Getty Oakland Raiders RB Josh Jacobs.
The Oakland Raiders are 5-4 and have the second-easiest remaining schedule in the NFL. Nobody saw it coming, but the team has a real shot at winning the AFC West title. If not, they also could easily get a Wild Card spot. Oakland seems to be on a roll and could enter the massive second game versus the Kansas City Chiefs at 7-4. That Week 13 matchup could be what decides the fate of the AFC West in 2019.
Former pro bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall went on NFL Network’s NFL Total Access and got bold with what he expects from his former team.
“How do you see [the Chiefs] beating up on the Raiders if they can’t stop the run?” said Hall about the prediction that the Chiefs will beat the Raiders on December 1st. “That’s all [the Raiders] do is run the ball.
Hall backpedaled and picked the Chiefs to beat the Raiders, but does believe that the latter could pull off the win.
“Some of the explosive playmakers have might give the Raiders some trouble,” said Hall.
Though he did pick the Chiefs to beat the Raiders, he went on to predict Oakland to win every other game and end the season 11-5. He also added that he could easily see the Raiders getting to 12-4, but doesn’t see how the Chiefs can make that happen. An 11-5 record would almost certainly mean a playoff berth for Oakland. However, beating the Chiefs to win the division would be so much sweeter.
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Raiders Have Struggled in Arrowhead
Since the Raiders won six straight games in Kansas City from 2007 to 2012, they have lost six in a row. Derek Carr has been very bad in Arrowhead Stadium and has never won a game there. He is 0-5 and has only thrown three touchdowns to five interceptions. Why Carr has been so mediocre in that stadium seems to defy logic. The only thing that would make sense is that Kansas City gets some very cold winters and the Raiders usually play them in December or early January. It will probably be cold once again when they play on December 1st.
How the Raiders Can Break Their Losing Streak
There’s one thing the Raiders haven’t had in their past six games in Kansas City and that thing is Josh Jacobs. When the elements are against you, it’s time to rely on the run game and Oakland has a massive running back advantage over the Chiefs. The Raiders are 5-1 when Jacobs rushes the ball more than 15 times. He needs to get looked at early and often if they are going to win this game.
What also works in the Raiders’ favor is that the Chiefs have a bad run defense. They are allowing 148.1 rushing yards per game, which is second-worst in the NFL. Jacobs only carried the ball 12 times in their first matchup and the Raiders lost in a blowout. The rookie needs to rush the ball at least 25 times in this matchup. Carr has looked very good this season, especially in clutch situations. However, he hasn’t proven that he can win in Arrowhead. Put the game in Jacobs’ hand and the Raiders could be in a really good spot to win the AFC West for the first time since 2002.
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