Wow. What a game. The best game of the season on a Thursday night!?! The Raiders beat the Chiefs on the final play of the game. Well, the third attempt at the final play of the game. I’ll offer some quick thoughts on the action last night and some notes for this weekend:
Raiders and Chiefs started NFL’s Week 7 with a bang
Retired NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz breaks down the Raiders’ exciting win over the Chiefs and looks ahead at the other promising games this week.
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Four thoughts about the Raiders’ win over the Chiefs
Here are four big takeaways from the Raiders’ dramatic win over the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football.
1. Derek Carr was the man, but he didn’t do it alone
The Raiders saved their season and it was because their stars showed up, which is what you ask of them. Derek Carr played excellently, especially down the stretch. He finished 39-of-52 for 417 yards and three touchdowns. He never looks rattled in end-of-game situations, and he threw an absolute bullet right on the money to Michael Crabtree to win the game.
When a quarterback is rolling out there is a limited option of routes, so the defensive backs know what’s coming. The throw requires a precise accurate missile, and that is what Carr delivered.
But it wasn’t just Carr. Khalil Mack came up big with a huge fourth-quarter sack on Alex Smith that forced the Chiefs to punt the ball back to the Raiders. And lastly, there’s Amari Cooper — the kid balled out. In the first five weeks of the season, he’s caught 146 total yards and one touchdown. On Thursday night, he had a career-high 210 yards and two touchdowns. Your franchise players need to show out in games like this, and the Raiders got it from theirs.
2. Alex Smith is still playing the best football of his career
Alex Smith. I don’t know what more to say. I’ve never seen this version of Alex Smith before. I played with him in Kansas City in 2013, our first year with Andy Reid. Alex threw the ball deep when asked, but it wasn’t much. Now he’s flinging it around the field with ease. I know Reid is asking him to throw the ball deep more often now and he’s taking those chances — and it doesn’t hurt to have Tyreek Hill sprinting by defenders.
Alex’s seven-game stat line is impressive: He’s completing 72.4 percent of his passes with a career-best 8.7 yards per attempts, 1,979 yards, 15 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. With the added dimension of Alex throwing the ball downfield, this Chiefs offense is hard to stop. There are just too many weapons with Hill, Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce, Albert Wilson, Charcandrick West and De’Anthony Thomas.
3. The Chiefs’ big weakness is the defense, for once
The Chiefs’ defense has to be a worry. It is a classic “bend but don’t break” defense. This defense allows a large amount of yards but buckles down in the red zone. I’ve just always found that tough to rely on week after week.
Teams will start using the Steelers game plan against the Chiefs in the run game, which the Raiders tried. It’s getting into 11 personnel (one RB, one TE and three WRs), which forces the Chiefs into a nickel defense and one less big body in the middle. Often in this nickel defense the Chiefs play their safety as the second linebacker, and it makes their run defense soft. The Chiefs’ defensive backs, minus Marcus Peters, love to hold and grab. It’s been an issue throughout the season, and it often gives teams first downs and extra plays in crucial situations.
Who would have thought we’d be worrying about the Chiefs D as the reason they might not make a deep playoff run?
4. The refs have had better nights
I’m a frequent defender of NFL referees. They have an extremely tough job and the game is fast. It’s not played in the slow motion replays we get to see, which are beneficial for the viewer but don’t help how we feel about the referees.
Also I’ve always said this: Unless you’ve been on the sidelines to watch a game, you will never understand how fast and violent the game is. The refs get more right than wrong. However, last night wasn’t their best performance:
- The Chiefs force a Carr turnover and it’s called back for illegal contact. Umm no. It was within 5 yards.
- The Raiders get called for a late hit because a tight end is finishing his block. Not a flag.
- The refs missed a face mask on Hill when his helmet was pulled off.
- I’m still not sure why Peters got called for a late hit on Carr. I didn’t hear a whistle, and Carr wasn’t down. Maybe it was a blow to the helmet. I couldn’t tell.
- The long catch by Cook that was ruled a touchdown but brought back by replay. The ref initially looked and pointed to the ground like Cook was down, but he then ruled a touchdown. Maybe he’s covering his bases, but under two minutes all plays get reviewed. There were 16 seconds when Cook was touched down at the 1. Plenty of time to hurry up and spike it. However, I would have liked to see the Raiders try getting it done after thinking they have scored.
I’ll end this part with a compliment for the refs. The final three flags — on Crabtree for OPI and the two holding calls — were correct. Give credit when it’s due.
There are more good games on tap this week
Entering Week 7, home teams were 44-45, the fifth-lowest win percentage for home teams since 1970. After the Raiders’ win, the record is now even. This is something to watch for.
As the 2017 season continues on, do we see the parity continue?
The NFL is a league built for parity with the draft, a hard salary cap and scheduling quirks that pit good vs. good and bad vs. bad. But that often isn’t the case, especially in the AFC. While I enjoy seeing super teams because they are often the most talented and most enjoyable to watch, parity allows other fan bases to enjoy the feeling of fighting for a playoff spot, so I’m all for that.
The Bengals and Steelers renew their intense rivalry
If the Bengals are serious about digging themselves out of the 0-3 hole, this is a must-win. It’s a division road game, and it would feel almost like they won two games. However, the Steelers are 10-3 against the Bengals since 2011, including playoffs. And since 2015 (including playoffs), this matchup has featured more extracurricular, dead ball after the play penalties — with 19 — than any other matchup in the league.
The Steelers are coming off an impressive win Sunday against the Chiefs, where their blueprint for winning, tough physical defense, and a steady diet of Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown worked like a charm. I expect it to continue at home this weekend.
Take the over! Lots and lots of points will be scored in this rematch of last season’s thrilling come-from-behind Super Bowl victory by the Patriots.
The Pats have started the season allowing 300 individual yards and more in six consecutive games, a league record. It’s not that the Patriots don’t have talent on defense — they just aren’t covering anyone. They routinely have coverage busts and leave receivers wide open.
While Atlanta’s offense has struggled at times with a new OC in charge, this isn’t the week to forget to cover anyone. Matt Ryan has struggled to connect with stud wide receiver Julio Jones on passes of 20-plus air yards, completing only one ball, which was a staple of the offense from last season. I’d look for some big plays from the Falcons’ offense on Sunday.
Washington has a big challenge against the red-hot Eagles
I love this Eagles team. Philadelphia is physical on both sides of the ball. The Eagles get after the quarterback and can stop the run. Their offensive line is probably playing the best in the NFL at the moment. Carson Wentz is balling. They lead the league in third-down completion percentage, a sign the Eagles are efficient on offense.
However, Wentz struggles when pressured. He’s completing only 27 percent of his passes when pressured. Washington MUST get pressure on Wentz to have a shot to win this game. I like the Eagles in this spot.
Geoff Schwartz’s top blocks of the week
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