Oakland Raiders Playoff Push: 10 Keys Against Kansas City
If you had told me a few months ago that the game between the Raiders and Chiefs at the Coliseum on November 7th, 2010, would be of great significance to both teams in terms of playoffs and the AFC West Division title, I would have declared you nuts. I'm definitely not the only one who felt this way prior to the 2010 NFL season.
But here we are eight weeks later, with the bitter rivals set to battle to get ahead in the race for the AFC West crown. Although this game will not necessarily determine the leader of the West, the winner will benefit greatly. If Kansas City can sneak into Oakland and get a win, they will hold a 2.5 game lead in the division and mark themselves as the clear favorites for the remainder of the season. However, if Oakland can win its third straight game, a feat they have not accomplished in eight years, they will put themselves only half a game behind the Chiefs and in excellent position to push for the division title that has also eluded them for eight long years.
Oakland started off the week as a 2.5 point favorite, and most of us believe this game will be that close. The Raiders have played phenomenal the past two weeks, out-gaining opponents in total yards 1,053 to 402, and winning both games by a combined 75 points. However, you have to believe the Chiefs will not give up these sort of numbers, especially with their seventh-ranked run defense.
If the Raiders want to win, they need to come out and execute like they have the past two weeks. Here are the 10 keys for the Raiders to rise back to the top of the AFC West.
10. Establish Home-Field Advantage
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Rookie linebacker Rolando McClain said it best when he began declining interviews on September 12th: "If the fans come out and we can sell out a damn game, I'll talk to the media. Until then, I need full fan support."
Right about now the Raiders do need full fan support. This is a big game, which should give plenty of reasons for Raiders fans to come out and support this team.
In the past seven years there has been no such thing as home-field advantage against our rivals from the east. Since shutting out Kansas City 24-0 to conclude the 2002 Super Bowl season, the Raiders have not won against the Chiefs at home. Are you kidding me? Seven losses in a row to one team at home is not acceptable, especially when the opposing team had seasons with final records of 4-12, 2-14 and 4-12.
This may not be a very well-known streak, but it's one that needs to stop on Sunday.
9. Smart Play-Calling by Tom Cable and Staff
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Tom Cable has often been questioned about the ability of himself and his staff to call a game.
Although the Raiders scored a huge victory this past Sunday, many times I was worried about the play-calling on offense. In the first two drives of the game, red-hot Darren McFadden did not even get his hands on the ball. McFadden finally got two carries in the third possession for Oakland, but why wait so long to get your best player the ball? Had the Raiders gotten in a hole due to this, they could have been in more trouble.
Play-calling will be essential against a solid Kansas City defense this week. We need to get DMC running out of the gate. We cannot get in a hole where we have to rely on the passing game to catch up.
8. Overcome Injuries
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Injuries have been a big issue for the Raiders this season, and it is definitely something that can quickly prevent a team from having success.
The Raiders might have suffered the worst loss of the season thus far when star CB Nnamdi Asomugha suffered a high ankle sprain in the final quarter against Seattle. Asomugha has not actually been ruled out against Kansas City, but it's unlikely that he'll play—a huge loss for the Raiders.
Louis Murphy is still recovering from a bruised lung he suffered against Denver and will more than likely miss his second straight game. That's bad news for an already depleted Raiders receiving group.
Zach Miller has an injured foot. He is likely to play, but the Raiders will need Miller to be healthy and active against Kansas City.
Looking on the positive side, CB Chris Johnson has been cleared to play this Sunday, which is definitely good news, especially if Asomugha is not on the field. Johnson is a downgrade from Nnamdi, but he does bring experience to the secondary.
In order for the Raiders to win this Sunday, they must overcome the injuries. This means guys need to step up and have big games. We can only hope that Heyward-Bey actually shows up like he did against Seattle. And how about Marcel Reece? This guy has been brilliant.
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7. Dominate the Line of Scrimmage
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Surprisingly enough, the Raiders have been dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball as of late.
The offensive line has been opening up huge holes for DMC to run wild and Jason Campbell is not on the injured reserve.
This is will be huge on Sunday against a Kansas City teams that ranks first in rushing offense and seventh in rushing defense.
6. Return Coverage Must Be Superior
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Last week the Raiders gave up 214 return yards to Seattle, 114 through kickoffs and 100 through punts. That included a 45-yard kickoff return and 43-yard punt return by Leon Washington. Although I was not happy with this performance, you have to give the Raiders credit for not giving up the "big one" against the kickoff and punt return units of Seattle, which are ranked first and seventh in the league, respectively.
Although the Chiefs have not had an effective kickoff return unit (21st in the league), the punt return has been a dangerous weapon with the speedy rookies Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas. The good news for Raiders fans is that McCluster might be out again this weekend, but we'll have to see how quickly his injury heals.
Either way, the Chiefs are dangerous when it comes to returns, in particular their fourth-ranked punt return unit. If the Raiders find a way to shut them down, a victory would be quite doable.
5. Contain the Kansas City Ground Game
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Let's be honest, we are not going to be able to stop this run game, but in order to win this game, the Raiders must contain it.
Halfway through the 2010 season, Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones have been the best 1-2 punch in the NFL. The Raiders lead the league with 1,348 rushing yards, but the the Chiefs lead the league in yards per game at 190.4.
The Raiders have had solid performances the past two weeks against the run, but that is not saying much, as Denver ranks dead last while Seattle is 26th.
The Raiders have two big keys in the running game:
1. Stop the run early on first and second downs. Leave Kansas City in 3rd-and-long positions so that they are forced to throw the ball.
2. Do not give up the big play! I cannot say this enough. This has been a major concern with the Raider run defense. Chris Johnson gashed us for a huge TD run, and so did Arian Foster. Please do not add Charles to the list because he is perfectly capable of doing so.
4. Finish, Finish, Finish in the Red Zone
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Although the Raiders put up 33 points this past week, I was very displeased with the inability to finish drives, settling for field goals as opposed to touchdowns. We sent Seabass out for five attempts and he connected on four of them.
I love the fact that we are getting this many opportunities to score, but the Raiders need to capitalize.
3. Janikowski Must Be Cash Money on Field Goal Attempts
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This is 'Plan B' from my previous slide. If the Raiders do not cash in on opportunities, Janikowski must be reliable in putting those points up on the board because they will be vital in this affair.
He is on a current pace to kick a ridiculous amount of field goals this season. His previous high number of attempts for a season was 33 back in 2002. He already has 25 this year through eight games. He has been fairly reliable, nailing 19 of them. But half of those misses came against Arizona, including a game-winning chip shot.
The good news is he's pounding the ball on kickoffs. He has already set a personal season best with 24 touchbacks.
2. Win the Turnover Battle
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The Raiders have done an excellent job in protecting the ball recently, turning the ball over only twice in past four games. But the Chiefs have done a much better job, only giving up the ball four times in seven contests, a league best.
They key here is for Oakland to not make more mistakes than the Chiefs make. The Chiefs have won the turnover battle in three games this season. In those three games, they are 3-0. On the other hand, in the four games in which turnovers were equal for both sides, the Chiefs are only 2-2.
1. Great Leadership from the Quarterback Position
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Tom Cable told us that Bruce is our starter despite the fact that Campbell has been playing so well. But he told us that Bruce is the starter when he is healthy, and we are not quite sure when Bruce will be healthy. So there is a good chance Campbell will be behind the helm on Sunday.
Hey, I am not really complaining. I was all for putting Bruce in as a starter several weeks ago, but now that Campbell has shown he can win games and not make mistakes, I am perfectly content with starting him this Sunday.
He will have to be good, though. He cannot play like he did against Tennessee or San Francisco. He must be the Jason Campbell that showed up against San Diego, Denver and Seattle.
This game is not entirely on his shoulders. Jason does not need incredible numbers. He just needs to avoid mistakes and lead this team.
Go Raiders!
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