Oakland Raiders: 5 takeaways from win over Kansas City Chiefs

By John Buhler | Oct 20, 2017

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 19: Michael Crabtree No. 15 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates with teammates after scoring on a two-yard touchdown catch against the Kansas City Chiefs to tie the game 30-30 with no time left in their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on October 19, 2017 in Oakland, California. The Raiders would win 31-30 on a Giorgio Tavecchio #2 extra point. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

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OAKLAND, CA – OCTOBER 19: NaVorro Bowman No. 53 of the Oakland Raiders reacts after a play against the Kansas City Chiefs during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on October 19, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Yes, NaVorro Bowman is going to work in the Raiders’ defense

When the Raiders signed former San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman, it did feel like a bit of an act of desperation. The Raiders needed a spark on defense to hopefully end that awful four-game slide.

While some were skeptical about the amount of production the Raiders would be getting out of a 29-year-old Bowman, he certainly delivered on Thursday Night Football this week. He had a game-best 11 tackles, six solo, one for a loss of yardage and a quarterback.

Though he was new to the Raiders defense, you could tell right away that he provided a level of energy and confidence the Raiders’ front-seven has been lacking. His sound play allowed the Raiders to get constant pressure on Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith all night long.

To come in and make a huge difference in a short week is remarkable. Bowman set the tone for the Raiders in the front-seven. You can see that it has alleviated somewhat of a burden at inside linebacker, allowing the edge players and defensive linemen to play more freely. It’ll be interesting to see how this defense grows with essentially a player-coach in Bowman on the field the rest of the way.

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