A Chiefs defense that burns to be better (+ more to watch vs. Las Vegas Raiders)
When he met with reporters earlier this week, Steve Spagnuolo didn’t have to wait long before fielding a question about the play of his defense in the Chiefs’ 30-27 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
“I’m still burning a bit from that last one,” the longtime defensive coordinator said.
Burning over how Carolina came in with just two victories this season, yet scored on six of eight possessions and overcame a two-score deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
And how quarterback Bryce Young had his best game of the season, and how the Chiefs got little pressure on him despite blitzing on 40% of the Panthers’ snaps.
As the Chiefs prepare to meet the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday at home, Spagnuolo knows it’s time to start reversing some troubling trends.
The Chiefs’ defense has suddenly grown leaky, and maybe a short week of preparation will help.
“You better get going because you have a game right around the corner, so I guess that is a good thing,” Spagnuolo said.
The Chiefs are 12 1/2-point favorites against a Raiders team that is reeling with seven straight losses and a 2-9 record. Las Vegas lost quarterback Gardner Minshew to a season-ending shoulder injury in last week’s defeat against the Denver Broncos.
Backup QB Aidan O’Connell, who has been sidelined for the previous four games after suffering fracturing a thumb, is expected to start over Desmond Ridder, who finished last week’s game.
O’Connell has this going for him: He was the starter the last time the Raiders met the Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium ... and Las Vegas pulled off a shocker in that one on Christmas Day.
Perhaps this is the right opponent to bring out the best of the Chiefs’ defense. In their previous meeting this season, the Chiefs recorded a season-best five sacks by five different players. The Raiders rank last in the NFL in rushing yards per game (74.1) and they’re careless with the ball, leading the league in turnovers.
Here’s what else to watch when the Chiefs play host to the Raiders on Friday at 2 p.m., in a game on Prime Video and Channel 41 in Kansas City:
Chiefs player to watch: Tight end Travis Kelce
Kelce didn’t find the end zone this season until the seventh game ... against the Raiders. There’s something about playing the Silver and Black that brings out the scoring production in the Chiefs’ All-Pro tight end.
Kelce has 12 career touchdown receptions against the Raiders, his most against any team. KC’s 2022 game against the Raiders at Arrowhead was one of the most unique of Kelce’s career: seven catches for 25 yards and four touchdowns.
Raiders player to watch: Defensive end Maxx Crosby
Who else? This will be Crosby’s 12th career game against the Chiefs, and KC has blocked him about as well as anyone.
He has five sacks against the Chiefs, but 15 1/2 against the Denver Broncos, in his past 12 games against those teams. But Crosby is always a threat, and the Chiefs are coming off a game in which Mahomes was sacked five times by a Panthers team that’s only had 17 overall this season.
Mahomes said the Chiefs need to know Crosby’s whereabouts at all times.
“The way he plays every single snap, no matter the score, no matter if it’s a run or a pass (or) whatever it is, he’s going to give you everything he’s got,” Mahomes said.
“Obviously, he’s physically gifted. He can make all of the different pass rush moves, everything like that, but the way he plays I think inspires his team to play that hard and that’s what you need to be great in this league.”
Special teams player to watch: Chiefs kicker Matt Wright
With Spencer Shrader injuring a hamstring the day after he kicked KC’s walk-off field goal at Carolina, the Chiefs are on their third kicker in four weeks.
Wright is familiar face, having played for the Chiefs in Weeks 4 and 5 of the 2022 season. He converted two of three field goal attempts, including a 59-yarder. That stood as the club record until Harrison Butker topped it with a 62-yarder upon his return from injury.
Butker is currently injured, which explains the signings of Shrader ... and now Wright.
This story was originally published November 27, 2024 at 12:50 PM.