These four points bear watching as Kansas City Chiefs face Las Vegas Raiders again
One down, one to go.
The Chiefs (8-4) have an opportunity to complete a two-game season sweep of the Las Vegas Raiders (6-6) in an AFC West showdown at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The game will mark the 123rd meeting between the two divisional rivals, and the Chiefs hold a 67-53-2 edge in the series.
The Chiefs have won 13 of the last 15 matchups, including Week 10’s 41-14 win in Las Vegas. With a victory Sunday, the Chiefs would claim their 68th regular-season win over the Raiders, which would tie for their most over a single opponent (the other being the Denver Broncos).
Here are four key areas for the Chiefs, who are looking to add to a five-game win streak this season.
SUSTAIN CONSISTENCY
The Chiefs have developed a habit of starting games strong on offense only to fizzle out the rest of the way.
The lone exception over the past month? Week 10’s game against the Raiders, which saw Patrick Mahomes complete 35 of 50 passes for 406 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions for a 127.6 passer rating.
Mahomes connected twice for touchdowns with wide receiver Tyreek Hill, and also hit receiver Byron Pringle, running back Darrel Williams and rookie tight end Noah Gray for scores.
While dropped passes and inopportune penalties continue to slow the Chiefs’ offense, the Raiders are good medicine for Mahomes to get on the right track again. He’s averaged 326.8 passing yards and 2.8 touchdowns per game against the Raiders in seven career matchups.
Of note, Las Vegas has also slipped defensively since Week 10, when Mahomes faced the NFL’s sixth-ranked pass defense. The Raiders now rank 13th against the pass.
WIN THE TRENCHES (AGAIN)
This was one of the keys entering Week 10’s game, and it remains essential to the Chiefs’ chances of success.
The Raiders have a formidable pass rush anchored by defensive ends Yannick Ngakoue and Maxx Crosby. They’ve combined for 13 of the Raiders’ 26 sacks.
The Chiefs’ front five held its own in Week 10. Mahomes enjoyed a relatively clean pocket that day. He was hit just three times and was not sacked.
Right tackle Andrew Wylie helped contain Crosby throughout the game and earned praise from the Chiefs’ coaching staff for his performance, while left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. made Ngakoue an afterthought.
A repeat performance by the Chiefs’ front five will go a long way toward determining Sunday’s outcome.
UNLEASH THE HOUNDS
It’s no big secret that defense has fueled the Chiefs’ success during their five-game winning streak.
The Raiders experienced this firsthand in Week 10, as the Chiefs sacked Derek Carr twice and hit him four times. The Raiders quarterback also threw an interception, and the Chiefs recovered a fumble.
How dominant was the Chiefs’ defense the last time these two teams met? Let the numbers do the talking.
The Raiders entered the game averaging 394.5 yards, sixth in the league at the time, but were held to 299. On their 10 possessions, the Raiders were forced to punt five times. The Chiefs also won the battle on third down, where the Raiders were 1 of 9.
Kansas City’s defense, which has held opponents to 17 or fewer points in five straight games, finds itself armed with a healthy Chris Jones and Frank Clark, plus the addition of Melvin Ingram. The best way to contain the Raiders’ offense is to allow Jones, Clark and Ingram to get after Carr, who might be without Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller (knee, back) Sunday.
HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE
After losing two of three games played at Arrowhead Stadium to start the season, the Chiefs have now won four straight at home.
Coach Andy Reid often goes out of his way to thank the fans for showing up and providing support. Last weekend, after the Chiefs had beaten the Broncos, he opened with this:
“The fans were incredible tonight. Today I got here relatively early in the morning and that line was already starting 12 hours in advance. They’re an amazing bunch, and we appreciate every bit of that.”
This team clearly feeds off that sort of energy. Similar vibes (and crowd noise) could certainly play a key role in Sunday afternoon’s matchup against Vegas.
