Oakland Raiders v Kansas City Chiefs: X-Factors To Keep An Eye On

Keep It Buttoned Up

Granted, football is a sport that runs on passion and emotion. Players get fired up and they need that to help carry them through. And with this, not just another game in an already intense rivalry, but a game with huge implications for the division title – a goal HC Jack Del Rio has set for this team – but for the playoffs as a whole.

Needless to say, emotions and tensions are going to be riding really, really high tonight.

Live Feed

FanSided

Everybody on that field – as well as countless millions of us out here – know exactly what’s at stake. We all know just how much is on the line with this one game. Most players (and coaches) will tell you that it’s just one more game on their schedule – but they’re lying. Either to you or to themselves, they are lying.

Not all games are created equal, and as far as that goes, this one is a behemoth.

Now, all that being said, the Raiders are going to have to find a way to keep their emotions – and themselves – in check. They’re going to need to channel all of that emotion into things that don’t hurt this team.

Both Michael Crabtree and Marquette King picked up big 15 yard penalties for allowing their emotions to get away with them. And that’s not a new thing. It’s something we’ve seen all season long – somebody let’s their emotions get away with them and they pick up a costly penalty.

Against a Chiefs team that doesn’t beat themselves and remains pretty buttoned up, the Raiders are going to need to keep themselves under control. They can’t afford to kill a drive or give up field position because they can’t control their emotions.