5 Oakland Raiders to watch versus Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14
By John Buhler
Throughout his four-year NFL career, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has struggled with one team more than other. That would be Kansas City. Carr was awful in the two losses to the Chiefs last year, especially on Thursday Night Football in Kansas City. That being said, he might have had best game with the Raiders in Oakland on Thursday Night Football this year.
With the can’t beat the Chiefs monkey of his back, Carr has a chance to prove he’s the best quarterback in this division on Sunday. He will have to outperform Alex Smith and an inconsistent Chiefs offense to get that victory on the road in Week 14. With the way that the Chiefs are playing, that’s not out of the realm of possibility by any capacity.
The go-to stat for the Raiders this season has been if Carr averages 8.0 yards per attempt in his starts. When he does, the Silver and Black are 6-0. Should he fall short of that threshold, Oakland is 0-5. This is far from a great Chiefs defense, so there is no excuse for Carr not to go to work through the air in this game.
Overall, the Raiders are not going to win this game if Carr doesn’t play well. The Raiders might have found balance on offense with Marshawn Lynch pounding the rock, but this Oakland defense will give up points to anybody. Carr will have to once again let it rip if the Raiders want to win on Sunday in Arrowhead.