Sin City Raiders

Although the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs have one of the most storied rivalries in all of sports, as a Raider fan I can admit that it has felt rather one-sided lately. The Raiders last win over their “Ronald McDonald”-looking rivals (as some fans on social media have called the Chiefs) came on October 11, 2020. However, you still play the games for a reason, and this “fanalyst” has a few reasons that this Sunday’s game could be like any given Sunday.

Victory-Cigar Mentality

The Raiders may come into this game with a 5-6 record and the old saying is you are what your record says you are. But as the Raiders changed the calendar from October to November, they cleaned house with the firing of Josh McDaniels and replaced him with Antonio Pierce; a players’ coach if I’ve ever seen one. The Raiders under Pierce are 2-1 and although the two wins were against New York’s Jets and Giants, the Raiders also went on the road and played the Miami Dolphins down to the wire.

In those wins over the Giants and Jets, the Raiders let loose in the locker room with celebratory “victory cigars.” The fact that they had the cigars readily available in the locker room after the game shows they went in with the expectation to win. Along with the cigars, when Pierce spoke to the team in a now-famous meeting while Josh McDaniels was still in charge, Pierce spoke of how the Giants team that he won a Super Bowl with had the belief they could win any game they went into. That “victory cigar” mentality is how the Raiders need to approach the Chiefs.

Just Run, Baby

To pull off the upset, the Raiders not only need to have victory cigars on standby, they also need to execute on the field. One of Pierce’s first acts as interim head coach was to end the honeymoon stage with Jimmy Garoppolo (if there even was one) and declare rookie Aidan O’Connell the starting quarterback. After last week’s loss in Miami, Pierce defended some conservative play-calling and decision-making as a means to protect the rookie quarterback. You know what really helps protect a quarterback? Running the football.

Last year, Jacobs averaged 4.9 yards-per-carry on his way to being the league’s rushing champion. His average this year has dropped to 3.3. Whether the problem is the offensive line, the play-calling or Jacobs himself, the Raiders better figure out how to get back to running the ball with the dominance that they did just a year ago.

Be Ready for a Defensive Battle

Yes, you read that right. While Patrick Mahomes has spent most of the last five years slinging the ball and leading Kansas City’s high-powered offense, 2023 has been a different story. The Chiefs are ranked at 14th in the NFL with 22.5 points per game. It is their defense that has been impressive; ranking at third in the NFL allowing 16.4 points per game. It is worth-noting that K.C. comes in with the sixth-best passing yards per game, but you don’t need me to tell you how great Mahomes is.

This same trend can be said for the Raiders. As a fan, I can’t remember the last time I saw the Raiders defense keep them competitive while the offense stalled. But that is the way it is this year. At 16.8, the offense is 26th in points per game while their defense ranks at 12th; allowing 20.5 points per game.

There you have it Raider Nation. The formula is to play solid defense (maybe force a turnover or two), run the ball (keep Mahomes off the field) and make sure you have your victory cigar ready.