“5 Things to Watch: Can the Chiefs Overcome the Raiders in Week 8?”

To close a two-game road trip, the Kansas City Chiefs (6-0) will take on the Las Vegas Raiders (2-5) at Allegiant Stadium in Week 8. The game will kick off at 3:25 p.m. Arrowhead Time.

The Chiefs enter the matchup with a 12-game winning streak, including last season’s playoff run. Their last loss came at the hands of the Raiders on Christmas Day last year. The 20-14 defeat was punctuated by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes being sacked four times and throwing a crucial pick-six.

This Raiders Kermit Mahomes doll is going to age abysmally pic.twitter.com/Z4p5GNCgZL

— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) July 25, 2024

This summer, a Raiders player was filmed mocking Mahomes with a puppet. When the two-time MVP and three-time Super Bowl champion was asked about it, he said simply, “It’ll get handled when it gets handled.”

Well, it’s time for the Chiefs to handle business. The Raiders are on a three-game losing streak, and Mahomes and his teammates will be looking to extend that to four.

Here are five things to watch in the Chiefs’ second divisional game of the season:

1. The Chiefs’ offense with DeAndre Hopkins

The Chiefs traded for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday morning. He was dealing with “lower leg soreness” in Tennessee but didn’t appear on the injury report for the Chiefs heading into Week 8.

He is expected to play and should fill the role played by wide receivers Rashee Rice and Juju Smith-Schuster previously. He brings different skills to the table than those two, but he can be a zone beater over the middle opposite of tight end Travis Kelce. He has the catch strength to win against tight coverage; Hopkins’ drop rate for his career is 3.4%.

It will be fascinating to see if Mahomes adjusts his game with Hopkins in the mix. Currently, Mahomes has the lowest percentage of throws into tight windows among qualified NFL quarterbacks (7%). Hopkins can create quick separation, but he doesn’t need as much of it to be open. That could help improve the Chiefs’ red-zone success if he’s given those opportunities.

2. Keeping the Raiders’ run game down

The Chiefs’ elite run defense will face the least-productive run game it has all year in Las Vegas. The Raiders have the third-fewest team rushing yards in the NFL, and the third-lowest rate of yards per rush (3.8).

The defense will need to do it without defensive end Mike Danna once again; he was ruled out with a pectoral injury. It will be the third game Danna has missed this season, including last week’s win over the San Francisco 49ers. Second-year defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah filled in admirably, especially on run downs.

As usual, the Chiefs’ stout run defense can help set up third down, which is not where the Raiders want to be. Las Vegas currently ranks 28th in third-down conversion percentage (31.1%).

3. The Chiefs’ coverage without Jaylen Watson

The Chiefs’ defense will feel the loss of cornerback Jaylen Watson in all facets, but especially coverage. In over 28 passes thrown toward him, he allowed a passer rating of 75.3 without recording an interception according to Pro Football Focus.

Cornerbacks Nazeeh Johnson and Joshua Williams are expected to be responsible for filling that position, which would mean matching up with Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. He is a strong, outside receiver that can still make plays when covered well.

Even if Watson was available, the Chiefs’ priority in coverage should be Raiders’ rookie tight end Brock Bowers. He leads all tight ends in receiving yards and receptions, including the second-most catches among all NFL players. The Chiefs’ linebackers and safeties will have the biggest role in slowing down the Raiders’ passing attack.

4. Accounting for Maxx Crosby

The Raiders’ defense has centered around defensive end Maxx Crosby for years, and this game will be no different. Las Vegas signed defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to pair with Crosby this offseason, but Wilkins is now on injured reserve with a foot injury. Edge rusher Malcolm Koonce earned three sacks in Kansas City last season but suffered a season-ending knee injury during the preseason.

Crosby has 6.5 sacks this season, the sixth-most in the NFL. He is just as disruptive as ever, so the Chiefs will need to scheme around him. It could be a similar plan of attack as the Chiefs used against 49ers’ defensive end Nick Bosa: misdirection, play action, and other ways to keep Crosby at bay besides blocking him.

It’s vital that the Chiefs stay out of obvious pass situations like third and long. Crosby becomes a lot harder to block in those situations, and that bears out in the numbers: the Raiders’ defense has the second-lowest rate of third-down conversions allowed this season (28.9%).

5. Staying efficient with the rush attack

The best way to avoid third down is to have success rushing on first and second down. The Chiefs have maintained that all season: the team leads all NFL teams in rushing success rate (50.8%).

It starts with the heavy workload running back Kareem Hunt has been able to take on, but it doesn’t end there. Wide receiver Mecole Hardman rushed for 38 yards over two handoffs against San Francisco. Hardman and rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy should continue to be utilized on jet-sweep motions to help open up the box for inside runs.

The Chiefs should attack the interior of the Raiders’ defense. Offensive linemen Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, and Trey Smith should have the advantage against Las Vegas defensive tackles and linebackers. This season, the Raiders allow 4.8 yards per attempts, the seventh-highest mark among NFL defenses.