By Conor Perrett
Monday Night Football Preview
The Las Vegas Raiders finally got into the win column last Sunday, but things are about to get a lot more difficult this week when they travel on the road for a Monday Night divisional game at Kansas City. With the Chiefs favourites by a touchdown, Josh McDaniels and his Raiders will take on the role of underdogs as they look to upset Patrick Mahomes.
Kansas City Chiefs (3-1)
Power Rankings – 2nd https://tinyurl.com/ec2p5esm
Coming off a hot performance on Sunday Night Football against Tampa Bay, this Chiefs team really showed us what it’s still.capable of. Across the whole league we’ve seen examples of quarterbacks struggling with their new weapons and surroundings. Well as the performance we saw from Patrick Mahomes last week, he reminded us of why he should still be considered as one of if not the best player in the league.
The Buccaneers’ defence came into that game ranked first in DVOA’s metrics and Andy Reid had no problems scheming up a game plan to put over 40 points on them.
The new running back committee is working out like a treat, while the ball is being evenly spread around in the air to a whole depth of talent. Against a weaker Las Vegas defence, one can only think that Reid will keep the scoring up and if the history of this matchup has anything to say about that, then there’s a good chance.
In four games, Mahomes has 1,106 passing yards, 11 touchdown passes, two interceptions and a passer rating of 108.4.
His highlights have been even more impressive than the statistics say and if Mahomes keeps this production up, he could be making a claim to win another MVP award.
Las Vegas Raiders (1-3)
Power Rankings – 17th
With a new regime and the big off-season acquisitions made, expectations for this Raiders team were set at being a contender. Through three weeks it looked like the season might have already been over for them, but signs of snapping out of an inconsistent habit in the win to Denver last week gives them promise. The record looks worse than it’s been, as the difference of a pair of two-point conversions going their way could have them at 3-1.
Getting their new stars involved is what this Raiders side has been lacking so far. Davante Adams has put a couple nice games together in his new black and silver uniform, but not at a consistent level. Renfrow is back from a concussion after missing two games, so the Chiefs won’t be able to shut off Adams and Darren Waller in double coverage. This will lead to opportunities to exploit in the passing game against a young Chiefs secondary.
Despite a less than ideal start, there’s still time for this Raiders team to turn things around. For starters the AFC West has looked far weaker than we could have thought. The Chiefs are of course the Chiefs, but the Chargers are heavily beat up and the Broncos are stinking the whole of Denver out right now. New regimes can take time and nothing ever comes easy in this league. If they can start to find more explosiveness on offence and dial up more pressure on defence, then a playoff berth won’t feel far out of their reach anymore.
Previous Match-ups
2021 Season:
Week 10 – Chiefs @ Raiders 41-14 Chiefs Win
Week 14 – Raiders @ Chiefs 9-48 Chiefs Win
Being divisional rivals this game is always going to be a tasty one, but the Chiefs dominated and embarrassed the Raiders last year. In just two games the Chiefs put up a combined 89 points as they had a score difference of +66. Now the Raiders have a completely new coaching staff in place, giving them hope of a different outcome, but a lot will need to change if they want to turn that difference around.
Prediction
The Raiders defence has struggled so far this season, giving up more than 25 points and 357 yards per game. That is not what you want to see when Patrick Mahomes lurks for a prime-time appearance. Mahomes tends to shine when the lights are brightest and is coming off an absolutely spectacular performance against the Bucs this past week.
This Raiders side is better than their play has suggested and it only feels like a matter of time before things start to click and this team can be taken more seriously. Maxx Crosby aside, their defensive-line has been underwhelming and a step up against a good Chiefs offensive-line could be a must, if the Raiders can pull off an upset.
This has the potential to be a shootout if the Raiders can continue to improve upon their win last week. If their offence can get rolling again on the ground, whilst they attack through the air with their main weapons, then we could have a game on our hands.
Backing Patrick Mahomes in prime time is always a safe bet though and with what we saw last week, combined with the history of when these two teams meet, I’m going with a Chiefs home win.
Raiders 24, Chiefs 34
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