National Football League

Keys to Victory: Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:36 a.m. ET

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The Oakland Raiders travel to Arrowhead to take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. Here are four keys to a Raiders victory for their Week 14 matchup.

Slap me, please! The Oakland Raiders are 10-2!!! We have waited years for this!! Raider Nation, all of our patience has paid off and we finally have a good team!

Okay, enough excitement — for now. We are on to perhaps the biggest game of the regular season for us, and that is against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. Here are some keys on how to beat KC, so the Raiders ca put their foot forward into the division title.

Jan 3, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters (22) celebrates after making a tackle against the Oakland Raiders in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t throw at Marcus Peters!

This one is rather easy. First off, don’t throw at Marcus Peters. And second — don’t throw at Marcus Peters.

It burns my heart that an Oakland native, born and bred in the Bay Area, has become the enemy. But I digress.

Targeting Peters may give lead to some touchdowns here and there, but more often than not, it is going to equal a turnover because plain and simple, Peters is the definition of a ball-hawk. He’s already picked off Carr this year and he did so last year as well.

Now, that’s not the only reason to throw at a player other than Peters. Yes, you do have to look out for the hawkeye of Eric Berry, but the opposing corner from Peters — be it Phillip Gaines or Steve Nelson — can be exposed. Just ask Chiefs fans!

Per Pro Football Focus, Nelson has an overall grade of 58.1 while Phillip Gaines has a 36.2! These two can be exploited, and the Derek Carr and the Raiders need to attack this weakness if they want to win in the hostile environment in Arrowhead.

Which leads me to the next key to victory.

Jan 3, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oakland Raiders cornerback David Amerson (29) runs in for a touchdown after an interception against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Silence the crowd early!

Arrowhead is one of the hardest places to play in the NFL. You could argue that the Chiefs have the best home field advantage in NFL. Once they get rocking, the defense can get juice from the crowd and easily kill an opposing offense’s momentum, which is why it is important to come out swinging.

To do this Oakland will have to get going early and get a lead. The Raiders can do this if they can execute a similar game plan as what they did against Denver, where they just beat them down early. It’ll give them a chance to quiet the Chiefs “kingdom” fans early and take them out of the game.

If they don’t, they’ll have fans roaring on 3rd downs coming at Carr with elite pass rushers in Tamba Hali, Justin Houston and Dee Ford — who has 10 sacks on the year and got two off them against Oakland.

Not to mention the fact the Raiders are the league leader in penalties, and teams like the Chiefs pounce on mistakes from other teams. The noise at Arrowhead can affect a lot and that is why Oakland has to take that out of the equation for a chance to win.

Oct 16, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Spencer Ware (32) is brought down by Oakland Raiders middle linebacker Cory James (57) during the third quarter at Oakland Coliseum. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Oakland Raiders 26-10. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Contain Spencer Ware

To put it bluntly, the Raiders got trampled against the Kansas City Chiefs at home in an embarrassing fashion, in no small part due to what Spencer Ware did to us.

Ware gouged the Raider’s defense for 131 yards on the ground and 32 yards in the air with a rushing touchdown. On the year, Ware has 743 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Stopping him this time will be key, especially at home. If the Chiefs can get on a roll on the ground, they’ll control the clock and keep the Raiders offense off the field. We want the Raiders to win this type of in-game battle.

Spencer Ware can damage you on the edge and through the middle with a decent combo of speed and power. The RB screens that kill the Raiders defense have to be keyed in on too. If I were Ken Norton Jr., I’d play underneath zones a lot to help run defense and let Alex smith try beat them deep.

The Oakland defense has to keep Ware in check and not let the motions that the Chiefs do on offense confuse them. The defense needs to be wary at all times.

Nov 27, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) throws as center Rodney Hudson (61) and offensive guard Kelechi Osemele (70) block against the Carolina Panthers during the second half at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

WIN IN THE TRENCHES!

The old adage “the game is won in the trenches” specifically was made for game like this.

When two teams are as good as these two are, it’s the in-game battles that are the factor in turning the tides.

The Raiders offensive line, or the “East Bay Bouncers” as I like to call them, have a battle against one of the best pass rushing defenses in the league with Justin Houston, Tamba Hali, and Dee Ford. Austin Howard will need all the help he can get, so the Raiders should be giving him help with an extra lineman and some chip-blocks here and there.

Getting the run game going helps tremendously, giving the OL confidence and momentum they need in a war like this. Murray and Richard have to get going.

On defense Khalil Mack and Co. will be matched up against an improving Chiefs o-line. Now that Mack has warmed up, he should be able to expose Mitchell Schwartz like he did last year against the Browns.

One of the least talked about things lately has been how well Bruce Irvin has been over this win streak, here’s hoping he can continue this week.

The interior of this defensive line is a weakness and was on display vs. the Bills last Sunday. Mario Edwards Jr. won’t be back this week unfortunately so the play of Autry, Jackson and Williams could decide this game.

Summary

Meaningful football in December! Pinch me but here we are.

Every game is important but this might be the game of the season. I want home field advantage bad and want to win this division (Yes I’m greedy but it’s been so long I think we are allowed to be.) The Raiders need to kick butt this week!

#JustWinBaby