3 battles the Raiders must win against the Chiefs in 2022 Week 18
By Brad Weiss
If the Las Vegas Raiders hope to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18, these are the three battles they must win along the way.
The final countdown has begun on the 2022 Las Vegas Raiders, a team that will be remembered for blowing big leads, and a season that will be remembered as Derek Carr’s last in the Silver and Black. In Week 18, Las Vegas wraps up this roller coaster of a season against a hated rival in the Kansas City Chiefs, a team that has once again been one of the best in the entire NFL.
To beat the Chiefs on Saturday, they must win these three battles.
3 battles the Raiders must win against the Chiefs in 2022 Week 18
Chiefs edge rushers vs Raiders OTs
There is no big secret that the Raiders’ offensive line has struggled at times this season, but they have banded together and were recently ranked in the top 12 in the NFL. That is a testament to the coaching, and some of the younger players really stepping up, something that will be crucial once again on Saturday.
Kansas City has a strong pass rush, led by the likes of Frank Clark and rookie George Karlaftis, and they will be looking to get after Jarrett Stidham all game long. They know Stidham is making his second-ever NFL start, so forcing him into mistakes has to be priority No. 1 for them.
Raiders secondary vs Patrick Mahomes
The Raiders will be taking on a future Hall of Famer in quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Saturday, and this will be their biggest test of the season. The secondary has been up and down all season long, so winning the battle against Mahomes seems like a very unlikely scenario.
However, we have seen some great play as of late from Amik Robertson, though guys like Nate Hobbs and Tre’Von Moehrig have had underwhelming seasons. If Mahomes gets it rolling against this Las Vegas secondary, we could be in for a long afternoon.
The time of possession game
The only way to stop Patrick Mahomes and this Chiefs offense is to make sure Mahomes is standing on the sidelines, and you do so by controlling the clock. Las Vegas needs to control the time of possession battle in this one, orchestrating long drives that focus on the run game, and smart passing from Stidham.
Now, Las Vegas could win the time of possession and still get blown out if they give up some quick strikes to Mahomes and company, so keep an eye on that. However, if Josh McDaniels has a solid game plan to actually eat clock on offense, Las Vegas could keep this closer than the experts think.