The Oakland Raiders have a huge game on Sunday against the division rival Kansas City Chiefs. Here are the five keys to victory for the Silver and Black.
We’ve made it into the final four weeks of the 2017 NFL season. Though it has been a down year for the division to say the least, the Oakland Raiders (6-6) are in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC West. They will take on their arch rival in the Kansas City Chiefs (6-6) on the road this weekend.
To be fair, pretty much every game since Week 7’s home victory over Kansas City on Thursday Night Football has had a must-win label for the Raiders. However, this one feels different. It’s against Oakland’s biggest enemy and it is on their turf.
By beating Kansas City at Arrowhead, the Raiders will have completed the season sweep of the Chiefs. That could prove to be so crucial when it comes down to the division at regular season’s end. The Raiders haven’t swept Kansas City since 2012 and haven’t won the AFC West since 2002. Could this be the year?
Though the Raiders still have a few difficult games left on the slate, including the Los Angeles Chargers (6-6) at the StubHub Center in Week 17, a win over Kansas City would improve Oakland’s playoff chances greatly. Here are five keys to victory for the Silver and Black on Sunday versus the Chiefs.
Don’t take the foot off the gas for one second. Kansas City is desperate.
This will be one of those games that the Raiders will have to play a full 60 minutes. Winning on the road in Arrowhead is always hard, but doing so against an incredibly desperate Chiefs team makes it all the more tricky.
While Oakland has won four of its last six games, the Chiefs are in a complete tailspin since their impressive 5-0 start. Kansas City has lost six of seven games to fall back to .500 at 6-6. The only team that the Chiefs have beaten in the last two months is the putrid Denver Broncos (3-9), losers of their last eight games.
At this time, Oakland looks to be the better team over Kansas City. The Raiders may view the Chargers as the biggest threat in the AFC West going forward, but there is no reason for Oakland to take its foot off the gas for a second. If the Chiefs are going to figure it out for one week, it will be on Sunday, even if the team is in complete disarray.
Keep in mind that this is an early start time for the Raiders. While it is a division rival, it will be 10:00 a.m. PT at kickoff from Arrowhead on Sunday. Oakland can’t snooze through the first few possessions, or quarters, to have any chance of completing the season sweep of the Chiefs. The Raiders control their own destiny. A win over Kansas City in Arrowhead could be the spark that gives Oakland momentum heading into the playoffs.