Raiders Play A Complete 60 Minutes Pivotal Game Against The Chiefs…
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For almost ten years, defensive coordinators have been attempting to provide an answer to this question.
Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, has proven to be among the greatest players of his position in history. He leads his team in receiving yards and catches this season and is currently fourth all-time among tight ends in those categories.
He is still the Raiders’ main workhorse receiver and a headache even in his eleventh NFL season. He has 11 career touchdowns against the Silver and Black, with career averages of five catches and almost 73 receiving yards per game.
So how do you stop Travis Kelce?
“Slow him down,” answered Amik Robertson. “You’ve got to put some good guys on him, some long guys on him. Hopefully the game plan we have for him, we’ll be able to slow him down.”
“On the offensive side, I want to see more of the creative plays.”
Two plays in particular last Thursday against the Chargers point toward the offense maybe getting a little more funky.
Interim offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree coached the Week 15 game from the booth, cooking up a scheme that resulted in 49 points scored by the offense. Two touchdowns came in surprising fashion, one being a 26-yard rush from Brandon Boldenlined up in wildcat formation. In the next quarter, receiver Jakobi Meyers fooled the defense in what initially looked like a screen play for a 3-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams.
Play-calling from the booth: “The differences, obviously you can see the full field,” remarked Hardegree. As a play-caller, it’s critical to have immediate feedback because you can see it fairly quickly. That was undoubtedly advantageous. I noticed faster communication and adjustments. Undoubtedly, it was an alternative viewpoint since you’re essentially seated in a sound-proof box. It was undoubtedly a change, and it was in our best interests.”
Considering how impressive the Chiefs defense has been this season, creativity and execution seem to be the main themes for the Raiders offense.
Maisyne Frazier from Washington said:
“I need to see a consistent first half from the offense and better halftime adjustments.”
Something Antonio Pierce has preached to this team is “winning stamina.”
It’s something that he describes as the will to win for 60 minutes, and keeping the “foot on the gas” throughout the entirety of the game. This is a crucial concept for the Silver and Black going up against this specific opponent.
Last season, the Raiders took a 17-0 lead in Arrowhead Stadium before losing the game by one point. A few weeks ago they had another two-score lead, but ultimately the Chiefs came back and won, 31-17.
Pierce stated on Wednesday morning, “You have to be at your best and you’ve got to do a little bit more to beat the world champions.” “That’s not exceeding X’s and O’s; it’s not acting in an unusual manner. It’s reading your keys, and there will be a certain element of suspense, but more than anything, I think it’s crucial for the Raiders as a unit to decide when enough is enough. We’ve been ahead 17-0 and 14-0 in the first quarter of two of our three games, so if you can pull that off in the first half, that’s something we as coaches and players have to work hard to accomplish for 60 minutes.”
The Raiders won’t necessarily have trouble getting off to a quick start in the game, but they must finish strong and build on their momentum. They hope that their ability to do so will translate to Kansas City after they demonstrated it against the Chargers.