Chiefs at Raiders Week 6: 3 things we learned
By Brad Weiss
The Kansas City Chiefs went into Oakland on Sunday and came away with a very important win. Here are three things we learned.
The Oakland Raiders hosted the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, but it was the road team who dominated throughout. After allowing Oakland to score on their first possession of the game, the Chiefs tightened the screws, giving up just a field goal the rest of the way. In the meantime, the Chiefs playing well on both sides of the ball, and appear to be ready to challenge for a division title this year.
Oakland came into the game with the lead in the AFC West, after the Denver Broncos were defeated by the San Diego Chargers on Thursday Night Football. Playing in a downpour, the two teams had to rely on their running games, and the Chiefs were far superior in that category. Kansas City dominated on both sides of the ball, but it was the play of their running backs that was the difference on Sunday.
Denver, Kansas City, and Oakland all have two losses this season, and it looks like this race is going to go down to the wire. San Diego pulled a huge upset on Thursday night against Denver, and just may play themselves back into the race. Sunday was a great win for the Chiefs, so lets take a look at the three things we learned from the action.
1. Kansas City’s defense is scary
Lets get one thing straight. The Chiefs Week 4 throttling at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers was an aberration. In fact, in their last three games, the Chiefs have put together two of the more dominate defense efforts in the AFC this year. In Week 3, the team picked off New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick six times, and on Sunday, they made the high-octane Oakland Raiders offense look very pedestrian.
Everyone knows Marcus Peters in the best defensive back in football, and for those who think differently, just watch one Chiefs game. Peters picked off Derek Carr this week, and after hauling in eight interception last year, already has four in 2016. The Chiefs defense is extremely talented up front, and they still have not gotten Justin Houston back. Once he returns, this unit is going to challenge Denver for the best in the division.
The defense has some big tests coming up in the next two weeks, as they will battle two of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. Kansas City returns home to face Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints next week, before hitting the road to face Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. If Kansas City comes out of that two-game stretch unscathed, it could make for a special season for them.
2. The Chiefs may run their way to a title
The Kansas City Chiefs can flat out run the ball, and it seems like it does not matter who gets the most carries. The team welcomed back Jamaal Charles last week, after he missed most of last season, and the beginning of 2016 with a torn ACL. He played a bigger role in the offense this week, but it was backup running back Spencer Ware who stole the show. Add Charcandrick West to the mix, and the Chiefs have a three-headed monster at running back that cannot be challenged.
The AFC West has a lot of talented offensive players, and Carr and San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers can rack up passing yards in bunches. However, the Chiefs have the ability to grind out drives, keeping the opposing offenses off the field. Their running game is the great equalizer, and with how good their defense is playing, the Chiefs just may represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this season.
Charles should be at 100 percent next week, which should move Ware back to his normal role in the offense. The difference now is that Ware has proven that he can be a huge piece of the puzzle, and the Chiefs are going to need all the help they can get when the calendar moves to December. This team is built for a big run this year, and hopefully for them, they can stay healthy.
3. The Raiders are going to be fine
No doubt about it, the Raiders laid an egg on Sunday at home. The defense could not get a stop on third down, there was no running game, and Derek Carr made some inexplicable mistakes in the passing game. Despite that, this team is definitely headed in the right direction, and is going to be in the mix for a playoff spot this season.
Oakland was playing without Pro Bowl running back Latavius Murray for the second straight week, and though rookies DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard played good against a weak San Diego defense last week, the Chiefs are on another level than the Chargers. The team needs Murray back to supplement their above average passing game, and take some of the pressure off Carr.
The Raiders defense has a lot of new faces, and they are still getting used to playing together. You can see flashes of brillance from their defense at times, but you also see a lot of confusion, especially on big third downs. They are going to figure it out, and there is way too much talent on both sides of the ball for them to not win at least nine games this season.