OFFICIAL OAKLAND RAIDERS 2008 SEASON THREAD
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Forget about the records when analyzing a matchup of these old AFL rivals. Few teams know each other as well (or dislike each other as much) as the Chiefs and Raiders. With both franchises in upheaval, players and coaches alike will be fighting for jobs and, to a lesser extent, bragging rights. Two of Oakland's three wins have come against division-leading teams (the Broncos and Jets), so there's little doubt the Raiders can be dangerous. Meanwhile, Kansas City is struggling to stop anyone or anything. Even with nothing in the way of postseason berths on the line, this could be a very physical game.
When Kansas City has the ball
The Chiefs seem to have settled on their quarterback of the future: QB Tyler Thigpen, who has shown undeniable promise -- especially over the last three games (eight touchdowns and only three interceptions). He has two exceptionally potent and dynamic pass-catchers to rely on in TE Tony Gonzalez and WR David Bowe. In fact, Kansas City's offense appears to be on the verge of becoming downright threatening. With RB Larry Johnson back on the field and running hard, the ground game again has the potential to be powerful and potent.
Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey will want to establish the run in order to ease the pressure on the inexperienced Thigpen and an offensive line that has been inconsistent in protection. Expect Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to match up CB Nnamdi Asomugha on Bowe for most of the game. Asomugha may be the league's top lockdown coverage defender, and he is the rare corner who has the size to match up with Bowe. Ryan will rely mostly on front-four pressure and a rotation that helps keep those defensive linemen fresh.
When Oakland has the ball
The Raiders must run the ball -- and do so effectively -- to have much of a chance to succeed. RBs Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush each bring something different to the table, but all have the ability to produce at a high level. When the ground game is clicking, as it was last week against the Broncos, it opens things up on the back end for QB JaMarcus Russell (10-of-11 for 152 yards against Denver). When Russell drops back to pass, he frequently looks to TE Zach Miller (team-high 32 receptions). WRs Ronald Curry and Ashley Lelie have good tools but have been very inconsistent, so Russell often checks down to a back when he can't find Miller.
With the league's second-worst rushing defense and nothing to lose, Kansas City likely will crowd the box with extra defenders. The team isn't much better at defending the pass, but Oakland's offense clearly is more dangerous traveling by land than by air. Even while facing a moribund Raiders offensive line, Chiefs defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham will have to manufacture a pass rush with a heavy blitz package in order to add significantly to the team's league-low sack total (six).
Matchup to watch
Chiefs RB Larry Johnson VS. Raiders MLB Kirk Morrison
Johnson can take over a game once he gets on a roll. He is a powerful runner who is hard to tackle once he builds momentum, but he's also surprisingly elusive for such a big back (230 pounds). Morrison, the Raiders' leading tackler, is extremely active and has a great nose for the ball. He must stop Johnson in the backfield or meet him in the hole, well before the back gets to the second level. Johnson's strength and balance inside allow him to pick up extra yards after contact, but he also has the speed and lateral quickness to bounce runs outside if the middle is plugged up.
Keys to
Success1Get LJ untracked: Johnson can carry the Chiefs' offense when he's healthy and (relatively) happy, and his legs appear to be fresh. He had a 63-yard run and averaged 11.6 yards per carry against a good Bills defense last week, but he touched the ball just nine times. Defenses tend to loosen up a lot on the back end for Kansas City's controlled passing game when an opponent is forced to respect the threat of Johnson. And because Gailey loves to use the play-action fake to freeze opposing defensive backs, establishing the run becomes that much more crucial.
2Crowd the box: The Chiefs allow 165.9 rushing yards per game, and their front seven lacks depth and is painfully young and undisciplined. Kansas City really has no choice other than to load up the box to plug or at least squeeze the run lanes available to the Raiders' running backs. The passing game isn't Oakland's strong suit, so the Chiefs have a chance to keep the score close if they can force the Raiders to become one-dimensional on offense.
3Look to TE Tony Gonzalez: The Raiders have arguably the NFL's best shutdown corner in Asomugha, who likely will be consistently matched up with Bowe on Sunday. Although the Chiefs can't ignore Bowe, Gonzalez is far more likely to find openings (probably in seams down the middle and short routes in underneath coverage) against the Raiders' pass coverage. Gonzalez gives QB Tyler Thigpen a consistent target over the middle and downfield.
Keys to
Success1Dominate in the trenches: The Raiders need a strong ground game to take pressure off Russell in the passing game. With the Chiefs struggling desperately up front against the run, Oakland must run the ball aggressively and often. With a three-pronged run game (McFadden, Fargas, Bush), the Raiders can keep their backs fresh and ride the hot hand. The offensive line isn't suited for driving opponents off the ball, so Oakland will need to rely on counters, misdirection and quick pitches to get its runners to the second level, where they can produce in the open field.
2Contain Johnson: The Chiefs will want to get Johnson untracked in order not only to strike a balance on offense, but also to hold possessions and to keep the Raiders from hammering away on Cunningham's thin defense. Oakland will want to get to Johnson in the backfield to prevent him from squaring up, getting downhill and building up a head of steam. As effective as Thigpen has been lately, the Raiders will take their chances forcing the action away from LJ and toward a rookie quarterback behind a shaky offensive line.
3Win the kicking game: The Raiders have one of the NFL's best punters in Shane Lechler, who ranks first in yards per punt (49.9) and second in net average (41.8). They also have one of the strongest legs in the league in K Sebastian Janikowski, a huge weapon on kickoffs and a threat to convert deep field goals that many kickers wouldn't attempt. Return specialist Johnnie Lee Higgins is dangerous with the ball in his hands, especially on punt runbacks (two for touchdowns). As always, points come at a premium for the Raiders, so a big play or two (and perhaps a score) on special teams could be the difference-maker.
Scouts Edge
The Chiefs played the Bills close for nearly a half before falling apart at home last week. Difficult as it may be to believe, they'll find it even more difficult to keep up with the Raiders in the unfriendly confines of Oakland Coliseum on Sunday. Expect the Raiders to pound the ball with a rotation of running backs and a controlled passing game fueled by the ground attack. If the Chiefs are to keep it close, they must slowly but surely move the chains on the strength of RB Larry Johnson's running. In the end, the defense will fail them again and the Raiders will lay claim to a bona fide winning streak.Prediction
Kansas City 19
Oakland 23
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Forget about the records when analyzing a matchup of these old AFL rivals. Few teams know each other as well (or dislike each other as much) as the Chiefs and Raiders. With both franchises in upheaval, players and coaches alike will be fighting for jobs and, to a lesser extent, bragging rights. Two of Oakland's three wins have come against division-leading teams (the Broncos and Jets), so there's little doubt the Raiders can be dangerous. Meanwhile, Kansas City is struggling to stop anyone or anything. Even with nothing in the way of postseason berths on the line, this could be a very physical game.
When Kansas City has the ball
The Chiefs seem to have settled on their quarterback of the future: QB Tyler Thigpen, who has shown undeniable promise -- especially over the last three games (eight touchdowns and only three interceptions). He has two exceptionally potent and dynamic pass-catchers to rely on in TE Tony Gonzalez and WR David Bowe. In fact, Kansas City's offense appears to be on the verge of becoming downright threatening. With RB Larry Johnson back on the field and running hard, the ground game again has the potential to be powerful and potent.
Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey will want to establish the run in order to ease the pressure on the inexperienced Thigpen and an offensive line that has been inconsistent in protection. Expect Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to match up CB Nnamdi Asomugha on Bowe for most of the game. Asomugha may be the league's top lockdown coverage defender, and he is the rare corner who has the size to match up with Bowe. Ryan will rely mostly on front-four pressure and a rotation that helps keep those defensive linemen fresh.
When Oakland has the ball
The Raiders must run the ball -- and do so effectively -- to have much of a chance to succeed. RBs Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush each bring something different to the table, but all have the ability to produce at a high level. When the ground game is clicking, as it was last week against the Broncos, it opens things up on the back end for QB JaMarcus Russell (10-of-11 for 152 yards against Denver). When Russell drops back to pass, he frequently looks to TE Zach Miller (team-high 32 receptions). WRs Ronald Curry and Ashley Lelie have good tools but have been very inconsistent, so Russell often checks down to a back when he can't find Miller.
With the league's second-worst rushing defense and nothing to lose, Kansas City likely will crowd the box with extra defenders. The team isn't much better at defending the pass, but Oakland's offense clearly is more dangerous traveling by land than by air. Even while facing a moribund Raiders offensive line, Chiefs defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham will have to manufacture a pass rush with a heavy blitz package in order to add significantly to the team's league-low sack total (six).
Matchup to watch
Chiefs RB Larry Johnson VS. Raiders MLB Kirk Morrison
Johnson can take over a game once he gets on a roll. He is a powerful runner who is hard to tackle once he builds momentum, but he's also surprisingly elusive for such a big back (230 pounds). Morrison, the Raiders' leading tackler, is extremely active and has a great nose for the ball. He must stop Johnson in the backfield or meet him in the hole, well before the back gets to the second level. Johnson's strength and balance inside allow him to pick up extra yards after contact, but he also has the speed and lateral quickness to bounce runs outside if the middle is plugged up.
Keys to
Success1Get LJ untracked: Johnson can carry the Chiefs' offense when he's healthy and (relatively) happy, and his legs appear to be fresh. He had a 63-yard run and averaged 11.6 yards per carry against a good Bills defense last week, but he touched the ball just nine times. Defenses tend to loosen up a lot on the back end for Kansas City's controlled passing game when an opponent is forced to respect the threat of Johnson. And because Gailey loves to use the play-action fake to freeze opposing defensive backs, establishing the run becomes that much more crucial.
2Crowd the box: The Chiefs allow 165.9 rushing yards per game, and their front seven lacks depth and is painfully young and undisciplined. Kansas City really has no choice other than to load up the box to plug or at least squeeze the run lanes available to the Raiders' running backs. The passing game isn't Oakland's strong suit, so the Chiefs have a chance to keep the score close if they can force the Raiders to become one-dimensional on offense.
3Look to TE Tony Gonzalez: The Raiders have arguably the NFL's best shutdown corner in Asomugha, who likely will be consistently matched up with Bowe on Sunday. Although the Chiefs can't ignore Bowe, Gonzalez is far more likely to find openings (probably in seams down the middle and short routes in underneath coverage) against the Raiders' pass coverage. Gonzalez gives QB Tyler Thigpen a consistent target over the middle and downfield.
Keys to
Success1Dominate in the trenches: The Raiders need a strong ground game to take pressure off Russell in the passing game. With the Chiefs struggling desperately up front against the run, Oakland must run the ball aggressively and often. With a three-pronged run game (McFadden, Fargas, Bush), the Raiders can keep their backs fresh and ride the hot hand. The offensive line isn't suited for driving opponents off the ball, so Oakland will need to rely on counters, misdirection and quick pitches to get its runners to the second level, where they can produce in the open field.
2Contain Johnson: The Chiefs will want to get Johnson untracked in order not only to strike a balance on offense, but also to hold possessions and to keep the Raiders from hammering away on Cunningham's thin defense. Oakland will want to get to Johnson in the backfield to prevent him from squaring up, getting downhill and building up a head of steam. As effective as Thigpen has been lately, the Raiders will take their chances forcing the action away from LJ and toward a rookie quarterback behind a shaky offensive line.
3Win the kicking game: The Raiders have one of the NFL's best punters in Shane Lechler, who ranks first in yards per punt (49.9) and second in net average (41.8). They also have one of the strongest legs in the league in K Sebastian Janikowski, a huge weapon on kickoffs and a threat to convert deep field goals that many kickers wouldn't attempt. Return specialist Johnnie Lee Higgins is dangerous with the ball in his hands, especially on punt runbacks (two for touchdowns). As always, points come at a premium for the Raiders, so a big play or two (and perhaps a score) on special teams could be the difference-maker.
Scouts Edge
The Chiefs played the Bills close for nearly a half before falling apart at home last week. Difficult as it may be to believe, they'll find it even more difficult to keep up with the Raiders in the unfriendly confines of Oakland Coliseum on Sunday. Expect the Raiders to pound the ball with a rotation of running backs and a controlled passing game fueled by the ground attack. If the Chiefs are to keep it close, they must slowly but surely move the chains on the strength of RB Larry Johnson's running. In the end, the defense will fail them again and the Raiders will lay claim to a bona fide winning streak.Prediction
Kansas City 19
Oakland 23
More NFL Headlines
MRIs on Ware, Barber show no extensive damage
Hamstring sidelines Burress against Washington
Fins' Porter fined $7,500 for 'verbally abusing' Pats
Skins' defense banged up going into Giants game
Browns' Quinn still undecided on finger surgery
