Getty Jon Gruden of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Since Jon Gruden returned to the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs and Andy Reid have had his number. The Las Vegas Raiders are 0-4 against the Chiefs over the last two seasons. If the team hopes to win the AFC West anytime soon, that needs to change.
A big problem the Raiders have had against Kansas City is that they have a minus-9 turnover differential over the last four games. Head coach Jon Gruden knows that needs to change.
“We can’t turn the ball over,” Gruden said. “If you look at the turnover ratio in the four games since I’ve been back coaching against Kansas City, it’s almost embarrassing.”
Quarterback Derek Carr has thrown six interceptions in those four losses which isn’t in character for him. Four of his eight interceptions on the season last year came against the Chiefs. The Raiders’ defense doesn’t create many turnovers so the offense needs to be better about limiting the mistakes. Kansas City is already good enough without the extra help.
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Gruden Praises Chiefs Defense
Everybody knows that the Chiefs have one of the best offenses in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes is arguably the best quarterback around and he’s surrounded by strong weapons. What held the team back in the past was their lackluster defense. However, in the second half of last season and the beginning of this year, their defense has been really good.
“They take the ball away. They blitz you. They come from everywhere,” Gruden said. “They’ve been real stingy with everything I’ve seen.”
Gruden credits defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo for their success.
“I give Spagnuolo, the defensive coordinator, a ton of credit. You have no idea what he’s going to come up with next,” Gruden said. “It’s a great scheme. It’s very diverse. Tyrann Mathieu is one of the guys that really makes it go.”
The Chiefs defense has really given the Raiders problems in the past and they’re even better now. However, their offense has gotten a lot better. With it looking like Henry Ruggs and Trent Brown are going to play, it’ll be interesting to see if they can put up some points on the strong defense.
Andy Reid Talks Raiders
Though the Chiefs have dominated the rivalry with the Raiders for almost a decade, Andy Reid knows that they’re always going to have a fight on their hands.
“It’s kind of fun, the competition part of it,” Reid said, via News Press Now. “I think they’re playing really good football right now and very strong. They’re going to bring it for four quarters and that’s how they roll.”
Derek Carr made it clear that the two teams don’t like each other and they shouldn’t. They’ve been archrivals for decades. The Chiefs never pull any punches when they’re playing the Raiders but they’ll be in for a tough matchup. Las Vegas is better this year and could surprise Kansas City.
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Raiders’ Jon Gruden on Chiefs Stats: ‘It’s Almost Embarrassing’