The Las Vegas Raiders will take on their bitter rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, later this afternoon, hoping to snap a seven-game skid and get revenge.
The Raiders lost to the Chiefs earlier this season, 27-20. Coach Antonio Pierce’s team has not won a game since the middle of September.
The combination of playing a hated rival and the urgency to get back into the win column could cause this game to look different. The Chiefs are 10-1, but they have not played their best football in 2024.
However, the Raiders have not played good football much this year, and one of their biggest problems has been turning the ball over too often.
The Raiders lead the NFL in turnovers with 22 and have just five takeaways. That’s a turnover differential of -17, the worst in the league.
Against an excellent Chiefs defense that ranks fourth in the NFL in total defense (300.8 yards allowed per game), that is unacceptable.
The Chiefs have scored five touchdowns and kicked two field goals off their nine turnovers this season. If the Raiders give the ball back to Kansas City, the Chiefs will likely put points on the board.
Aidan O’Connell steps into the starting role after returning from a broken thumb that sidelined him for over a month. Gardner Minshew II, who started the Raiders’ last game against the Chiefs and played well, is out for the rest of the season with a broken collarbone.
O’Connell has done a nice job of protecting the football in his career. He threw seven interceptions in his rookie season but none over the final four games. He has two in limited action this season against two of the top defenses in the league.
O’Connell may be a bit rusty after not playing for a month, especially after suffering a broken thumb on his throwing hand. Chiefs’ Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will have a game plan ready for O’Connell, so his re-adjustment period will be short.
The Raiders desperately want to win this game. They have gotten in their own way far too often this season by turning the ball over, something they cannot do if they want to have any chance to pull an upset on Black Friday.
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