On Monday, the Raiders travel to Kansas City for an AFC West matchup on Christmas Day.
Injury report: Coach Andy Reid set to welcome Skyy More before…
RAIDERS PLAYER TO WATCH: Last week against the Chargers, running back Zamir White ran for 69 yards and scored his first touchdown of the season, stepping in well for Josh Jacobs, who was sidelined with a quad injury. White could have to assist the Raiders in setting the offensive tone because the Chiefs are far superior defending the pass than the run.
CHIEFS PLAYER TO WATCH: Isiah Pacheco, the running back, is expected to make a comeback this week after missing two games due to a “cleanup” treatment on his injured shoulder. Prior to the injury, he had just finished his best game of the year, rushing 18 times for 110 yards and a touchdown against Green Bay. This season, Pacheco is averaging 4.4 yards per rush; in the two games he missed, the Chiefs managed 3.2 yards per attempt.
ESSENTIAL MATCHUP: In their November meeting with Kansas City, Raiders wide outs Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers performed admirably. Meyers had six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown, while Adams had five for 73 yards. To relieve some of the pressure on rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, they must play equally important games against one of the top pass defenses in the football league.
A major injury: raiders RB On Wednesday, Josh Jacobs (quadriceps) did not practice, and LT Although interim coach Antoine Pierce stated he anticipated both to play, Kolton Miller (shoulder) was limited. DE Although Maxx Crosby (knee) did not practice, he has not missed any games, so this is not unusual. TE G. and Michael Mayer (toe) Dylan Parham was unable to practice due to sickness. CB Despite missing the entire season due to a shin injury, Brandon Facyson (just activated off injured reserve) participated fully. Chiefs LB Nick Bolton is expected to play on Monday after missing practice due to illness. RB This week, Jerick McKinnon (groin) and wide receiver Kadarius Toney (hip) were also out from practice.
SERIES NOTES: Since the Raiders defeated the Chiefs on October 11, 2020, the Chiefs have defeated Las Vegas six times in a row. In a series that began on September 16, 1960, when the newly established AFC teams were known as the Dallas Texans and the Oakland Raiders, they had also won 11 of the previous 12 games. Since October 28, 2012, the Raiders have only triumphed once in Kansas City.
DATA AND STUFF: If the Chiefs defeat the Raiders or draw with them and Denver falls to the Patriots on Christmas Eve, they will have secured the AFC West title for the ninth time in a row. 63 points scored by the Raiders in their victory over the Chargers last week set a franchise record. Additionally, their 42 points in the first half set a franchise record. Nine touchdowns were scored by eight different Raiders against the Chargers. This season, Adams has 84 receptions for 968 yards and five touchdowns. His six consecutive seasons with 80 catches are the second-longest active run in NFL history. … Against the Chargers, the Raiders had five interceptions, including touchdowns from Jack Jones’ pick-6 and John Jenkins’ fumble return. … Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes needs four touchdown passes to surpass Dan Marino’s record of 220 held by a player in his first seven years of play. Marino played in 103 games to accomplish his total, whereas Mahomes played in 94. … To tie Matt Ryan (110) games for the second-most passing yards by a player in his first seven years, Mahomes needs to gain 223 yards. The record is 29,442 yards in 112 games by Peyton Manning. … RB Jerick McKinnon of the Chiefs scored his first touchdown throw at New England last week. He also caught a touchdown pass, making him only the second Chiefs player to do it in the same game after Curtis McClinton in 1963 and Tyler Thigpen in 2008. WR Rashee Rice broke the rookie record for the Chiefs last week against the Patriots with his sixth touchdown catch. To surpass Dwayne Bowe’s 2007 rookie record of 70 receptions, he needs to make three catches. This season, 15 Chiefs players have received at least one half-sack; this is two shy of the club record set in 2022.
FANTASY TIP: Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs is no longer a must-start in fantasy leagues, despite what may seem impossible to believe. He is going through one of his worst seasons as a professional, mostly due to subpar wide receiver play but also to some puzzling errors and mistakes on his own part. Considering that the Raiders are 11th in the league against the pass, it might be prudent to explore other options.
