Oakland Raiders: Fourth Quarter schedule breakdown and predictions
By Kevin Saito
@Kansas City Chiefs
The Raiders will finish the year on the road against a Chiefs team looking to play spoiler. Though there is a lot to like about Patrick Mahomes with his big arm and big upside, this first year as the starter is going to have its ups and downs.
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The Raiders can and should expect a heavy dose of Kareem Hunt, Charcandrick West, and Spencer Ware as Andy Reid will try to take as much of the burden off his first-year starter as he can.
The Chiefs have a very talented group of running backs and if the Raiders aren’t careful, they can take over the game and literally run away with it. In two games against the Chiefs last season, the Raiders gave up 259 yards and a pair of on the ground.
And, if you recall, it was with the season essentially hanging in the balance in their week fourteen clash that Kansas City went off for 165 yards on the ground, on their way to 408 yards of total offense in a 26-15 rout that wasn’t as close as the final score might otherwise indicate – only a 15-point fourth quarter outburst made it look more respectable than it was.
But, that was then and this is now, and much has changed. Except for the fact that the Raiders will again have to square off with that three-headed beast in Kansas City’s backfield. Though Hunt will be the team’s featured back, they’ll also see plenty of West and Ware as change of pace backs.
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Oakland’s defense is also going to need answers for Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Sammy Watkins. If they can get to Mahomes early and often, if they can rattle him, and take him out of his rhythm, they’re going to be in good shape.
With perhaps, everything on the line in this final game of the season, Gruden is going to have his team ready. He’s going to have them sharp and focused – things we unfortunately, did not see last season. This game will put an exclamation point on Oakland’s regular season.
Raiders: 27 Chiefs: 24
Oakland’s Projected 2018 Regular Season Record: 11-5