Countdown to Paydirt: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders
Ladies and gentlemen, the Oakland Raiders (3-8) are actually favored going into a contest for the first time in 2008. After a convincing 31-10 road victory last weekend against the Broncos and with the lowly Kansas City Chiefs (1-10) coming into town, the Silver & Black are the prognosticators choice on Sunday, as they will look to sweep the season series from their west rivals for the time first time since 2001.
OAKLAND RAIDERS
On Offense:
When the Raiders win, they run the ball effectively. The Chiefs have been one of the league’s worst clubs at stopping the run allowing an average of 165.9 yards per game (31st in the NFL). Combine that with Darren McFadden’s health, his week two 164-yard effort at Arrowhead and the Silver & Black’s 158-yard output against the Broncos, and the Chiefs could be in for a long day. “They’ve got two big punishing backs and their offensive line is very good,” Kansas City coach Herm Edwards commented this week. “They run their scheme very well. They’ve got some good receivers but their game is run the ball. They’re going to try to pound you that way.”
Also promising last weekend was the production the Raiders got out of receiver Ashley Lelie. The former Bronco torched his teammates for 92 receiving yards and a touchdown. And a week after learning a family had passed away; JaMarcus Russell played his best game as pro statistically going 10/11 for 152 yards and a touchdown pass.
What to Expect:
Oakland will run the ball. They’ll try to stem everything on offense of the success of the ground game and hope to see their trio of rushers mimic the numbers they produced during their week-two 23-8 victory in Kansas City. Having a solid game under his belt and the Chiefs focusing on stopping the run, the Raiders will let Russell get vertical a few times as well to excite the ‘Black Hole.’
On Defense:
Derrick Burgess got back on the field last Sunday after a six game absence. He didn’t record a sack, but along with Kalimba Edwards, the Raiders were able to apply enough pressure on Jay Cutler to force some miscues and ground the Denver aerial attack. Burgess has only 1.5 sacks this season, his solo sack coming during the Raiders victory against the Chiefs.
Thomas Howard is playing the best football of his career right now, even though he has not tallied as many interceptions as he had last season. He is flying to the football, making plays in the backfield and last weekend, Howard picked off his first pass in 2008.
What to Expect:
What was impressive last weekend was how the Raiders held the Broncos to only 48 yards rushing in the 2nd half and when they went ahead and made Denver one-dimensional, they forced turnovers and frustrated the opposing offense.
Larry Johnson has tormented the Raiders in the past, but in their first meeting they held him to 22 yards on 12 carries. Can they do it again?
On Special Teams:
You can make the case that Johnnie Lee Higgins has been the Raiders most valuable player in 2008. He has only 8 receptions, but one of those was a game altering 84-yard touchdown reception in the 4th quarter versus Buffalo.
But where he has made his mark is on punt returns, where in recent weeks he has shifted the momentum of games with returns of 93 yards for a score in Miami and 89 yards right before halftime against the Broncos.
The Chiefs are allowing 10.3 yards per return on punts and 24.2 yards per on kickoffs.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
On Offense:
Tyler Thigpen is at the helm of the Chiefs offense. In their first meeting, Thigpen was 14-of-33 for 151 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception while being sacked three times. He has started the last 5 contests for Kansas City and during that span; Thigpen has been sacked 13 times.
Larry Johnson needs to get going if they expect to pull out the road victory. Last weekend, he had a 63-yard run and had 81 yards on 7 carries. Rookie rusher Jamaal Charles could be an under the radar talent that could help cause match-up problems. During their 54-31 loss to Buffalo, Charles tallied his first career touchdown reception from 36 yards out.
What to Expect:
The Raiders allow 160 yards per game on the ground. And even though they’ve played well recently in the trenches, Kansas City’s best bet will be to try to pound away at the Raiders defensive line and stay away from their athletic secondary. The Chiefs are averaging a second best 4.9 yards per carry. Now, if they can sustain drives with their rush and keep Thigpen out of long down and distances, they may have a shot at pulling off the upset.
On Defense:
The Chiefs may have a depleted unit on Sunday. After allowing 54-points last weekend, Herm Edwards said yesterday that four regulars were unable to practice this week and that two others were limited.
In the secondary, safety Jarrad Page (groin) and cornerback Patrick Surtain (quad) are banged up. Linebacker Pat Thomas (thigh) is expected to be ready, but his unit mates Donnie Edwards (knee and ankle) and Weston Dacus (knee) were two players that did not practice on Thursday.
GAME NOTES
- Kansas City has lost 19 out of their last 20 games.
- Oakland will look for back-to-back victories against divisional rivals. Last year, they pulled off the feat by beating the Chiefs on the road 20-17 (11/25/2007) and the Broncos at home 34-20 (12/2/2007). The Chiefs have a six game wining streak in Oakland.
- Transactions this week: On 11/26, the Raiders signed G Dylan Gandy and placed WR Javon Walker on injured reserve. On 11/25, they signed DB Darrick Brown onto the active roster and waived OL Junius Coston.
- The Raiders have lost 9 of their 11 contests against the Chiefs. Kansas City also leads the all-time series 50-44-2.
KEY MATCH-UPS
Tony Gonzalez vs. the Raiders Secondary
The hall of fame bound tight end has a reception streak of 126 games and he set a record for tight ends last weekend with his 25th career 100-yard receiving game. Will Michael Huff be on the field against the veteran? Huff has had success in the past due to his size and speed.
Raiders front seven vs. LJ & JC
Larry Johnson and Jamaal Charles are capable of big games. And with the suspect Raiders run defense, they could rack up big yardage.
PREDICTION
Raiders 26 – Chiefs 24
TV & RADIO
The game will be televised on CBS with Bill Macatee providing play-by-play and Steve Beuerlein handling color analysis. The game will air locally on KPIX Channel 5. The game will also air in Sacramento on KOVR Channel 13 as well as on KHSL in Chico, KION in Monterey and KJEO in Fresno. The game will air on Raiders Radio originating on KSFO 560 AM, the Silver and Black Flagship for the multi-state Radio Network. Greg Papa and former Raiders player, assistant and head coach Tom Flores will man the booth for the 12th straight year. The radio pregame show and postgame show will feature Raider Legends George Atkinson and David Humm along with KGO’s Rich Walcoff. (Broadcast information can be found on the official Raiders web site)
GAME INFO
Home Team: Oakland Raiders (3-8) Home: 1-4 Road: 2-4
Road Team: Kansas City Chiefs (1-10) Home: 1-5 Road: 0-5
When and Where: Sunday, November 30, 2008, 1:15 p.m. PT | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, OAK, CA
