5 Oakland Raiders to watch versus Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14
By John Buhler
The Oakland Raiders will travel to Arrowhead to face their arch rival in the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14. Here are the five Raiders to watch in this game.
We have made it into the final quarter of the 2017 NFL season. The Oakland Raiders find themselves at 6-6 and in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC West. They will have to take on one of the teams they are tied with in the arch rival Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon.
Kansas City may hold on to the top spot in the AFC West by virtue of tie-breaking procedures, but the Chiefs have been awful of late. While the Raiders have gone 4-2 in their last six games, the Chiefs have lost six of their last seven. Their only win during that stretch was to the rancid Denver Broncos, losers of their last eight games.
Though it is on the road, this is a game that the Raiders will need to have if they want to win the AFC West. They would have completed the season sweep of Kansas City with a win over the Chiefs on Sunday in Arrowhead. Raider Nation would very much like to come out of a hostile road environment with a victory.
Oakland will need to play one of its best and most complete games on Sunday to win the ball game. Here are the five Raiders that need to have a big day to help the Silver and Black secure a seventh victory on the season in Week 14.
28. . Wide Receiver. Tennessee Volunteers. Cordarrelle Patterson. 5. player
Though the Raiders will have back at least Michael Crabtree for this game, possibly Amari Cooper, one guy that quarterback Derek Carr might need to lean on in the receiving corps on Sunday is the newcomer Cordarrelle Patterson.
Last week saw Patterson lead the team in receiving with nearly 100 yards. To be fair, most of that came on a big play late in the ball game. That being said, Patterson has proven to be a reliable gadget player for Raiders offensive coordinator Todd Downing this season. He is usually able to get at least one big play for Patterson in space in this game.
That weekly big play might be what ultimately sinks the Chiefs on Sunday. Do keep in mind that Kansas City has their own explosive playmaker in Tyreek Hill, who can absolutely fly. Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy call an excellent game for the Kansas City last week, albeit in a losing effort.
Overall, Patterson may need to do his best to keep pace with Hill on Sunday for the Raiders to win. If he can rattle off a big 40-yard gain and maybe find pay dirt in the process, Oakland stands a great chance to complete the season sweep of Kansas City in Arrowhead on Sunday afternoon.