October 10, 2020
By Fred Liggett
FredL@lstribune.net
It’s Raiders week here in Kansas City and even with a late start to it due to a Monday night game this past week Chiefs fans are ready to see another edition of the long running AFC West rivalry. For the first time the Chiefs will be playing the Las Vegas Raiders after the franchise left Oakland at the end of the 2019 season. No matter where the Raiders call home from Los Angeles to Oakland to the current Las Vegas Chiefs fans love to see their favorite team win against this division rival.
The 2020 season has been good so far for the Chiefs who come in to this match up with a two-game lead in the AFC West Division only four weeks into the season. The Chiefs, 4-0, host the team in second place the Raiders now at 2-2. While most of the week’s headlines have dealt with COVID-19 tests and possible game postponements the Chiefs/Raiders on the field will provide plenty to talk about.
The Raiders have seen strong starts to the season from QB Derek Carr, Josh Jacobs and Darren Waller. The offense has proven to be tough to defend with Carr playing well in his contract year, Jacobs running between the tackles and Waller catching many of Carr’s passes. While the Raiders have been impressive on the offensive side of the ball they are coming to KC off from a loss to the Buffalo Bills. A number of injuries occurred in the game that may impact how well the playmakers play on Sunday afternoon. Away from the Field the Raiders put DL Mauirce Hurst on reserve/COVID-19 list.
The Chiefs hope for some sunny weather on Sunday to go along with their sunny disposition. Not only are the Chiefs perfect at 4-0 but have a new NFL record of four straight seasons starting at 4-0. The Chiefs AFC West Division dominance shows as they have won five straight against the Raiders. Their last meeting the Chiefs won easily 40-9.
The Raiders defense know all about Mahomes and the many choices he has to get the ball to for Chiefs to have success. What they haven’t faced yet is Chiefs first round pick RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Expect CEH to get more carries this week than he did against the Patriots and play a bigger role in the outcome of the game.
The Raiders have played in their empty new home in Las Vegas called Allegiant Stadium who are not allowing fans into games yet. This week they play in front of 17,000 fans at Arrowhead who according to CBS Sports “can sound like a lot more than that.” When this one ends they will be pretty loud after watching the Chiefs continue their winning streak and remain perfect in 2020 at 5-0. That’s What I REID Into It for this week.
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