The Raiders try to save their season Monday night when they face the undefeated Chiefs at Network Associates Coliseum. An Oakland loss would drop the three-time defending AFC West champs five games behind Kansas City and leave the Raiders with a 2-4 conference record. The Chiefs are aiming for their first 7-0 start in franchise history.
The Raiders and Chiefs were first and second in total offense last year, but the teams could not be more different this season. The Chiefs completed a 17- point fourth-quarter comeback in Green Bay last week with an overtime victory, while Raiders continue to struggle in just about every facet of the game.
Rich Gannon, the reigning league MVP, threw for less than 200 yards last week for the fourth time this season. The Raiders committed 19 penalties in their 13-7 Week 6 loss to the Browns, including five in a row on offense. On defense, an offsides penalty negated an interception that would have given Oakland possession inside the Cleveland 40-yard line. Special teams were not immune from bad plays, either. Browns kicker Phil Dawson ran 14 yards for a first down on a fake field goal attempt and Cleveland scored its only touchdown on the next play.
"How can you expect to win on the road like that? You just can't," Gannon said. "You can't overcome it. It's hard to call plays on second-and-18 and third-and-26, you know? You can't throw a screen every time you get backed up like that. It's just hard."
Kansas City dynamo Dante Hall had his record string of four straight games with a return touchdown snapped in Green Bay, but he could set a new NFL record against the Raiders, who are near the bottom in the league in both kick and punt coverage. The NFL Europe product has four kick-return TDs (tied for the NFL single-season mark) and has a scoring return in seven of the past 11 games.
SERIES HISTORY: Oakland has a 42-41-2 lead in the series, including six wins in the past seven meetings and three straight victories in Oakland.
The teams split last year's series. Oakland blanked Kansas City 24-0 in the last meeting on December 28, 2002 to clinch homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The Raiders rushed for 280 yards in that game played in monsoon- like conditions. The Chiefs were without Priest Holmes in that game. Kansas City won at home 20-10 last year.
Raiders coach Bill Callahan is 1-1 against the Chiefs. Kansas City coach Dick Vermeil is 2-5 against the Raiders.
MONDAY NIGHT SPOTLIGHT: The Chiefs and Raiders have split six games on Monday night. The last Monday night matchup came on September 8, 1997 and it was the low point for the Raiders since returning to the Bay area. The Chiefs came back to beat the Raiders 28-27 on a 32-yard TD pass from Elvis Grbac to Andre Rison with 11 seconds left and no timeouts.
The Raiders, who own a 36-20-1 mark on Monday nights, can tie Miami for the most MNF victories with a win over KC. The Chiefs have won 17 of 30 all-time Monday night games.
CHIEFS OFFENSE VS. RAIDERS DEFENSE
The Chiefs aren't 6-0 by coincidence. They have played the two best teams on their early-season schedule in the last two weeks -- Denver and Green Bay -- and came out of it with two victories. Kansas City's offense has been at its best in the last two weeks, racking up 64 points and 950 yards of offense against two playoff-caliber opponents.
Trent Green earned AFC player of the Week honors for his 400-yard passing performance in Green Bay. The veteran quarterback completed 27 passes, three of which went for touchdowns. He also helped rally the Chiefs back from a 17- point fourth-quarter deficit.
"We're in an environment in the National Football League where a quarterback has to prove himself every weekend," Vermeil said. "And I think he accepts that challenge, but I also think he needed a breakthrough game this year. Just like last year against Miami, he had a breakthrough game and all of a sudden things start going his way a little bit better; not automatic, but you start feeling better, you gain a little confidence and things start flowing better for you. I think that was the game in Miami, remember he had five touchdowns. He didn't have five touchdowns in this one, but he had three. And he did an outstanding job. I think he's certainly deserves the honor and recognition. I thank the people that make those decisions."
There isn't a team around that does a better job of balancing an offense. The Chiefs have a potent passing attack and the best running back in the NFL.
Holmes carried 22 times for 81 yards and a touchdown last week, but his biggest contribution was as a decoy. The All-Pro ran it nine times in overtime. With Green Bay's defense concentrating on Holmes, WR Eddie Kennison was left wide open on the game-winning, play-action touchdown pass in the extra session.
"Priest just does so many things well," Green said. "He has great vision, great patience, he does a great job with our offensive line in setting up his block, and there is just such a chemistry between our offensive line and Priest and the timing they have in our running game. He just does a great job at it. Where he has gotten better over the last year is his ability to catch the ball and his blocking ability. We ask Priest to do some pass protection that he does an outstanding job of. It is not to say that there occasionally are not break downs but that happens everywhere and he has improved drastically in those areas."
The Raiders have struggled to stop the run all season long, and Monday night's showdown should be no different. Oakland's defense ranks dead last in the entire league against the run (164.7 yards per game).
Cleveland's William Green victimized Oakland's defense last week for 145 yards on 26 carries. A week earlier Chicago's Anthony Thomas rumbled for 123 yards. San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson went for 187 yards versus Oakland in Week 4. Despite the porous run defense Callahan doesn't believe wholesale lineup changes are going to fix the problem.
"It is frustrating, but to run roughshod -- I can't run everybody out," Callahan said. "We've got who we have, and we've just got to do a better job of it."
Kansas City's offensive line has athleticism and size. It matches up well with the Raiders' front seven and should continue to plow open holes for Holmes.
TE Tony Gonzalez (414) needs three more receptions to surpass Henry Marshall as the Chiefs' all-time receptions leader.
"First off the offense has to make special emphasis to get the ball to the tight end," Vermeil said. "There's always somebody outside of him and inside of him and maybe somebody on his nose, where you take a wide receiver and put him out there it may only be a one-on-one situation. The National Football League in general is more wide receiver-oriented and some offenses more specifically. And not many offenses have a Tony Gonzalez either. So, when you have a guy like Tony Gonzalez you have to make an effort to utilize him properly."
Gonzalez will draw Raiders safety Derrick Gibson on Monday night. Gibson hasn't played up to his potential in the NFL, but he has always seemed to raise his level of play against Gonzalez.
RAIDERS OFFENSE VS. CHIEFS DEFENSE
Oakland tried to jumpstart its offense against the Browns by returning to basics. Instead of opening in their base three receiver set, the Raiders started the game with two backs and two tight ends. The switch didn't help, however, as the Raiders were held to one first quarter touchdown.
The Raiders continued to suffer injuries on the offensive line against Cleveland. Right guard Mo Collins and right tackle Lincoln Kennedy did not play. During the game left guard Frank Middleton was injured while blocking for an extra point try. Middleton could be out for the season with a quadriceps injury.
The makeshift line was responsible for four of the five successive penalties Oakland committed in the third quarter. Gannon was flagged for throwing a pass from beyond the line of scrimmage for the fifth penalty in the sequence. After moving backward so frequently, he likely couldn't remember where the line of scrimmage was.
The Raiders ran the ball for a good average again. They average 4.6 yards per carry, but cannot sustain drives because of penalties. On the drive with the five flags in a row, the Raiders' drive was 11 plays, 7:20 for a mind-boggling total of 34 yards.
Every Raider lineman, with the exception of center Barret Robbins, was called for at least one penalty.
"A lot of the penalties are lack of discipline, jumping off-sides, and it's just inexcusable," Gannon said. "When you're playing well and generating a lot of yards offensively and generating a lot of points, they don't seem to be as painful or dramatic. But when everything is so crucial, every drive is so critical, every game...and you're trying to generate some positive plays, they're just devastating."
Gannon, a noted perfectionist, said the linemen and young tight ends and receivers are given as much help as possible before each snap.
"We give as much information in the huddle, we preview as much of the stuff as we possibly can, we alert them as to what might be coming so as to tell them and help them with the crowd noise," Gannon said. "We tell them 'extended motion' here, to help them sit in. We do everything we possibly can. And yet we still have the penalties."
Gannon is clearly at a loss on how to fix the problem.
"What do you want me to do, start fining them?" he quipped. "All I can do is keep encouraging them, telling them to continue to try to play smart. But everybody has to be accountable for their own performance. And again, these penalties are just mind-boggling to me right now."
Kansas City is much quicker on defense than the unit that was run roughshod over in Week 17. Defensive coordinator Greg Robinson loves to blitz the Raiders from his days in Denver and he now has the speed to get to Gannon.
Oakland's best hope on offense is the possible return of wide receiver Jerry Porter, their only deep threat. Porter played briefly in Week 1 then had surgery for a sports hernia. His able-bodied return would open the crossing routes underneath for Jerry Rice and Tim Brown, and allow the speedy tight ends to get down the seam.
Oakland's struggles offensively have been much debated and many have chalked the offense's performance up to old age, but the 66-year old Vermeil doesn't buy that argument.
"We call the Raiders an older team, but they're only nine months older when they played the Super Bowl," Vermeil said. "So, I can't believe they got that old that fast."
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The Raiders and Chiefs were first and second in total offense last year, but the teams could not be more different this season. The Chiefs completed a 17- point fourth-quarter comeback in Green Bay last week with an overtime victory, while Raiders continue to struggle in just about every facet of the game.
Rich Gannon, the reigning league MVP, threw for less than 200 yards last week for the fourth time this season. The Raiders committed 19 penalties in their 13-7 Week 6 loss to the Browns, including five in a row on offense. On defense, an offsides penalty negated an interception that would have given Oakland possession inside the Cleveland 40-yard line. Special teams were not immune from bad plays, either. Browns kicker Phil Dawson ran 14 yards for a first down on a fake field goal attempt and Cleveland scored its only touchdown on the next play.
"How can you expect to win on the road like that? You just can't," Gannon said. "You can't overcome it. It's hard to call plays on second-and-18 and third-and-26, you know? You can't throw a screen every time you get backed up like that. It's just hard."
Kansas City dynamo Dante Hall had his record string of four straight games with a return touchdown snapped in Green Bay, but he could set a new NFL record against the Raiders, who are near the bottom in the league in both kick and punt coverage. The NFL Europe product has four kick-return TDs (tied for the NFL single-season mark) and has a scoring return in seven of the past 11 games.
SERIES HISTORY: Oakland has a 42-41-2 lead in the series, including six wins in the past seven meetings and three straight victories in Oakland.
The teams split last year's series. Oakland blanked Kansas City 24-0 in the last meeting on December 28, 2002 to clinch homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The Raiders rushed for 280 yards in that game played in monsoon- like conditions. The Chiefs were without Priest Holmes in that game. Kansas City won at home 20-10 last year.
Raiders coach Bill Callahan is 1-1 against the Chiefs. Kansas City coach Dick Vermeil is 2-5 against the Raiders.
MONDAY NIGHT SPOTLIGHT: The Chiefs and Raiders have split six games on Monday night. The last Monday night matchup came on September 8, 1997 and it was the low point for the Raiders since returning to the Bay area. The Chiefs came back to beat the Raiders 28-27 on a 32-yard TD pass from Elvis Grbac to Andre Rison with 11 seconds left and no timeouts.
The Raiders, who own a 36-20-1 mark on Monday nights, can tie Miami for the most MNF victories with a win over KC. The Chiefs have won 17 of 30 all-time Monday night games.
CHIEFS OFFENSE VS. RAIDERS DEFENSE
The Chiefs aren't 6-0 by coincidence. They have played the two best teams on their early-season schedule in the last two weeks -- Denver and Green Bay -- and came out of it with two victories. Kansas City's offense has been at its best in the last two weeks, racking up 64 points and 950 yards of offense against two playoff-caliber opponents.
Trent Green earned AFC player of the Week honors for his 400-yard passing performance in Green Bay. The veteran quarterback completed 27 passes, three of which went for touchdowns. He also helped rally the Chiefs back from a 17- point fourth-quarter deficit.
"We're in an environment in the National Football League where a quarterback has to prove himself every weekend," Vermeil said. "And I think he accepts that challenge, but I also think he needed a breakthrough game this year. Just like last year against Miami, he had a breakthrough game and all of a sudden things start going his way a little bit better; not automatic, but you start feeling better, you gain a little confidence and things start flowing better for you. I think that was the game in Miami, remember he had five touchdowns. He didn't have five touchdowns in this one, but he had three. And he did an outstanding job. I think he's certainly deserves the honor and recognition. I thank the people that make those decisions."
There isn't a team around that does a better job of balancing an offense. The Chiefs have a potent passing attack and the best running back in the NFL.
Holmes carried 22 times for 81 yards and a touchdown last week, but his biggest contribution was as a decoy. The All-Pro ran it nine times in overtime. With Green Bay's defense concentrating on Holmes, WR Eddie Kennison was left wide open on the game-winning, play-action touchdown pass in the extra session.
"Priest just does so many things well," Green said. "He has great vision, great patience, he does a great job with our offensive line in setting up his block, and there is just such a chemistry between our offensive line and Priest and the timing they have in our running game. He just does a great job at it. Where he has gotten better over the last year is his ability to catch the ball and his blocking ability. We ask Priest to do some pass protection that he does an outstanding job of. It is not to say that there occasionally are not break downs but that happens everywhere and he has improved drastically in those areas."
The Raiders have struggled to stop the run all season long, and Monday night's showdown should be no different. Oakland's defense ranks dead last in the entire league against the run (164.7 yards per game).
Cleveland's William Green victimized Oakland's defense last week for 145 yards on 26 carries. A week earlier Chicago's Anthony Thomas rumbled for 123 yards. San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson went for 187 yards versus Oakland in Week 4. Despite the porous run defense Callahan doesn't believe wholesale lineup changes are going to fix the problem.
"It is frustrating, but to run roughshod -- I can't run everybody out," Callahan said. "We've got who we have, and we've just got to do a better job of it."
Kansas City's offensive line has athleticism and size. It matches up well with the Raiders' front seven and should continue to plow open holes for Holmes.
TE Tony Gonzalez (414) needs three more receptions to surpass Henry Marshall as the Chiefs' all-time receptions leader.
"First off the offense has to make special emphasis to get the ball to the tight end," Vermeil said. "There's always somebody outside of him and inside of him and maybe somebody on his nose, where you take a wide receiver and put him out there it may only be a one-on-one situation. The National Football League in general is more wide receiver-oriented and some offenses more specifically. And not many offenses have a Tony Gonzalez either. So, when you have a guy like Tony Gonzalez you have to make an effort to utilize him properly."
Gonzalez will draw Raiders safety Derrick Gibson on Monday night. Gibson hasn't played up to his potential in the NFL, but he has always seemed to raise his level of play against Gonzalez.
RAIDERS OFFENSE VS. CHIEFS DEFENSE
Oakland tried to jumpstart its offense against the Browns by returning to basics. Instead of opening in their base three receiver set, the Raiders started the game with two backs and two tight ends. The switch didn't help, however, as the Raiders were held to one first quarter touchdown.
The Raiders continued to suffer injuries on the offensive line against Cleveland. Right guard Mo Collins and right tackle Lincoln Kennedy did not play. During the game left guard Frank Middleton was injured while blocking for an extra point try. Middleton could be out for the season with a quadriceps injury.
The makeshift line was responsible for four of the five successive penalties Oakland committed in the third quarter. Gannon was flagged for throwing a pass from beyond the line of scrimmage for the fifth penalty in the sequence. After moving backward so frequently, he likely couldn't remember where the line of scrimmage was.
The Raiders ran the ball for a good average again. They average 4.6 yards per carry, but cannot sustain drives because of penalties. On the drive with the five flags in a row, the Raiders' drive was 11 plays, 7:20 for a mind-boggling total of 34 yards.
Every Raider lineman, with the exception of center Barret Robbins, was called for at least one penalty.
"A lot of the penalties are lack of discipline, jumping off-sides, and it's just inexcusable," Gannon said. "When you're playing well and generating a lot of yards offensively and generating a lot of points, they don't seem to be as painful or dramatic. But when everything is so crucial, every drive is so critical, every game...and you're trying to generate some positive plays, they're just devastating."
Gannon, a noted perfectionist, said the linemen and young tight ends and receivers are given as much help as possible before each snap.
"We give as much information in the huddle, we preview as much of the stuff as we possibly can, we alert them as to what might be coming so as to tell them and help them with the crowd noise," Gannon said. "We tell them 'extended motion' here, to help them sit in. We do everything we possibly can. And yet we still have the penalties."
Gannon is clearly at a loss on how to fix the problem.
"What do you want me to do, start fining them?" he quipped. "All I can do is keep encouraging them, telling them to continue to try to play smart. But everybody has to be accountable for their own performance. And again, these penalties are just mind-boggling to me right now."
Kansas City is much quicker on defense than the unit that was run roughshod over in Week 17. Defensive coordinator Greg Robinson loves to blitz the Raiders from his days in Denver and he now has the speed to get to Gannon.
Oakland's best hope on offense is the possible return of wide receiver Jerry Porter, their only deep threat. Porter played briefly in Week 1 then had surgery for a sports hernia. His able-bodied return would open the crossing routes underneath for Jerry Rice and Tim Brown, and allow the speedy tight ends to get down the seam.
Oakland's struggles offensively have been much debated and many have chalked the offense's performance up to old age, but the 66-year old Vermeil doesn't buy that argument.
"We call the Raiders an older team, but they're only nine months older when they played the Super Bowl," Vermeil said. "So, I can't believe they got that old that fast."
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