Oakland Raiders: 5 matchups to watch vs. Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14
By John Buhler
The Oakland Raiders will have to play their arch rival in the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Here are the five man-on-man matchups that have our intrigue.
This is a huge game for both teams. The Kansas City Chiefs (6-6) will host the Oakland Raiders (6-6) on Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 14. Kansas City, Oakland and the Los Angeles Chargers (6-6) all sit at .500 and atop the AFC West standings with four weeks left.
Oakland has to play both rivals one more time on the road. While the Raiders beat Kansas City on Thursday Night Football back in Week 7, they had lost at home to the Chargers are week prior on a last-second field goal by Nick Novak. However, a win over the Chiefs on Sunday would give the Raiders the crucial season sweep of Kansas City.
Though it was a one-point victory over the Chiefs nearly two months ago, the Raiders and the Chiefs have gone in totally different directions since that incredible ball game back at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. While the Raiders have gone 4-2 in their last six games, the Chiefs have cratered, going 1-6 in their last seven games. Keep in mind that the Chiefs started the year out 5-0 as the league’s last undefeated team.
Even though the Chiefs are struggling of late, they still have some very good players on their team. It creates several interesting matchups for us to watch on Sunday. Here are the five best man-on-man matchups to watch this week when the Raiders take on the Chiefs in Arrowhead.
Bruce Irvin vs. Eric Fisher
Bruce Irvin has played some great ball the last four games. He has 15 tackles (three assists) and 3.5 quarterback sacks since the Sunday Night Football game versus the Miami Dolphins in Week 9. Irvin now has 5.5 quarterback sacks on the year. He has taken advantage of bad left tackle play to get most of those quarterback takedowns.
However, it will not be as easy for him this week. Irvin will be matched up across from former No. 1 overall pick by the Chiefs in the 2013 NFL Draft in Eric Fisher. Though Fisher has not been the left tackle stalwart Kansas City thought it was getting out of Central Michigan, Fisher has been at the very worst a serviceable NFL left tackle.
This means Irvin won’t be going up against a giant man imitating a turnstile. Fisher is more than capable of contain Irvin if he is not relentless in his pass-rushing pursuit. Trying to bring down Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith is always difficult. He has an elite pair of wheels that allows him to make plays in an and around the pocket.
That being said, it may not matter who Irvin is going up against in this game with the way he has been generating pressure of late. He and defensive ends Khalil Mack and Denico Autry have played very well of late in the pass rush. Look for Irvin and Fisher to compete all afternoon.