This week is Chiefs week and unlike previous years, this one will mean something. The Chiefs come in at 5-2 after a hard-fought victory against the winless Bills on a last second field goal in overtime. They lead the division by 1 1/2 games over the Raiders, who come off a convincing 33-3 drubbing of the Seahawks at home. This is a battle for early supremacy in the AFC West. Let's take a look at the match-ups, followed by a prediction for the game.
Raiders offense vs. Chiefs defense
Hardly anybody, coming into this season, thought that these two units would be a strength for the respective teams. They certainly have been to this point. The Raiders currently rank 8th in total offense and 2nd in rushing offense. The Chiefs rank 16th in overall defense, but 7th against the rush and 5th in points allowed. This looks to be a match-up of strength versus strength when the Raiders rushing attack attempts to impose their will on the Chiefs run defense. This was a similar match-up to the one last week when the Seahawks came in with the number 2 rush defense. The Raiders carved them up with 239 yards on the ground. The Chiefs defense has also played much better at home than on the road. The Raiders have really excelled on the offensive side of the ball the last two weeks, amassing 1,053 yards of offense. The Raiders look to keep this rolling with a consecutive home game.
Advantage: Raiders
Raiders defense vs. Chiefs offense
These are two units that are also playing pretty well. The Chiefs currently rank 12 in overall offense and 1st in rushing offense. Their weakness is in the passing game. They will rely on the big play off play-action, but seem content not to take over a game through the air. They are dead last in the NFL in passing yards/game, but do not turn the ball over. They have given up a league-low 4 turnovers. The Raiders strength lies in the defensive line. They currently rank second in the NFL in sacks (24). They will have to get pressure on Cassel and play in the backfield against the run to be successful. They will most likely be without their best defensive player for this game in Asomugha. The defense is giving up 310 yards/game, good for 9th in the league but they have struggled in giving up the big play. Although they haven't allowed teams in the last couple of weeks to break a big one, it has plagued them mightily early on in the season. We'll see if their improvement over the last 2 weeks is a trend or an aberration. This game will be decided on who can run the ball better and not turn the ball over.
Advantage: Chiefs
Special Teams
It's a broken record to tell you about the Raiders kickers, Janikowski is first in field goals and points scored and Lechler is second in punt average. So we'll discuss what the other team brings to the table. The Chiefs kick returning is not too impressive. The longest return has been a 33 yarder and are averaging 24.0 per return. The punt returning has been significantly better. They are 4th in the league with a 13.4 return average with Javier Arenas being pretty consistent. Their one return for a TD was the first return of the year against the Chargers. Succop has missed three field goals in 13 tries, with 2 of them being from 30-39. There have been times that Coach Haley has elected to go for it instead of trying a fairly short field goal attempt. Colquitt ranks 19th in punt average but is pretty good at pinning teams deep inside their own 20.
Advantage: Raiders
Prediction: Raiders 27, Chiefs 21
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