Oakland Raiders: A Few Keys To Victory Over Kansas City Chiefs

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Dec 6, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper (89) is tackled by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters (22) and inside linebacker Derrick Johnson (56) during an NFL football game at O.co Coliseum. The Chiefs defeated the Raiders 34-20. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The Oakland Raiders head into this week’s matchup with division rival Kansas City in sole possession of first place in the AFC West – but will they come out of it the same way? Let’s break down a few keys to a win over the Chiefs.

Sitting somewhat pretty at 4-1, the Oakland Raiders find themselves in a spot they haven’t been in more than a decade – sole possession of first place in the AFC West. By virtue of a Broncos loss to the Chargers on Thursday Night Football, Denver has dropped to 4-2 in the division while San Diego climbs to 2-4. Which means, at 4-1, the Raiders are in first place all by themselves.

The question now becomes – can they maintain their place atop the division?

A win over another division rival – this time, the Kansas City Chiefs – would certainly help quite a bit. It would give them a 2-0 record in-division – which could provide beneficial later in the season. But more importantly, a victory over Kansas City would help create more separation between the Raiders and their pursuers in the AFC West.

Some might be tempted to look at the Chiefs, with their 2-2 record and ugly losses to both the Texans and the Steelers on their resume, and write them off. With wins over just the Chargers and the Jets, it might make it that much more tempting to look past them.

But just as it was tempting to look past San Diego last week, looking beyond the Chiefs would be equally as disastrous. Kansas City is better than their 2-2 record might otherwise indicate, and they always play the Raiders tough. Always.

And of course, the Chiefs are coming off a bye week, which means they’ll be rested and healthy. Perhaps even more relevant though, they’ll be eager to wash the awful taste the drubbing Pittsburgh gave them two weeks ago out of their mouths. So they’re going to be extra motivated to take it to the Raiders.

Which means this team needs to be focused. And it needs to be ready. With that in mind then, let’s look at a few keys to victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

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