Kansas City Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders: Complete Week 12 Preview for Oakland
The Oakland Raiders knew they were in for a tough season. After a massive offseason overhaul of the roster and facing the league's toughest schedule, wins were going to be hard to come by. But no one expected it to be this hard. The team is still looking for its first win as it heads into its Week 12 Thursday night clash against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Although the improvement has been marginal at times, the team has shown progress. This is especially true for the defense, which had another good performance last week against the San Diego Chargers. The unit held Philip Rivers in check for the entire game while giving up only 13 points.
Unfortunately, this hasn't been the case for the offense. The Raiders have managed to score more than 14 points only three times this season. The defense has played much better as the season has progressed. But the offense hasn't done its part, and the defensive efforts have gone to waste.
The Raiders have yet to put together a complete game, but that's what it's going to take to beat the efficient Chiefs, who have quietly been one of the NFL's best teams.
Kansas City has compiled a 7-3 record not by excelling in one area but by smartly exploiting whatever advantage the opposing team offers up. For Oakland to win, it can't show any glaring weakness. That's going to be tough to do for an 0-10 team.
Kickoff is at 8:25 p.m. ET on Thursday night from O.co Coliseum. Here's a full breakdown of Oakland's one prime-time matchup of the season and what it's going to take to turn it into a victory.
Week 11 Recap
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In a season of frustrating performances and tough losses, Sunday's defeat to the San Diego Chargers might have been the most difficult. Every loss hurts, especially for a team that's still winless this late in the season. But it hurts even more when the game is there for the taking.
The Raiders had about as bad a start to the game as they could. They received the opening kickoff, and Derek Carr fumbled the ball away on the team's very first snap. The Chargers recovered on the Oakland 22-yard line. Two plays later, Phillip Rivers found Malcom Floyd in the end zone for a touchdown. Less than a minute into the game, Oakland had a turnover, and San Diego had turned it into seven points.
It seemed like the game might be on its way to a blowout. Instead, the Oakland defense held San Diego to six points the rest of the game.
The defense had arguably its best game of the season. The unit held the San Diego offense to 300 yards of offense and only 13 points. The performance was punctuated when Khalil Mack picked up the first sack of his career.
The defense was able to consistently get off the field and put the ball into the hands of the offense. The defense set a tone and gave the team momentum; unfortunately, the offense could not do anything with the great opportunity.
The offense managed a meager 233 yards, nine first downs and only six points. Over four quarters, the offense was an exercise in futility as the unit continued to add to its league-leading total of three-and-outs. Despite the defense's performance, Oakland still lost the possession battle by almost 10 minutes.
The one highlight on offense was the surprise breakout of Latavius Murray. The Raiders' running game has been historically bad, which made his 10.8 yards-per-carry average all the more exciting. Unfortunately, he had only four carries, and it wasn't enough to get the offense into the end zone.
One useful piece of information has emerged after 10 losses: The Raiders know what the problem is. Unless the offense figures out a way to score more points over the final six games, a winless season is a very real possibility.
News and Notes
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From the "Things We Already Know" Files...
The Oakland offense has been terrible. It has been bad through the air and on the ground. It can't pick up first downs and stay on the field, and it certainly hasn't been able to score enough points. The offense sputtered to start the season, and it has regressed since then.
And after 10 games' worth of inept play, offensive coordinator Greg Olson's assessment is this, via CSN Bay Area's Scott Bair: "Certainly, I understand I’ve got to do a better job and that the job has not been up to par at this point."
This is the top candidate for understatement of the season.
A lot has gone wrong with the Oakland offense this season, and it's unfair to place all of the blame for this on Olson. But there's no question that the play-calling has played a major role. More importantly, it's difficult to understand how the offense has been allowed to play this bad all season without any major changes being made.
Olson is right. The offensive coordinator has to do a better job. But at this point, it seems as if that won't occur until next season, at which time the offensive coordinator will be someone else.
Is Murray the Answer?
Of all of the Oakland offense's problems this season, the most glaring issue has been the historically bad running game. The two-headed monster that was supposed be Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew has never materialized. By now, it's clear that neither is the answer. For many fans, this has been clear for some time, which is why the calls for Latavius Murray increased.
After 10 games, it looks like that is finally going to happen.
The one spark in the running game this season was provided by Murray this past Sunday. He ran for 43 yards on only four carries. One of those carries was for 23 yards, which is the only rush of 20 or more yards by an Oakland running back this season.
It's a small sample, but it was enough for Sparano to show some confidence, even if it was tempered, via Bair: "I like what I’ve seen out of him [Murray] so far. So in a roundabout way, I’m saying yeah, you’re going to see more of him."
That's not much of an endorsement, and Sparano made no guarantees as to how much more action the second-year back will see. But it'll be more than he's seen so far, and it could prove to be the spark this offense needs.
Who Will Be Oakland's Next Head Coach?
At this point, it's clear that the Raiders are going to have a new head coach next season. The only question is who it will be, and there's a long list of possibilities. Bleacher Report's Adam Lefkoe recently sat down with Chris Simms and Jonathan Vilma to discuss the top candidates for the position.
There are several big names on the list, including Stanford head coach David Shaw and Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. But of all of the possibilities they list, the most intriguing is Jim Harbaugh.
Simms points out that given Oakland's current state, the team needs a proven leader. Not only is Harbaugh almost assuredly going to be available, he has proved that he can win at this level. The Raiders can't afford to gamble on someone who may or not be able to be an NFL head coach. They need a guarantee.
Oakland's roster needs work, but it's more talented than the team's record indicates. The right coach will be able to get this team to play to its full potential. Harbaugh can be that coach.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| David Ausberry | TE | Out |
| Jonathan Dowling | S | Out |
| Carlos Rogers | CB | Out |
| T.J. Carrie | CB | Out |
| Gabe Jackson | LG | Questionable |
| Miles Burris | MLB | Probable |
| Derek Carr | QB | Probable |
Ausberry and Dowling are out again this week, but neither has been a factor this season. They have continued to nurse their injuries, and they wouldn't have been able to play, even after a full week.
Rogers will be out again as he continues to deal with a knee injury. There's been no news, which suggests that there's been no improvement in his condition. However, the team has managed without him for weeks.
The real loss is Carrie, who has become a key player in the Oakland secondary. He hasn't practiced this week as he continues to deal with an ankle injury. He played on Sunday, but given the short week, he didn't have enough time to recover.
With both of them out, Tarell Brown and D.J. Hayden will start at cornerback against the Chiefs. Neiko Thorpe and Chimdi Chekwa will be the primary backups.
While Jackson is officially listed as "questionable," Tony Sparano told Sirius XM that the rookie left guard will not play against Kansas City. It seems that he might be able to play, but the coaches are choosing to rest him. Sparano added that the hope is for Jackson to be back next week against the St. Louis Rams.
Because of his absence, the Raiders will once again go with Khalif Barnes at left guard and Menelik Watson at right tackle. This version of the offensive line has been OK so far, but it's going to face its biggest test this week against one of the NFL's top defenses. This will be especially true for Watson, who will have to figure out a way to contain Justin Houston, who's leading the league with 12 sacks.
Burris and Carr are both on the injury list, but they'll be ready to play Thursday night. Burris' availability is especially important given how thin Oakland is at linebacker.
All injury statuses and updates taken from CSN Bay Area's Scott Bair.
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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Menelik Watson vs. Justin Houston
Houston is leading the league with 12 sacks, and he's found success all season regardless of what opposing offenses have done to try and stop him. He's capable of single-handedly disrupting an offense, which makes this matchup a deciding factor in the game.
Watson has had an up-and-down year, which is why the coaches have been hesitant to rely on him. Because of his inconsistency, Khalif Barnes has seen a lot of time at right tackle. However, that won't be an option on Thursday as Barnes will be filling in at left guard. Watson will get some help from tight ends, running backs and fullbacks. But for the most part, he'll have to be able to succeed on his own.
The Oakland offense has struggled all season, and that's been with fairly consistent protection. It'll stand no chance if Derek Carr is under duress the entire game, which means that Watson's performance could decide the performance of the offense overall.
Oakland linebackers vs. Jamal Charles
Alex Smith is a good quarterback, and he is capable of carrying the Kansas City offense. But there's no question that in order to stop the Chiefs, you have to stop Charles, who has really found his rhythm after a slow start.
For this to happen, it's going to take to take a complete group effort from the Oakland linebackers. The defensive line is going to have its hands full with the Kansas City offensive line and trying to get to the quarterback. This will leave the bulk of the responsibility for stopping Charles to Khalil Mack, Miles Burris and Sio Moore.
Stopping Charles isn't a reasonable goal. Even against the solid Seattle Seahawks defensive front last week, he still ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns while averaging eight yards per carry. But the linebackers still have to contain him. The Oakland defense has a much better chance of success if Smith is forced to take on more responsibility.
Andre Holmes vs. Sean Smith
The biggest problem for the Oakland offense has been the running game, but the passing game has been almost as bad. The receivers can't consistently get open, and Carr is left too often with time but no one to throw to.
As the No. 1 receiver on the team, Holmes holds the most responsibility. He has to find a way to produce, and he'll have to find a way to do so against Smith. Holmes doesn't have to produce big numbers, but he does need to provide some big plays. He needs to present a receiving threat that the Kansas City defense has to respect.
The passing game has to have success if Oakland is going to score enough points. It's up to Holmes to lead the way.
X-Factor of the Week: Latavius Murray
For the better part of the season, fans have been calling for Murray to get more carries. It seems that on Thursday, that will finally happen. He hasn't done nearly enough to prove anything, but he's shown enough flashes to suggest that he's capable of getting the job done.
Murray's sample of work is comprised of two games: the final preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks and last week's four carries. But in that limited time, he's shown the ability to find holes in the line. More importantly, he's shown that he's capable of exploiting them.
It remains to be seen just how many touches he'll get against Kansas City. Given how few carries the running backs have been getting this season and the fact that he'll be splitting them with McFadden, there might not be too many to go around.
Still, he had more success in four carries than any running back has had at any point all season. There's a very real possibility that he might be the answer at the position.
Prediction
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After 10 games, the Raiders are still trying to figure things out on offense. The running game has been non-existent, and the passing game is not far behind. The defense and special teams have improved, but the offense's struggles have kept the team from victory.
The task isn't going to be any easier on Thursday against the Chiefs defense, which is solid in all areas. The Oakland offense hasn't found success in any game, and it's certainly going to struggle against a good defensive team like the Chiefs.
Despite the defense's improvement, there's no guarantee that it'll be able to stop, or even slow down, the Kansas City offense. The Chiefs offense isn't outstanding in any one area, but it is balanced. It has the ability to take advantage of whatever the defense gives it, whether that's through the air or on the ground.
As they have all season, the Raiders will put up a fight, but they just have too many flaws to contain the balanced Chiefs on both sides of the ball. Every time Oakland plugs a hole, another leak will spring somewhere else. And Kansas City will be ready and able to exploit it.
Murray will give the Raiders hope at running back, but it's going to take more than one game for the offense to get on track. The Chiefs are too well-balanced for Oakland, and their efficiency will ultimately prove to be the difference.
Prediction: Kansas City 23, Oakland 10
Unless otherwise noted, all stats taken from ESPN.com.
Share your thoughts and opinions on Twitter @BrianJ_Flores.
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