For the first time this season the Raiders will take the field in primetime as they face the Chiefs at Arrowhead on Monday Night Football.
Just four games under each team’s belts coming in and they already are on opposite ends of the division and the NFL.
We expected the Chiefs to have something near their current 3-1 record. But more was expected of the Raiders than their 1-3 record thus far.
In my preseason predictions, I had the Raiders at 3-1 heading into this game. But two of the games they seemed on paper like they would win, they ended up losing.
They started out strong against the Cardinals only to collapse in the second half and lose in overtime. And the following week they gave up touchdowns on the first three drives to the Titans and couldn’t dig out of it.
It wasn’t until their meeting with the Broncos last week that the Raiders were able to put together a full game and get their first win of the season.
In that game, they showcased why more was expected of them coming into the season. They got the run game going, got Davante Adams the ball, and the defense showed up with several sacks and a turnover.
Now much is at stake for the Raiders tonight in Kansas City.
Most importantly, currently they sit squarely at the bottom of their division. Should they lose they would fall to 1-4, tied for the worst record in the NFL.
Should they win, they would head into the bye in the third slot in the division, ahead of the Broncos who they beat last week.
The pressure isn’t off the Chiefs. They will be looking to stay atop the AFC West and among the top teams in the league. They are only a half game ahead of the 3-2 Chargers. And with the Chargers owning a better conference record, should the Chiefs lose, the Chargers would move into the top spot in the division.
In just one game, suddenly the Chiefs and Raiders would go from opposite ends of the spectrum to one spot away from each other in the division, separated by one game.
The stakes for each team may not matter in terms of how well they perform. We’re still talking about Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid and the league’s best run defense at deafening Arrowhead. But the Raiders absolutely need to lay it all on the line.
I can’t think of a bigger accomplishment for the Raiders this season than if they could pull off this win. It would do wonders for their confidence heading into the bye and for their remaining 12 games this season.
And they need to let it rip and pull out all the stops to try and make it happen. They may just discover a few things about themselves along the way. The alternative is a demoralizing loss and a digging a hole so deep they may not be able to dig out.