KC Chiefs-Raiders schemes: Sunday night is a game for the heavy hitters in the trenches
This space is often devoted to matchups of skill players: quarterbacks and wide receivers against a secondary, how linebackers will handle the opposing team’s running backs and tight ends.
But Sunday night’s Chiefs-Raiders showdown, in Las Vegas in prime-time, looms as one of the top trench battles of the weekend.
As it should be with Chiefs-Raiders games.
“You always knew you were going to get beat up,” Raiders Hall of Fame defensive end Ben Davidson once said. “But it was fun.”
Let’s start with Chiefs’ offensive line against Raiders’ defensive front. The Chiefs are getting excellent play from their line, especially in the middle. Rookie center Creed Humphrey and tackle Trey Smith, along with veteran guard Joe Thuney, anchor a line that Pro Football Focus ranks second in the NFL.
Of course, this hasn’t translated into overall success for the Chiefs on offense this season. They’ve scored just 36 points in their last three games, and Patrick Mahomes has thrown just two touchdown passes in that span, but the made-over line is delivering.
The Chiefs will confront a Raiders defensive line that includes two of the NFL’s top edge rushers, Maxx Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue. They’ll line up against Orlando Brown Jr., who has been better against the run than the pass, and a to-be-determined right tackle — Mike Remmers and Lucas Niang missed practice time in the past week, and Andrew Wylie got the majority of the snaps in last Sunday’s victory over the Packers.
The Chiefs’ defensive front was a problem in the season’s early weeks, but the addition of Melvin Ingram, improved play from Frank Clark, and Chris Jones seeing more snaps at tackle — these things have helped. The Chiefs will also be going against a Raiders offensive line that has struggled.
So perhaps a tough-guy contest breaks out on Sunday. Here’s our look at the positional matchups, and who has the edge.
When the Chiefs pass
Mahomes is coming off the lowest four-quarter passing total of his career (166 vs. Green Bay). It’s just the fifth time in four seasons he’s been held to fewer than 200 yards. He’s still gone 5-0 in those games. Getting Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce unlocked would go a long way toward energizing the offense.
Edge Chiefs
When the Chiefs run
The numbers aren’t eye-popping — an average of 92.5 rushing yards over the past four games. But the Chiefs have had some good moments in their running game of late thanks to Darrel Williams and Derrick Gore. The Raiders rank 28th against the run, and all but one of their opponents in 2021 totaled 100-plus rushing yards
Edge: Chiefs
When the Raiders pass
Derek Carr has had some outstanding games this season. Last weekend’s loss to the Giants, when he was intercepted twice, wasn’t one of them. He’s still a threat because he gets the ball out of his hands so quickly. Speedster Henry Ruggs is no longer with the team, but favorite targets Hunter Renfrow and tight end Darren Waller (combined 85 receptions) could give the Chiefs fits.
Edge: Raiders
When the Raiders run
Josh Jacobs had three rushing touchdowns against the Chiefs last season, and in 2019 he averaged more than 100 rushing yards against them. Kenyan Drake is the bigger receiving threat and averages nearly 11 yards per reception.
Edge: Raiders