and take on their AFC West rival, the Kansas City Chiefs,