Not to say that the Raiders have been bad up front, but the offensive line isn’t as dominating as it was last year. It’s still pretty good, but this is a game where left guard Kelechi Osemele needs to get back to Pro Bowl form.
He will be going up against two strong defensive interior players in Chris Jones and Bennie Logan. Jones’ rise to prominence allowed the Chiefs to feel comfortable with letting Dontari Poe walk in free agency. Logan has fit in quite nicely with Kansas City since coming over from the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason.
Once again, the left side of Oakland’s offensive line is more dominant than the right this season. Not to say that Marshall Newhouse has been terrible at right tackle, but Gabe Jackson hasn’t been good at right guard at all.
Oakland needs to come out and punch the Chiefs’ front-seven in the mouth with cohesive play from the offensive line. If the Raiders can get the ground game going early, maybe it will open up the pass? Osemele has a tough game ahead of him, but he’s one of the best in the league at what he does.