***MNF IN THE SWAMP - KC @ OAK***
***KANSAS CITY CHIEFS @ OAKLAND RAIDERS***
Oooo baby tonight should be fun when TNF features a wild wild AFC West matchup between the 5-1 Kansas City Chiefs as they head into the Black Hole to take on the struggling 2-4 Oakland Raiders. This is one of the best and oldest rivalries in the NFL and I can't wait. The Chiefs established themselves as the top team in football starting 5-0 before losing at home last weekend to another struggling team in the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that just seems to have their number. KC shocked the league when upsetting the Super Bowl Champion Patriots on opening night when QB Alex Smith surprised everyone by consistently throwing downfield, something he has never been known to do too often. To go along with that, rookie RB Kareem Hunt took the league by storm and hasn't looked back since fumbling his very first carry in that same game when he was thrown into the starting spot due to an injury to Spencer Ware right before the season began. TE Travis Kelce has proven to be one of the best in the league and is always a favorite target for Smith due to his size and mobility. Not to mention the explosive speedster in WR Tyreek Hill among other fast minions in the WR core, and it is safe to say that this Chiefs offense has many weapons and can attack a defense in numerous ways. Head Coach Andy Reid is one of the swiftest play-callers in the NFL, and he knows exactly how to utilize his arsenal. That all being said, I think the Chiefs have been able to capitalize on that very element of surprise thus far. They use a lot of college-like trickery and combined with all the speed their skill positions possess, it has been deadly to opposing defenses due to it being so hard to predict what is coming next. We are now in week 7 and the book is being built on how to slow this offense down week by week as everything in the NFL does. For example, teams now know to expect the downfield passes from Smith and to be on high alert for any misdirection and reverse type plays.
The Raiders on the other hand are in the midst of trying to be the team they grew to become last season, and who most thought they would be again this year. Since their week 2 blowout win against a severely less talented New York Jets team on paper, they have lost 4 straight games. They got caught sleeping on SNF on the road in Washington week 3 against the Redskins who we know are no pushover, then lost a close battle against division rival Broncos on the road in Denver, then came home and took on the Ravens to only get stomped on without starting QB Derek Carr, and finally last week while getting Carr back at home; fell to another tough division opponent in the LA Chargers who are fighting for their lives after a slow start. One could even argue that it was a bad spot for them with Carr coming off the injury and a huge game against division leading KC on deck for TNF (I did last week when picking LAC, heheh). It's been a tough stretch for Oakland and they are now officially on damage control. If the Raiders want to get back in the divisional race, tonight poses the perfect opportunity while taking on the team in 1st place. I don't think it is necessarily an infamous dreaded "must-win" game but let's face it, it is. It is their third game straight at home and up against the team that is currently leading the division with a couple games on them already. The Chiefs have won 5 straight games over the Raiders, a team they face twice a year! Having already lost to both the Broncos and the Chargers, Oakland needs this game not only to keep their season alive, but for their morale in general. Win this game and it can be used to propel them back on the road to get to where they planned on being before the season started.
Derek Carr with another game back under his belt since sitting one out with an injury I believe will be able to find success through the air tonight against this secondary. We all know how deadly of a WR combination Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper are, but Cooper has been lost so far this season dropping some big passes that he catches in his sleep. The man is now playing with a chip on his shoulder knowing he has to do his part and step it up in order for this team to get back on track. Last week against LA, Cooper went up and snagged a deep pass from Carr in a beastly manner late in the game, one that would've been a huge play for the Raiders if it wasn't called back. Regardless, I like what I saw and took it as a good sign of things to come. Carr has not lost confidence in throwing deep to Cooper and Coop looks more than determined to dominate again. Look for Carr to steer clear of Chiefs Pro Bowl CB Marcus Peters and locate CB Phillip Gaines to expose some matchups through the air. On that note, I fully expect a heavy dose of RB Marshawn Lynch in the Raiders offense tonight. This type of game has his name written all over it. Lynch was a big bang of a signing for the Raiders this offseason as both a fan favorite and Oakland native when he came out of his year long retirement to play with his hometown team. However after two strong games from the Vet, the running game has been weak during their losing streak. I got to believe the Raiders would like to keep the ball out of KC's hands as much as possible and will try to get things going on the ground by pounding the rock with Lynch hoping to get BeastMode going which would ignite this already hostile crowd like no other. Now we all know that the Black Hole is a place where it's always Halloween, but as the holiday quickly approaches and this being the last home game before it, on a Prime Time, up against not only their rival but the NFL's top team, I'd expect this place to be a little extra nutty tonight. That being said I like the Raiders to play extremely motivated, obviously.
Oakland just recently signed veteran LB NaVorro Bowman who was recently cut by the 49ers across the bay. Bowman has been a top LB in the league for years. The high points of his career were playing along side fellow Pro Bowl LB Patrick Willis during the Niners run to the Super Bowl under Jim Harbaugh. Since then, it has been all downhill for the Niners and they have clearly been under some major reconstruction. Still winless, the Niners are in rebuild mode and Bowman has been unhappy losing snaps to younger LBs that SF is trying to bring along for their future. Therefore it was time for Bowman to move on and the Raiders with some LB injuries didn't hesitate to swoop in and sign him. I got to believe Bowman is happy to be on a possible contender and that defense needs exactly what he brings to the defense. Now along other LBs in Bruce Irvin and Pro Bowler Khalil Mack, this defense just got a whole lot better. Bowman is starting tonight despite being on the team for a few days! In everything I'm reading, he has been putting in the extra work all week to get up to speed and feels good about being able to handle everything tonight. With an intelligent veteran like that, as we saw with a similar situation in RB Adrian Peterson's debut in Arizona last week, it doesn't take long for them to decode the new playbook and language to make sense of it.
I think this is maybe my longest writeup of the season so I will shut up now and wrap it up. This game will be a great matchup for TNF and I'm pumped! Although I have been reluctant to back the Raiders this season I have been waiting for the perfect spot to jump on their backs and I believe that tonight is it. Head Coach Captain Jack Del Rio will have his guys focused and ready to snap this 5 game divisional losing streak and his team has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball to get it done. While it doesn't look like it on paper, I have been watching this Raiders defense improve from week to week and I think they will be hip to the Kansas City offense tonight. They will be able to slow them down and have enough firepower and talent to match them score for score for the points they do put up. This one will go down to the wire and should come down to a thrilling last possession and I give Oakland the edge being the home team with a side of desperation. Let's see if the Raiders are trick or treatin' us tonight! RAIDERS+3
