Raiders vs. Chiefs: Breaking Down Oakland's Game Plan

The Oakland Raiders are benefiting off exceptional play from their budding stars on both sides of the ball.

After winning two out of the last three, led by Derek Carr and Khalil Mack, Oakland looks to sweep the season series with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Raiders cannot approach this game identically to the Week 12 matchup. The coaches must take what worked and expand on the game plan. The rapid development of a few young key players will allow coordinators Greg Olson and Jason Tarver to attack Kansas City in a variety of ways.

The Chiefs will see a lot more of running back Latavius Murray. Alex Smith will also have to deal with Mack, considering his progression as a pass-rusher.

Here are the nitty-gritty details on Oakland’s strategy for the Chiefs.

Raiders on Offense

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Kansas City’s defensive line is very aggressive when harassing quarterbacks (34 sacks) but susceptible to being gashed by the run. Murray’s 112-yard performance on the ground against this defense was the onset of a much bigger problem. The Chiefs have allowed four consecutive 100-yard rushers and currently have the second-worst run defense in the league.

Coincidentally, interim head coach Tony Sparano has placed more trust in the second-year running back, who was the second ball-carrier to embarrass the Chiefs rush defense. According to ESPN.com reporter Bill Williamson, Murray will see the bulk of the workload going forward:

"

Last week, Tony Sparano wasn’t ready to proclaim that young running back Latavius Murraywould become the workhorse for the rest of the season. 

Now it appears Murray is in line to be just that. After missing last week’s 52-0 loss at St. Louis, Murray, who missed his rookie season last year, had 76 yards on 23 carries in a win over San Francisco. He has 231 yards on 31 carries in his last three games. With veterans Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew struggling all season, it makes sense that Murray will get a chance to be the workhorse. 

"

Murray’s outbreak made Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden an afterthought. Last week, McFadden had five carries, and Jones-Drew never touched the ball out of the backfield.

Murray should flourish as the featured running back, getting 20-plus carries against a defensive line that struggles to make stops.

Kansas City’s fear of being trounced yet again by Murray will also open up pass opportunities. Carr excels with play-action passes, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

	Completion Percentage	Touchdowns	Interceptions
Play Action	62.4%	5	0
No Play Action	59.9%	12	11

If Murray is successful running the ball early, the safeties will play closer to the line of scrimmage for run support. The adjustment gives Carr the opportunity to attack the middle of the field with intermediate throws to tight end Mychal Rivera. 

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

In the victory against the 49ers" target="_blank">San Francisco 49ers, Carr showed the poise and ability to make plays in the face of a fierce pass rush. Columnist Andy Benoit of The MMQB put it into perspective:

"

Despite the limitations around him, Carr has maintained the willingness to play from the pocket. That’s something many coaches—for example, Jay Gruden in Washington—yearn for with young quarterbacks. Carr has a feel for the subtle footwork required to reset and throw when a receiver needs time. Not having had to make throws like these in college, scouts were unsure whether Carr would be able to do that in the NFL. (His brother wasn’t.) Many of Carr’s best throws have come against man coverage, often when aided by specific man-beater route combinations, which Oakland’s wideouts need.

"

Last week, the rookie quarterback validated Rivera as a viable receiving threat. The former sixth-round pick had 109 receiving yards against a well-respected San Francisco defense. Carr also has vertical threats in Andre Holmes and Brice Butler. Both receivers are averaging slightly more than 14 yards per catch.

Raiders Defense

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Mack, the Raiders' coveted rookie linebacker, was praised as a valuable run-stopper and solid tackler. He has accumulated 34 run stops thus far.

However, critics harped on his lack of pass-rushing abilities as a weakness. Last week, you heard crickets from the critics. Mack sacked Colin Kaepernick twice. Williamson reports it could be a sign of things to come:

"

Mack had two of his three sacks this season against the 49ers and he had four quarterback hurries. Mack has been a solid run defender who has shown occasional pass-rush burst. However, he looked like a standout pass-rusher Sunday. 

That was a vital development. It is clear Mack is going to be a good player, but if he can develop into a top pass-rusher, he could truly become one of the best, most complete defensive players in the league.

"

Mack was on the field for 35 pass-rushing snaps, and only 15 run snaps against San Francisco. It’ll be hard to shy away from aggressively attacking a Chiefs offensive line with a 76.4 pass-blocking efficiency ranked 27th in the league, three slots below the 49ers.

Mack’s development as a pass-rusher should continue to progress.

Smith's arm and willingness to throw down the field is nearly nonexistent this year. The belabored stat emphasizing the Chiefs receivers as mere route-runners without touchdown catches leaves the quarterback susceptible to blitz packages.

Tarver can utilize a Cover 1 defensive scheme. This gives safety Charles Woodson the responsibility of covering the deep end of the field. Woodson can switch into man coverage if tight end Travis Kelce impacts the game. Currently he’s Kansas City’s top receiver in receptions (51) and yards (688).

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

One-on-one man coverage will be used on the outside. Neither Dwayne Bowe nor Donnie Avery is deserving of a double-team. Up front, the only focus is Jamaal Charles.

Mack should have a major role as a run-stopper, but on 3rd-and-long situations he should be unleashed into attack mode. Other than obvious passing situations, the Raiders can dial up a blitz when Charles takes a breath on the sideline. Knile Davis has completely disappeared from the dual-running back attack with only eight carries in the last four weeks.

Smith’s arm hasn’t been a threat the entire season, and the offensive line hasn’t provided enough protection. Kansas City’s offense comes in one-dimensional, providing opportunities for linebackers Mack and Sio Moore to tee off on the quarterback.

When it’s not hunting season for Smith, Charles should see eight defenders in the box on first down and on 3rd-and-short situations—suffocating the most viable threat on the offense.

Follow @AuthorLysander

Advanced statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com and Pro Football Focus (subscription required).