Chiefs vs. Raiders: 7 Keys to Victory for Kansas City

The Kansas City Chiefs will travel to Oakland to square off against the divisional-rival Raiders in a pivotal Week 7 matchup this weekend.

The Raiders are coming off back-to-back emotional wins after the passing of their legendary owner Al Davis earlier this month.

KC has also won their last two games, and is looking to avenge their two losses against the Silver and Black last season.

Here are the keys to victory for the Chiefs in this game.

Get Pressure on QB Carson Palmer

Former Bengals QB Carson Palmer will likely get the nod as the Raiders' starting quarterback on Sunday.

The Chiefs defensive front needs to greet him with all kinds of pressure from start to finish in this contest.

Like most other QBs, Palmer has the ability to pick a defense apart if he has all kinds of time in the pocket.

Pro Bowl linebacker Tamba Hali and the KC pass rush need to make it a priority to get to the new Oakland signal-caller this weekend.

Don't Let Jacoby Ford Beat You

Last year, then-rookie Jacoby Ford burned the Chiefs once in the return and game and later in the passing game.

In Week 6 against the Browns, he brought back a kick for a 101-yard TD that turned out to be the difference in that game.

He is the type of player that you have to account for at all times when he is in the game.

If Ford beats Kansas City in this game, they will not come out on top.

Control the Raiders' Rushing Attack

The Raiders have one of the best ground games in the entire NFL.

Not surprisingly, they were ranked second in the league in rushing last season and are once again No. 2 in the league this year.

Their go-to guy is fourth-year back Darren McFadden, who already has over 600 rushing yards and four touchdowns this season.

If the Chiefs defense can slow down Run DMC and his backup Michael Bush, it would give them a much better chance to win, considering that it would force Carson Palmer to beat them in the passing game.

Be Physical on Both Sides of the Line

The biggest problem that the Chiefs had last year when they played the Raiders was not being physical enough with them.

During this past offseason, Kansas City GM Scott Pioli made it a point to make his team more physical on both sides of the ball.

He acquired former Ravens Kelly Gregg and Le'Ron McClain, while releasing Brian Waters to pave the way for second-year guard Jon Asamoah to take Waters' place this season.

KC can't afford to get manhandled on both sides of the line like they were in both of their contests against Oakland a season ago.

Get the Ball to Playmakers on Offense

On offense, the strategy should be very obvious now for the Chiefs.

For the remainder of the season, they need to get the ball to wideouts Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston.

The pair has combined for six touchdowns in five games, and has piled up over 600-plus receiving yards between the two as well.

They could also find themselves more open on Sunday with the likely debut of rookie wideout Jonathan Baldwin.

Establish a Running Game

When Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles was lost for the season in Week 2, it left a black hole in the Chiefs' ground game.

KC has since gone to a running back-by-committee system where backups Jackie Battle, Thomas Jones and Dexter McCluster now get more touches.

So far, Battle has been the only one who has made much noise this year, as he had over 100 rushing yards against the Colts last week.

It really doesn't matter who gets the job done against Oakland this weekend, but someone needs to step up and give KC a solid weapon in the ground game, in order to open up things for QB Matt Cassel and the offense.

Limit Turnovers

The key to winning most games in the NFL is to limit your turnovers.

No team would know this any better than the Kansas City Chiefs so far this season.

Through their first three losses, they committed a host of turnovers during those contests. In their last two games, they have committed none and have come out on top in both contests.

They need to continue this if they want to come out of Oakland with a win in Week 7.