How the Chiefs can beat the Las Vegas Raiders in Saturday’s regular-season finale
The Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders renew acquaintances Saturday in the regular-season finale at Allegiant Stadium.
Week 18 marks their 127th meeting, including the postseason. The Chiefs hold a 71-54-2 all-time edge in this AFC West series, including a 30-29 win in Week 5.
The Chiefs have dominated the annual two-game series since Andy Reid arrived in KC in 2013, going 16-3 against the Raiders. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is 8-1 against them.
Lopsided, for sure, and the Chiefs (13-3) have plenty to play for Saturday with the AFC’s No. 1 seed still undecided. The Raiders, meanwhile, are out of the playoffs at 6-10.
The Chiefs expect a competitive game nonetheless.
“It’s Raiders and it’s Chiefs,” Reid said. “It doesn’t get any better than that, so we’re looking forward to going out there and playing them.”
Here are four key areas for the Chiefs, who seek to finish the regular at 14-3 with plenty of momentum for the postseason.
CONTAIN ADAMS
The Raiders have moved away from longtime starting quarterback Derek Carr for their final two regular-season games. The Chiefs will be facing former Patriots backup Jarrett Stidham.
But after throwing for 365 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions in a losing effort against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17, Stidham has the Chiefs’ attention.
“He’s a really good quarterback,” Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill said. “We see him as a gunslinger. The guy, he’s super confident.
“You would think that since he’s a backup he’d come in and be a little shaky, but I watched the game last week and he stepped up and played a heck of a game. I think he played one of the best games they have had all season. I think he can control it (and) he can move the ball, and we just have to focus in and show up to play because the Raiders are a good team.”
Stidham’s favorite target last week? None other than receiver Davante Adams, who hauled in seven catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns.
In Week 5, the two-time All-Pro Adams torched the Chiefs downfield with three catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 41.3 yards per catch. His TDs came from 58 and 48 yards, respectively.
The change in quarterback didn’t affect Adams last week and he enters the weekend with 95 catches for 1,443 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Cornerbacks L’Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams have a big task ahead of them. Accounting, for Adams wherever he lines up on the field, takes priority.
Kansas City’s pass defense has been tested throughout the year, and they’ll close out the regular season with a final exam against one of the NFL’s top wide receivers.
FEED THE MONSTER
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce found the end zone not once, not twice, not three times, but an incredible four times against the Raiders in Week 5.
Las Vegas’ pass defense is shaky, and the Raiders have allowed seven touchdowns to tight ends this season. OK, four of those seven come from Kelce’s monster Week 5 performance, but this is a matchup the Chiefs must exploit inside the red zone.
While the Chiefs’ star tight end has a career-high 12 touchdowns this season, he’s long overdue to find his way back in the end zone because he hasn’t scored since Week 12.
AVOID SPECIAL TEAMS MISCUES
From missed field goals and extra points to an inability to secure the football on returns, special teams miscues have become a theme for the Chiefs this season.
Kicker Harrison Butker, who didn’t practice Wednesday because of back spasms, has missed a career-high six field-goal attempts this season. And the Chiefs are coming off a game in which receiver Kadarius Toney fumbled a punt return.
Toney’s lost fumble marked the Chiefs’ fifth turnover in the return game this season (rookie wide receiver Skyy Moore has muffed three punts, while tight end Jody Fortson lost fumble on a kickoff return).
The Chiefs have played with fire in 2022 with their special teams mishaps. Their Week 3 loss included a missed field goal and missed extra point from Matt Ammendola, who filled in for an injured Butker. It also included one of Moore’s muffed punts, which the Colts turned into a touchdown.
The Chiefs must play a clean game on special teams Saturday against an opponent with nothing left to play for but pride — which figures to make the Raiders a dangerous team.
AIR IT OUT
Detractors of the Chiefs’ aversion to sticking to the run should wait it out another week or so, because Saturday’s matchup slants heavily in favor of the passing game.
The Raiders enter the final week of the regular season with one of the NFL’s worst passing defenses, ranking 29th (246.8 yards allowed per game).
Mahomes took full advantage of the Raiders’ suspect pass defense in Week 5 by completing 29 of 42 passes for 292 yards and four touchdowns for a 117.6 passer rating, his fifth-best rating of the season.
If the Chiefs’ front five does its job and gives Mahomes a clean pocket, he should have no problem taking apart the Raiders’ secondary.
This story was originally published January 5, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
