The season’s first game against division rivals the Las Vegas Raiders is an entertaining match. I guarantee this game will be played with plenty of emotion on both sides and could go either way, just because it’s the Chiefs and Raiders.
While I don’t expect the outcome to sully the undefeated season Kansas City is experiencing, so far, it has the makings of a trap game, all the same. Raiders Edge Rusher Maxx Crosby will be his usual disruptive self, and the rest of the Las Vegas defense will be pressing hard to knock the Kansas City run game off from being a dominant part of this game. Head Coach Antonio Pierce and Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham will try to goad Andy Reid and Matt Nagy into poor play calls.
Patrick Mahomes is deft at playing this part of the game. He knows what the Raiders will likely bring and will adjust, on the fly, to whatever they give him. Again, this speaks to my argument that Mahomes is the league MVP. He is tuned into what to do; he does not need to overthink his adjustments and just play.
Adding DeAndre Hopkins in the trade from the Tennessee Titans this week will provide a needed lift in pass catchers. He will bring another dimension of wide receiver play that the Chiefs need. He may have an Amari Cooper-like game in his initial action with the Chiefs, provided Reid activates him for this game. It will take a few games for Mahomes and Hopkins to gel, but I think it will come along quickly. Receivers Coach Connor Embree will have to get DHop up to speed and integrate him into the playbook. Rest assured, Andy Reid has already schemed several plays for Hopkins and will likely call them during this game.
These won’t be overly complicated plays, but they will be designed to get him in space rather than in contested situations. Even though Hopkins excels in contested scenarios, I don’t see that happening immediately. Watch and see how he utilizes these first couple of games, and you’ll get an idea of the direction Reid and Nagy will be heading with him.
Week 7 action saw the Raiders and Rams contest at SoFi Stadium, with the Raiders on the losing end, dropping their record to 2-5. It wasn’t an exciting game, with the score ending at 20 for the Rams and 15 for the Raiders. What stood out was the loss of QB Aidan O’Connell to a broken thumb and the poor play of QB Gardner Minshew. Minshew threw three picks and was sacked twice. Zero touchdowns and five field goals. The only bright spot for Las Vegas was the play of rookie tight end Brock Bowers. Bowers had ten catches for 93 yards on 14 targets.
Suffice it to say, if Bowers keeps up this kind of production, he could be chasing Travis Kelce’s records for the next several years. Yeah, he’s that good.
Let’s look at the stats. On the year, the Raiders have the 25th-ranked offense and the 29th-ranked defense. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have the 13th-ranked offense and the 5th-ranked defense. This is why the Chiefs are undefeated. KC Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is the best DC in the league. He knows what to call and when to call it.
Spags has a lot of tools at his disposal, and he uses them. It’s not gaudy individual stats; it’s team stats. His defensive group is so adept at playing team defense that the opposition doesn’t know what or when it is coming. Because of the players’ collective intelligence and the type of game Spags calls, the result is what I call “organic defense.” The seeds are planted in the first quarter, and the defensive aspect grows throughout the game, ultimately defeating the opposing team. It’s as simple as that. All the offense needs to do is stay ahead by one point. Spagnuolo’s group will clean it up.
It was not pretty, not overwhelming, but compelling. Devastating is an even better word. Do you want to deflate the other team’s will to win? Spags will do that to you in the 4th quarter, and you’ll never recover enough to return. He’s that good.
Regarding the other side of the ball, Patrick Mahomes accepts his fault for turnovers. He knows he needs to clean up that part of his game by making better decisions and not trying to press his throws on every passing down. In the latter part of the 49ers game, he would not alter Andy Reid’s calls just to complete passes. He looked a little gun-shy on a few snaps. The ground game was very effective. Putting up 184 yards on the ground against a great defense like the 49ers is not easy. Kareem Hunt has dominated the running game so well that the Chiefs can relax on Isiah Pacheco’s return timeline.
Once the passing game puzzle is solved, whether by better quarterback play and/or better receiver play, the Kansas City Chiefs may become unstoppable. Watch for some different offensive play calling this week. I believe Andy Reid will shake it up a little. They will alternate passing plays and running plays more frequently throughout the game, keeping the Raiders off-balance.
Obvious plays may look set up, but watch how Reid disguises his looks. Watch for more motion and tight-end play. We’ll see two and three tight-end sets like the 49ers, but they will be disguised. Noah Gray did a great job last game with four catches on four targets for 66 yards. Kelce will draw the most interest and likely be double-covered most of the game.
If DHop plays, that might change the opposing coverage scheme, opening Kelce up. Hunt, Carson Steele, and Samaje Perine will be in the running game. I don’t expect a high-scoring game, but you never know who’ll get the hot hand.
My Prediction: Chiefs 28 – Raiders 10
