Oakland Raiders vs Kansas City Chiefs Game Day Open Thread

The Oakland Raiders square off with longtime nemesis Kansas City in a game that could help them solidify their hold on first place – this is your place to discuss the game and all things Raiders football.

At 4-1, the Oakland Raiders are looking to build on that lead and solidify their position atop the AFC West. The 2-2 Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a bye week that came after an absolute drubbing at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They’re also looking to keep from falling further behind in the division.

There is no doubt that the Chiefs are better than their 2-2 record might indicate. Just as the Chargers are a better team than their 1-4 – ooops, sorry Denver – now, 2-4 record would indicate. This is not a team the Raiders can afford to take lightly. Nor is this a team they can afford to let hang around all day like they did with the Chargers last week.

Had Drew Kaser not botched a perfectly good field goal snap, this game might be looking a lot different right about now.

But luck counts every bit as much as skill and the Raiders are alone atop the AFC West. Now, they just need to solidify their standing. It’s a tough task against one of their oldest and most bitter rivals.

The Chiefs are a team that’s – well – methodical and plodding. They’re not going to razzle dazzle you and they’re not going to be – electric. They basically win games by boring you to death. But under Andy Reid‘s guidance, they’ve been incredibly effective at boring people to death.

Alex Smith isn’t a big bomber, but he’s solid in finding the short and intermediate range routes. He’s also a little more mobile than most people give him credit for. He can extend plays and keep his offense moving.

They also have a three headed beast in the backfield in the form of Jamaal Charles, Charcandrick West, and Spencer Ware who can gut out the tough yards, explode for big ones, and wear down a defense over the course of a game.

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And in Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce, they have a couple of pass catchers who can find the open spots and poke holes in a defense. In Maclin’s case, he’s somebody who can absolutely take over a game if you let him. The Raiders can’t afford to let him.

The Cheifs have a lot of talent, but they’ve also dealt with some injury issues – not that they’re going to get any sympathy from the Raiders on that front.

For Oakland’s part, their success in this game is going to start with the defense. At some point, the defense has got to step up and start making plays consistently. They’ve made some outstanding plays at critical points in games to this point in the season, but eventually, they need to stop putting themselves in those critical points.

This is a team that has got to learn to play a complete sixty minutes and dominate other teams if they hope to find success in the postseason.

This week, the Raiders will again be without Latavius Murray, which deals a blow to their running game. Not having Murray available last week slowed down production on the ground as the Raiders amassed less than 100 rushing yards for the second straight week.

Injuries along the offensive line contributed mightily to Oakland’s struggles on the ground and in pass protection last week. Derek Carr was bruised and bloodied by an attacking San Diego defense who racked up three sacks in the game – when the Raiders have given up just two through for games before that.

The Raiders are going to be without Vadal Alexander and Menelik Watson today, which deals a blow to their offensive line depth and productivity. The good news is that they should be getting Austin Howard and Matt McCants back, meaning they’ll have a few warm bodies to throw at the Chiefs.

Next: Raiders In First Place, Still Have Much To Prove

Oakland is going to need rookie running backs DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard to put it on a Kansas City run defense ranked near the bottom of the league. They weren’t asked to do a lot against San Diego, so hopefully OC Bill Musgrave has some more work in mind for them.

If they’re effective, it will take some of the pressure off of the line and help open up the passing attack for Carr and company.

There is a lot at stake here for this Raiders team. First place in the division as well as the perception that their 4-1 record isn’t necessarily equal to other teams with the same mark. Being able to beat a good Kansas City squad – and hopefully, beat them convincingly – would go a long way towards finding even more success this season.

How do you all see this playing out? What storylines are you most interested in? What matchups are you going to be paying the most attention to? And most importantly – who do you see coming out on top in this AFC West cage match?

This is your place to talk about the game and all things Raiders football. So step up, speak out, and be heard!