Coming off of a short week, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Las Vegas Raiders in the first of their two matchups this season.
The Chiefs have lost two of their last three games, including a heartbreaker to the Philadelphia Eagles last Monday. Kansas City’s offense has been a mess, struggling with penalties, turnovers, and dropped passes.
It has also failed to score a single point in the second half of each of the last three games. At 7-3, the Chiefs still hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC but have four other three-loss teams hot on their heels.
As for the Raiders, they have undergone many changes already this season, starting with the firings of second-year head coach Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi, and general manager David Ziegler back in Week 9.
They promoted linebackers coach Antonio Pierce to interim head coach, who benched quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and turned to rookie Aidan O’Connell as the full-time starter. Las Vegas won its first two games under Pierce but lost a hard-fought battle to the Miami Dolphins last week.
Check out our offseason report on the Raiders, where you’ll find information about their offseason moves and key players. Now, let’s see what it will take for the Chiefs to get back on the winning track.
Chiefs' defense vs. Raiders' offense
Quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree was appointed as offensive coordinator after the firing of Lombardi. Hardegree is trying to make the Raider offense a respectable unit, as it was at the bottom of the league in most categories when he took over.
He hasn’t made drastic changes since we’re so deep into the season, but one thing he has done is get the running game going and get All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams more involved.
Hardegree is trying to be more unpredictable with play calling than McDaniels was, which includes more throws on first down and different types of running plays other than their traditional power run scheme.
Josh Jacobs has been up and down all season running the ball but still has the talent to have a big game on any given week. Las Vegas is very solid on the left side of its offensive line with tackle Kolton Miller and guard Dylan Parham.
O’Connell has had typical rookie struggles, throwing six interceptions in four starts this season. However, he has made some impressive throws at times and has a big arm. His short to intermediate accuracy is good, but he struggles with the deep ball.
The Chiefs are a heavy blitzing defense and that should continue to be the case for this game. Keeping the rookie O’Connell under pressure should be a recipe for turnovers.
O’Connell doesn’t possess much athleticism, making it tough for him to avoid sacks. Blitzing extra defenders will also help against the running game and force O’Connell to try to beat K.C. by throwing downfield.
Chiefs' offense vs. Raiders' defense
Patrick Graham is in his second year as the Raiders’ defensive coordinator. He runs a hybrid 4-3 defense which features some 3-4 elements. Graham hasn’t blitzed as much this season as he has in the past, and that can largely be attributed to defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Crosby ranks sixth in the NFL in sacks and fourth in quarterback pressures. Unfortunately for the Raiders, Crosby is doubtful to play in this game due to a knee injury. Not only will they miss his ability to create pressure, but now the Raider defensive backs will have to stay in coverage a little longer.
Las Vegas will also miss him against the run, which it has struggled against even with Crosby. The Raiders rank 27th in rushing defense, which should be an eye-popping opportunity for the Chiefs to commit to the running game. Last week against the Eagles K.C. averaged 5.6 yards per carry.
The Chiefs’ passing game struggles are well documented by now and to make matters worse, they’ll be without wide receivers Kadarius Toney and Mecole Hardman in this game. Rashee Rice is clearly their most capable all-around receiver, but for whatever reason he just can’t seem to get consistent targets.
We’re likely in for another heavy dose of Justin Watson and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. As mentioned above, quarterback Patrick Mahomes may have more time to scan the field without Crosby chasing after him, but the K.C. receivers have to clean up their route running and stop dropping passes.
The biggest opposition for the Chiefs’ offense has often been itself, committing several penalties and turnovers all too often this season. Sometimes it’s better to play conservatively than risk making game-changing mistakes, which is what has happened in all three of K.C.’s losses in 2023.
