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

The Jekyll and Hyde Defense

With so many faces learning a new system, there was of course, going to be a period of adjustment. A learning curve to it all. But nobody expected the defense to perform as poorly as it did early on. And in those first two games of the year, make no mistake about it, that defense was an absolute dumpster fire.

There has been slow and steady improvement over the course of the year. The defense the Chiefs will be facing tonight is a much better overall unit than the one they faced in week six. Roles have been defined, players have grown comfortable in them, and the unit as a whole has bonded and is coming together.

That doesn’t say though, that there isn’t still plenty of room for improvement – because there most certainly is. At some point in almost every game, you can expect the Raiders defense to just – evaporate. Their performances are up and down and you never know what you’re going to get from drive to drive, quarter to quarter.

Oakland’s defense is very Jekyll and Hyde like that.

The one thing you do have to say though, is that they have a knack for turning it up and making some plays when it is absolutely critical. Take last week’s game against Buffalo for example. The Bills were having their way with Oakland’s defense, LeSean McCoy was busy running for about a billion yards, and even Tyrod Taylor was looking like a Pro Bowler early on.

That poor defensive showing lasted into the third quarter – and resulted in a commanding 15 point lead for the Bills. But then the defense – sparked by a touchdown drive from the offense – came to life and became an absolute monster. They shut down the Bills the rest of the way and never looked back.

After giving up those two third quarter touchdowns to put the Raiders in a ginormous hole, the defense then turned around and held Buffalo to just 70 yards the rest of the way – 14 of those on one last garbage time drive to end the game. In that span, the Raiders forced three three-and-outs, and forced two turnovers.

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The defense – finally – locked down and looked dominant after getting lit up for two and a half quarters at the hands of the Bills. And thanks to the offensive fireworks – and a very stout, very brutal defense – at least, for the last quarter and a half – Oakland turned a 15 point deficit into a 14 point victory.

If the Raiders hope to beat the Chiefs, they are going to need the effort and effectiveness of that last quarter and a half they had against Buffalo – not what they put up in the first two and a half.

In other words, they’ll need a lot more Jekkyl and way less Hyde.