5 Oakland Raiders to watch versus Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14

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OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 03: Orleans Darkwa No. 26 of the New York Giants is tackled by Bruce Irvin No. 51 of the Oakland Raiders during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 3, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

3. player. 28. . Outside Linebacker. West Virginia Mountaineers. Bruce Irvin

Bruce Irvin has been playing very well of late. He has had sacks in the last two games for the Raiders. His ability to get after the passer against the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants were crucial in the Raiders getting their last two victories.

However, Irvin totally took advantage of bad offensive line play at left tackle in both of those games. He will have to go up against a former No. 1 overall draft pick in Eric Fisher on Sunday. Fisher has been at least serviceable in Kansas City this season, meaning he will not be a turnstile for Irvin to run past. He will have to work for his sacks on Sunday should he want to get them.

Let’s also keep in mind that Alex Smith is one of the most mobile quarterbacks in football. Bringing him down is never easy, as he will make defenders miss with this legs and juking ability. Irvin has to be relentless in his pursuit of the quarterback. Sacking Smith would be a great indicator of how Irvin will play down the stretch.

This is not a backup quarterback Irvin will be trying to take to the turf. That is unless Chiefs head coach Andy Reid pulls the rug out from under Smith and puts in rookie Patrick Mahomes II. In that case, yes, Irvin would be asked to bring down yet another backup quarterback in consecutive weeks. If he does sack Smith a few times, maybe Reid will have no choice but to put the raw Mahomes in there?

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