The Las Vegas Raiders ended their four-game skid with a 20-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans on October 12 at Allegiant Stadium. The win, coming against one of the NFL’s weakest teams, couldn’t have been more timely with the Kansas City Chiefs waiting in Week 7.
Kansas City may not look quite as dominant as in past years, but they’re still a dangerous opponent. That’s why the Silver and Black needed to build positive momentum heading into this contest.
Moreover, the Raiders will hope their defense can replicate their Week 6 performance against the Chiefs. Ahead of the Week 7 game, Raiders head coach Pete Carroll expressed how important it is to ensure that quarterback Patrick Mahomes is a non-factor in the game.
“It’s a real team effort,” Carroll said on the October 14 edition of “1 on 1.” “There’s no one way to do it. He’s just looking for where you give him a little crease, and he’s gone, you know? He looks quick to throw the football, but if it ain’t there, he’s going. And he knows there’s a whole other dimension to his game once he gets on the move — not just running, but of course throwing.
“He’s running for more yards probably than he ever has. He’s really on fire. I think he’s the leading rusher at this time, which is enormous for this deep end of the season. So, we have to account for him in many opportunities to keep him from owning the football game.”
Pete Carroll Talks Raiders Facing Chiefs
After the win over the Titans, Carroll stated the importance of facing Kansas City coming off a win rather than a 1-5 record.
“It’s always really valuable,“ Carroll told reporters on October 13. “I mean, yeah, it’s positive and it feels good and all that. It happens to be Kansas City that’s next, you know, and so we’ll do everything we can to prepare and come off this game clear-minded and really drilled into the challenge that they bring.
“It’s a tremendous program that Andy’s been running for a long time, and we’re going to have to play really well to have a chance, but if we prepare well, we’ll have a chance, and that’s all we could ask for.”
Maxx Crosby and Raiders’ Defense Will Need to Step Up
Raiders star Maxx Crosby notched two sacks in the win over Tennessee. After the October 12 victory, the veteran spoke with reporters about the defensive line’s strong showing, and it’s clear that kind of performance will need to be repeated to contain Mahomes.
“Yeah, it’s awesome,“ Crosby told reporters. “You know the standard we set for ourselves in that room is top tier. Love those guys, man. We have a ton of young guys and guys proving themselves, with a ton of energy. It’s a blessing being able to go to work with them every day.”
It will be interesting to see if Crosby and Co. can replicate that defensive effort and help the Raiders get closer to a .500 record.
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