The Las Vegas Raiders begin Week 5 of the NFL season with an extra day of rest as they face another AFC West opponent in consecutive weeks with the Kansas City Chiefs on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Oct. 10 for Monday Night Football.
Las Vegas, who recorded its first victory of the season last week and the first of head coach Josh McDaniels’ tenure with the Raiders, is looking to stack on what they did a week ago against the Denver Broncos.
Here are five things to watch on Monday.
Stay focused for 60 minutes
This game will be a test for the Silver and Black going up against a team who has made the AFC Championship game the last four years.
Winning against the Broncos gave them motivation, but it was also a stepping stone heading into this week, taking on a team that went to two Super Bowls and won one.
“We’ve got to play four quarters of football every time we go out there. It’s not half and half. I feel like we did a better job last game, but it was still far from where we expect to be.”
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby on putting forth a complete effort
That means the Raiders are going to need to play the best they can if this team wants to get the victory in primetime to close out this week of football.
Las Vegas cannot commit penalties that are going to inflict them, turn the ball over, or be out of position.
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Las Vegas Raiders need to score in the red zone
Another key for the Raiders to secure a primetime victory is their ability to score from inside the 20-yard line.
The red zone scoring will be vital in order for Las Vegas to execute the conclusion of drives and cash in for seven points.
On red zone drives this season, the Raiders are 8-for-18, which ranks 28th in the NFL. Las Vegas has scored two touchdowns in each of its four games on drives that end inside the 20-yard line.
Wide receiver Davante Adams said scoring touchdowns in the red zone comes down to the offense’s ability to complete the play, through the air or on the ground for six points and the ensuing extra point.
“It’s getting a good call and then being able to execute in the moment. You obviously are given different looks you can only practice for what you think they are going to do. And then being able to adjust on the fly, seeing what they’re doing and attack whatever coverage it is that they’re doing.”
Raiders receiver Davante Adams on getting it done in the redzone
“If it’s a run play, same thing. Guys have to know who to block and be able to reach and be able to take care of your business. It comes down to being locked in and knowing your assignment and being disciplined enough to go execute it,” Adams said.
Being able to get the ball into the end zone is going to be crucial for the offense, especially with the defense going up against a high-powered Kansas City offense.
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Raiders have to contain Patrick Mahomes
Speaking of the defense, that will be one of the challenges for the Raiders, especially when they will have to defend Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his flurry of weapons.
Raiders safety and 10-year veteran Duron Harmon said going up against a player like Mahomes is like going up against one of the best play callers in the game, including Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen because of their abilities.
“He’s different. I think the only one who can compare is Josh Allen. His feet, being able to scramble and run, but more importantly, when they scramble, they are looking to make plays with their arms at the same time.”
Raiders 10-year veteran safety Duron Harmon on challenges of defending Patrick Mahomes
Amongst quarterbacks this season, Mahomes ranks sixth in passing with 1,106 yards and is tied for first place with 11 touchdowns.
With the way head coach Andy Reid schemes this offense in 2022 without wide receiver Tyreek Hill, he is finding ways for multiple receivers to catch the ball, in addition to tight end Travis Kelce and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Edwards-Helaire, who has two rushing touchdowns, leads the team with three receiving touchdowns this season.
The receiving corps is led by Juju Smith-Schuster, followed by Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The Raiders have to keep track of all of Mahomes’ options as the 27-year-old Chiefs quarterback has completed at least one pass to 11 players.
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Chandler Jones needs to keep doing what he’s doing
One player to watch this week on the Raiders’ defense is defensive end Chandler Jones, especially if his partner Maxx Crosby is unavailable due to the birth of his first child.
Despite not recording his first sack in a Raiders uniform yet, Jones has been effective in games even without recording sacks and tackles for loss.
Although fans might not want to hear it from McDaniels, he said Jones is doing the little things that lead to other players recording quarterback hits and sacks.
“He’s making a lot of plays that don’t show up (in the box score). He’s making plays in the running game, drew multiple holding penalties yesterday. There are ways to produce and ways to impact the game beyond just the one column that everybody’s looking for.”
Coach Josh McDaniels on Chandler Jones doing the little things on game day
Jones might be the one who is getting the attention of two opposing linemen, leading to someone like Crosby or defensive tackle Bilal Nichols to record the sack or a tackle behind the line of scrimmage
Those unselfish plays are what’s going to be vital on Sunday, as Jones is not a one-man wrecking crew in a sport that involves 11 players on one side of the football field.
Jones is like the Davante Adams of the defense because of how much attention he is getting, attracting multiple defenders, which opens up other players to get the production.
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Raiders have to keep running the ball
Last week against the Broncos, the Raiders took a different approach by running the ball to get in the win column for the first time this year. Running back Josh Jacobs carried the ball 28 times for a career-high 144 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s 32-23 victory on Sunday.
The running game, led by Jacobs, has to continue this week in order to keep the offense on the field for long drives and seven points.
“In any offense, the running game is the heartbeat of the offense. It gets everything going. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of weapons on the outside. Defenses keep scheming and drop back into coverage and take that away. When they do, we have to be able to run it right at them and leave our mark on that.”
Raiders running back Josh Jacobs on how vital establishing the run can be
If the Raiders running game finds success on Monday, it will complement other parts of the offense and open up the opportunities for quarterback Derek Carr to find tight end Darren Waller and wide receivers Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow, as long as the latter is active. Renfrow returned to practice earlier this week and has been working his way back to game action since suffering a concussion against Arizona.
If Jacobs is able to gain a lot of yards, that means the offensive line is doing its job to block and open up gaps for Jacobs as well as Brandon Bolden, Ameer Abdullah, and rookie Zamir White.
The Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs kickoff at 5:15 p.m. PT on Monday night.
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