5 Oakland Raiders to watch vs. Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7
By John Buhler
. Outside Linebacker. West Virginia Mountaineers. Bruce Irvin. 2. player. 28
Ever since that Denver Broncos game in Week 4, pass rusher Bruce Irvin has found it with the Raiders. After three miserable games out of the gate, Irvin has emerged as the complementary piece the Raiders need opposite of Khalil Mack in the pass rush.
The Chiefs have two solid offensive tackles in Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz. Schwartz might be the better of the two players at right tackle. He will have to do his best to contain Mack on the edge. That means it’s time for Irvin to make his mark on the former No. 1 overall pick out of Central Michigan in Fisher.
In the last year or so, Fisher has played well enough to merit being such a high draft pick. Let’s be real. The 2013 NFL Draft had some terrible first-round picks. At least Fisher has been somewhat solid. Irvin is playing with a great deal of confidence right now. He should be able to beat Fisher on a few snaps.
The best thing the Raiders can do on Thursday is to get the crowd back into it. Oakland is not getting it done on offense, but the pass rush has been the most consistent part of the team so far. Mack dominated in the first three weeks, while Irvin has risen to the occasion in recent weeks. Look for Irvin to have a big sack on Alex Smith this week.