7 Keys to Victory in Oakland Raiders' Week 7 Matchup
It's a short week after a disappointing loss, but realistically speaking, the Oakland Raiders will play for their playoff hopes on Thursday in a critical Week 7 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
A loss doesn't mathematically eliminate the Raiders from postseason contention, but it's a difficult road to January with three division losses on a five-game losing streak. The Silver and Black must end the skid now or go on an improbable run going forward.
It's the toughest test for the Raiders considering the Chiefs lost their first game in Week 6 and still rank as the AFC's best team. Secondly, Oakland has lost five consecutive games to Kansas City dating back to running back Latavius Murray's 112-yard breakout game during the 2014 campaign.
Ironically, the Raiders will need a productive output from their backfield to win another Thursday night contest versus the Chiefs. What other aspects should the coaching staff add to the Week 7 game plan?
Marshawn Lynch Takes 20 Carries
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If there's ever a time running back Marshawn Lynch goes Beast Mode on an opponent, this looks like it.
The Chiefs allowed 194 rushing yards on 37 attempts in Week 6 against the Steelers. Pittsburgh controlled the game flow throughout the contest, but eventually running back Le'Veon Bell wore down Kansas City's defense. The Raiders have five ball-carriers to accomplish the same feat.
Nonetheless, the most physical of the bunch should handle the most carries on Thursday. On a short week, when players haven't fully recovered from the previous game, Lynch would likely break multiple tackles while moving the chains. Offensive coordinator Todd Downing should plan for 18-20 carries for the bruising back.
At this point, there's no reason to preserve Lynch for late November and December with the postseason likely on the line mid-October.
In Week 6, Beast Mode logged 13 carries for 63 yards, which lists as a season-high 4.85 yards per carry. He can keep that momentum going against a run defense that has allowed 100-plus yards in every contest.
Target Elusive Running Backs in Passing Attack
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While Beast Mode handles the bulk of the carries, running backs Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington should attack the defense as receivers out of the backfield.
You won't hear quarterback Derek Carr complain about his back injury, but he only threw the ball 20 yards downfield on two attempts and completed neither pass in Week 6, per Pro Football Focus.
Furthermore, the offense featured a conservative dink-and-dunk approach, which limited wideout Amari Cooper's effect. Even though penalties negated two of his catches, AC-DC isn't the same without play action and a deep shot downfield.
Maybe Carr took what the Los Angeles Chargers defense gave him or Downing preferred quicker reads to keep his quarterback away from the pass rush. Regardless of the reason, Richard and Washington should flourish as receivers in the flat who can rack up yards after the catch.
In the previous outing, Carr targeted Richard four times and Washington only once as receivers. At least 10 targets between the two would keep the pass rush at bay and the offense moving downfield in chunks.
Keep Lee Smith on the Field for Pass Protection
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On Wednesday, the Raiders released their final injury report. Right tackle Marshall Newhouse won't play due to a foot issue, which means Vadal Alexander will see more snaps on the offensive line.
Thus far, Alexander has only played 17 snaps, and Downing should strongly consider leaving Lee Smith on the line to help with pass protection. The Raiders can't allow Justin Houston to take advantage of the second-year offensive lineman. He's a handful for the most experienced perimeter protectors.
Together, Alexander and Smith could slow Houston down while he's in pursuit. Any time Carr hits the ground everyone at the Oakland Coliseum will hold their collective breath hoping he springs to his feet without much pain.
If Houston doesn't lay a hand on Carr, there's a good chance for success in the short and long passing attack.
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Enforce Communication on Short Passes to Running Backs
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In Week 6, the Raiders struggled to defend Chargers running back Melvin Gordon as a receiver out of the backfield. He registered nine catches for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Overall, Oakland allows an average 52.9 receiving yards per game to running backs, per Football Outsiders. It's slowly becoming a problem similar to tight ends in pass coverage.
On far too many occasions, busted coverage has led to wide-open catches. When you look at the Week 3 game against the Washington Redskins, running back Chris Thompson racked up six catches for 150 yards and a touchdown against the defense.
If Thompson and Gordon exploited the Raiders in the short passing attack, Kareem Hunt—who averages 12.1 yards per catch—probably expects to produce big numbers as a receiver out of the backfield. Through six games, he's logged 21 catches for 255 yards and two touchdowns.
The coaching staff must teach the linebackers and safeties about communication when defending a short pass that can extend for 20 or more yards downfield. It's an area in which Hunt has excelled since taking over the starting job in Week 1.
Bring Karl Joseph into the Box for Run Support
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Label this as a part two to stopping Hunt out of the backfield. Through six weeks, he leads all ball-carriers with 630 rushing yards. The Raiders have allowed 100-plus yards on the ground in four of six contests.
General manager Reggie McKenzie inked veteran linebacker NaVorro Bowman at the right time. Though he's not the Pro Bowl-caliber player from years past, he can still play downhill in the box. The former San Francisco 49er logged 13 run stops, 23 tackles and only missed one takedown in 146 run snaps.
In Bowman's first game as a Raider, he shouldn't challenge the run as the lone force. Of course, the defensive line must do its job in stopping Hunt near the line of scrimmage. If he finds a hole in the first level, safety Karl Joseph has enough power to bring the hammer on the back end alongside the linebackers.
Through 168 run snaps, Joseph has 16 tackles between the line of scrimmage and eight yards from that mark with six stops. On early downs, the coaching staff should load the box to ensure Hunt doesn't seal a victory for the Chiefs with an easy 100-yard rushing performance.
Multiple Defenders on Tight End Travis Kelce
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The Raiders don't have a tight end eraser in pass coverage. In the previous week, Joseph allowed two big plays on the Chargers' final drive. At 5'10", 205 pounds, he's not the ideal matchup against Travis Kelce, who stands at 6'5", 260 pounds with the strength to shake off smaller defenders.
The Raiders should show Kelce different looks to avoid an adjustment to a certain defender.
At times, Joseph could cover over the top on a double team. On some snaps, linebacker Nicholas Morrow can shadow the two-time Pro Bowl tight end on shorter routes. Cornerback David Amerson would also help out in a rotation against a bigger receiver who can't burn him with speed.
Kelce leads the Chiefs in targets (44) and receptions (33), which justifies the added attention to him in coverage. Essentially, the coaching staff would lean on a committee to minimize quarterback Alex Smith's top option in the passing attack.
Bracket Tyreek Hill Downfield
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The third player in the Chiefs' offensive trio, wideout Tyreek Hill, torched the Raiders during his rookie season.
The defense struggled to keep pace with his speed in open space, and he accumulated 100 all-purpose yards in his first game against the Silver and Black. He then followed that with 192 total yards and two scores in the second outing.
The defense can't allow Hill to break free in the open as a receiver, ball-carrier or kick returner. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid will likely move him around and disguise play designs to isolate the speedy receiver for advantageous matchups against linebackers or slower defensive backs.
At all costs, safety Reggie Nelson should stay deep—avoid peeking into the backfield or biting on play action, which exposes the secondary to explosive plays. The cornerbacks should bump Hill early in his routes to disrupt timing, and a safety should lurk over the top to contain him as a deep threat.
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