Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders: 3 matchups to watch
Gareon Conley vs. Tyreek Hill
You’ve got fast, then very fast and then you have Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill. And that speed has helped make him into the most explosive playmaker in the NFL. Hill currently leads the league in plays of 20+ yards (22) and 40+ yards (6), meaning he is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball.
And now Hill is facing a Raiders defense that has fallen victim to multiple big plays and is worst in the league at allowing plays of 40+ yards. So the Raiders desperately need someone in this secondary to step up and contain Hill otherwise he and Patrick Mahomes could put this game out of reach quickly.
Athleticism is not something this Raiders defense has much of, but one player that does have elite athleticism is cornerback Gareon Conley.
Since the coaching staff came to their senses and began playing him more, Conley has flashed a lot of the same talent that made him a first-round pick two years ago.
Raiders 2017 first-round CB Gareon Conley ranks sixth in the NFL with a 66.1 passer rating allowed when targeted among 119 cornerbacks that have played 100+ snaps in coverage this season, according to @PFF.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) November 26, 2018
Conley is the only player in the Raiders secondary who has even a chance at keeping up with Hill and he’ll definitely get tested on Sunday.