Kansas City Chiefs

Matchups to Watch: Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Oakland Raiders look to move to 5-1 in Week 6 at home against the division rival Kansas City Chiefs. Here are four matchups to watch.

The Oakland Raiders have won three games in a row, have solo possession of first place in the AFC West headed into Sunday’s game with the Chiefs, and also are tied for the best record in the conference.

But a division rival that has had their number is coming to town, so it will be a challenge for the Raiders to get to 5-1. In order to get there, these are four individual matchups Oakland will have to win.

Dec 6, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) runs with the ball after making a catch against the Oakland Raiders in the third quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Chiefs defeated the Raiders 34-20. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Perry Riley Jr. vs. Travis Kelce

There wasn’t a lot of optimism about the signing of Perry Riley Jr. before the Week 5 contest against the Chargers. He was an average vet that was brought in to take some snaps due to injuries — it happens all the time and generally there isn’t much more to it than that.

This wasn’t the case for Riley’s debut. He led the team in tackles against the Chargers (7) and also forced a fumble. By all accounts, he is a great leader on defense as well.

Ken Norton Jr. praised Riley’s football IQ and dedication, stating of Riley:

“You can tell that his years of experience have really helped him with the ability to come out here and play right away. You can tell he’s paying attention. He wasn’t at home watching soap operas. He was in his books, he was watching football. He stayed sharp, so by the time it was time for him to have an opportunity, he was ready and it showed in his play and it shows. He’s a true veteran.”

The hope is obviously that Riley can continue on the same career trajectory as former Washington teammate David Amerson, who after a lackluster stint with the team, found his way to Oakland and flourished.

Travis Kelce is more than just a reality TV star, despite what you may see when you Google his name. He is one of the best young and productive TEs in football.

Kelce is averaging 55 yards and half a TD per game, but unfortunately, Oakland’s defense has been much worse than “average”.

Kelce’s talent as a blocker and receiver make him a unique matchup. His athletic ability is on par with some receivers, but at 255 pounds, he outweighs Karl Joseph and Reggie Nelson by about 50 pounds each. This means that Kelce will likely draw a matchup with a LB, especially in the red zone.

The question is which LB will get the majority of the matchups against Kelce. While Cory James is likely one of the better options, I am more intrigued by Riley’s ability to cover Kelce.

The worst kept secret in the NFL is Oakland’s inability to cover TEs. James and Joseph have helped, but Hunter Henry, although talented, is just a rookie and he tore up the defense. The hope is that with another week in the scheme, Riley can hold the Pro Bowler Kelce to “average” numbers.

Riley’s intelligence and experience should help him cover Kelce, hopefully all that film studying will pay off.

Sep 25, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) and center Rodney Hudson (61) call out plays at the line during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Rodney Hudson vs. Dontari Poe

Rodney Hudson began his career in Kansas City as a second round pick, and is therefore quite familiar with his old squad.

Hudson was the beginning of a movement by Reggie McKenzie and co. to build the trenches, when they made Hudson the highest paid center in football in the 2015 offseason. The strategy to build the trenches has paid off big for the Raiders, as they have only given up 5 sacks this season — fewest in the NFL.

The o-line has also paved the way running the ball, giving Oakland a top 10 rushing attack. Hudson is incredibly valuable to the team as well as to Derek Carr, doing so much as identifying coverages at the beginning of Carr’s young career.

Dontari Poe is one of the best athletes in all of football. At the NFL combine, Poe ran a sub 5 second 40 yard dash at 346 lbs. He can do it all, he is massive, strong and quick. He will give any offensive linemen problems.

While Poe’s position and scheme don’t lend themselves well in the box score, his production is obvious on tape, albeit not as easy to quantify. Poe eats up blockers like they are M&Ms and can rush the passer like players 50 pounds lighter.

Hudson vs. Poe is going to be a really fun matchup to watch. Hudson will often get the luxury of double teaming Poe with Kelechi Osemele and Gabe Jackson, but the brunt of the work will fall on Hudson’s shoulders.

Rodney will have to work hard to clear Poe on ‘Ace’ blocks and will have to avoid getting bull rushed as a pass protector. Hudson is one of the best in the business, but Poe has the talent to win some matchups.

If Hudson doesn’t bring his “A Game” on Sunday — Carr, Jalen Richard, and DeAndre Washington could see 350 lbs. of red fury barreling down on them, and no Raiders fan wants to see that.

Oct 25, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) congratulates wide receiver Amari Cooper (89) after Cooper made a second quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Amari Cooper and/or Michael Crabtree vs. Marcus Peters

Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree are truly one of the best WR duos in the NFL today. Together they have combined for 55 catches, 801 yards and 6 TDs through just five games.

It seems that whenever one of them has a down game, the other will step up in elite fashion. The combination of Crabtree’s savvy and technical route-running ability and Cooper’s world-class quickness and agility is a nightmare for defenses.

While Cooper and Crabtree give the Raiders the best WR duo they’ve had since Jerry Rice joined Tim Brown, the duo may be facing their biggest test of the season on Sunday.

Marcus Peters, only in his second NFL season, is already an elite CB. When my website BigBoardDraft.com released our final big board for 2015, Peters was our #4 overall player (much higher than most other publications had him) but we still may have underestimated him.

Peters has taken the NFL by storm, leading the league in interceptions since being drafted. He can routinely cover top-tier WRs and come away with interceptions. He is long, quick and athletic, everything that you look for in a CB.

The rookie will still sometimes bite on double moves in an attempt to come away with interceptions, and although he often guesses right, it still burns him sometimes. He will improve in that aspect with time, but physically, Peters is the full package.

Unlike some teams with elite CBs, the Chiefs don’t ask Peters to shadow the opposing teams top receiver. In the Chiefs last game (Week 4 against the Steelers) Peters stayed on the left side of the defense (the right side of the offense) almost exclusively, not following WR Antonio Brown.

This offers the Raiders some flexibility, but as you can see here, a majority of Cooper’s snaps came from the left side of the formation, which is the opposite side that Peters likes to stay on. This suggests that Crabtree could be seeing a lot of action against Peters.

Peters will play well regardless of who he is covering, but both Cooper and Crabtree are great, and let’s not forget that Carr isn’t scared to target any QB. If he sees a defense that wants to exploit, he knows he has the arm to make any throw into any window, regardless of who is in coverage.

Oct 2, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Oakland Raiders running back DeAndre Washington (33) runs with the ball in the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

DeAndre Washington vs. Chiefs LBs and Safeties

DeAndre Washington is one of the many dynamic rookies contributing to the Raiders this season. His ability as a receiver is well known amongst coaches, despite his somewhat pedestrian receiving numbers.

Washington’s college offense at Texas Tech has held onto the pass heavy offense of Red Raider teams of the past. As such, he is familiar with playing in space and creating tough matchups for any non-CB that might try to cover him. His quickness and route-running ability is uncommon for most NFL RBs.

The Chiefs second and third level defenders offer some talent and athleticism, but let’s not pretend that their defense is as spry as it was years ago. The primary LBs that Kansas City uses in coverage are Derrick Johnson, an effective yet aging veteran, DJ Alexander, Justin March and former Raider Sio Moore — not exactly names that instill fear.

At safety, the Chiefs have another aging but talented vet in Eric Berry, but outside of him they are relying on the likes of Ron Parker and Daniel Sorenson — again not an ideal situation if you are a Chiefs fan.

While watching film of the Chiefs defense, it quickly became apparent that offenses like to try create mismatches by putting RBs in the slot against LBs and safeties, and often it wasn’t Johnson or Berry that got to cover the RBs.

Against Pittsburgh, the Steelers made it a point early and often to get Le’Veon Bell matched up against one these inferior athletes. While the Raiders don’t quite have a Le’veon Bell, Washington may be enough to put the Chiefs defense in bad positions.

Motion of a RB to the slot influences the Chiefs defense a great deal, causing shifts in defensive strengths and consequently positioning of the single-high overhanging safety. This influence could help open up some deep bombs for Cooper and Crabtree. So even if Washington doesn’t haul in a dozen passes, his presence alone cold contribute to a tough division win.