The Raiders go into Sunday’s game against the Chiefs with a hot hand. They have three straight victories, are 4-1 and sitting atop the AFC West.
But standing in their way at O.co Coliseum will be Mr. Alex Smith and a lot of his friends.
Smith, the former 49ers quarterback, has been at his best vs. the Raiders during his career. He’s 7-1 against Oakland with 18 touchdown passes, just three interceptions and a quarterback rating of 106.1.
Plus, Smith and the Chiefs need a win Sunday afternoon to get back in the division race. At 2-2, Kansas City is coming off a bye week. Just before that, the Chiefs were steamrolled by the Steelers, 43-14. Kansas City has struggled on both offense and defense at times this year, but Smith believes it’s time to take things up a notch against an AFC West rival.
“It’s a big, big week,” Smith told reporters this week in Kansas City. “They’re all huge, but certainly this one is unique in that regard – just the history, the rivalry over the years – no question.”
The Chiefs offense has been up and down and ranks 21st in the league. But if it can get some momentum early, the Raiders defense – ranked last in the league – could give up points and turn this game into a shootout. If that’s the case, the game could hinge on which quarterback, Smith or Oakland’s Derek Carr, can be more effective late in the game.
Smith noted the Chiefs will need to convert third-down opportunities and keep the ball away from Oakland. When Kansas City does that, it generally wins. Since 2013, the Chiefs are 21-3 in games in which they have a better third-down conversion percentage rate than their opponent, reports BJ Kissel of Chiefs.com.
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A big plus for the Chiefs this week will be the return of top running back Jamaal Charles, who hardly played against Pittsburgh, but has had time to recover from an injury. He says he’s good to go. In past meetings, Charles has had big games against the Raiders.
The Raiders, meanwhile, look like they’ll have to go without No. 1 running back Latavius Murray, who also missed the last game vs. the Chargers. In his place, Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington will be the featured backs. Kansas City’s run defense hasn’t been good, allowing 129.5 yards per game.
Oddsmakers have made the Raiders 1½-point favorites for the game, scheduled for a 1:05 p.m. kickoff.
