Oakland Raiders: 5 keys to victory vs. Kansas City Chiefs

By John Buhler | Oct 19, 2017

KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 8: Defensive end Khalil Mack No. 52 of the Oakland Raiders reaches out to strip the ball from quarterback Alex Smith No. 11 of the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium during the third quarter of the game on December 8, 2016 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

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KANSAS CITY, MO – DECEMBER 8: Tackle Eric Fisher No. 72 of the Kansas City Chiefs stops defensive end Khalil Mack No. 52 of the Oakland Raiders from recovering a caused fumble at Arrowhead Stadium during the game on December 8, 2016 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

Win the turnover battle, period

It’s time. Let’s get an interception in this game. Oakland is the only team in the NFL that does not have a pick on the year. The Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins got their first interceptions back in Week 6. Oakland needs to win the turnover battle to win the game, period.

Andy Reid will have a strong game plan that his attentive players will try their best to execute to perfection. Kansas City is one of the rare teams in the NFL that doesn’t beat itself routinely. We might get the occasional game management botch job out of Reid, but he has a great staff backing him up to get the job done.

That being said, Oakland does play with a physical nature in the pass rush and to some degree in run defense. The Raiders’ front-seven is improving and could gain confidence with a ball jarred loose or a timely interception.

Oakland does not have the roster right now to hang tough in a shootout. The Raiders are averaging a terrible 13.25 points per game in their four defeats. It’s been a long time since the Silver and Black put up 45 on the New York Jets. Winning the turnover battle only helps the Raiders’ cause in this game.

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