Raiders vs. Chiefs: 3 Key Matchups To Watch

The Chiefs have seen their run game revive behind running back Kenneth Walker, last year's Super Bowl MVP and the savior of Kansas City's offense. Under offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Walker has forced 41 missed tackles through three weeks, the most in football, and much of the success is coming on the left side of the Chiefs' offensive line, where they have gained 83 yards on power/gap concepts, averaging 10.4 yards per attempt and a score, according to Next Gen Stats.

This run game fits perfectly with the butt-kickers Kansas City has up front, with guys like Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith. This is the best offensive line the Raiders have faced this season, which means gap integrity from Adam Butler and Tonka Hemingway will be at a premium. Making the correct run fits and securing stops in space against Walker will be huge to making the Chiefs one-dimensional against a well-coached secondary, but they have to slow down Mahomes...

DC Rob Leonard vs. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes

...Which brings me to the next matchup: slowing down the league's second-best quarterback behind Josh Allen. Mahomes is the same guy he was pre-injury, and nothing seems to be slowing him down so far this season. Adding a stout run game has made him a more balanced passer.

Through three games, Mahomes has scrambled on dropbacks for a career-low rate of 11.2 percent, likely due to the surgically repaired knee. Yet he remains lethal under pressure, posting a 76.9 completion rate at 9.5 yards per attempt, per Next Gen Stats.

While the Raiders don't blitz often (fourth-lowest rate in the NFL), they're effective in coverage when they do, allowing a 47.4 completion rate, the second-lowest in the league. Leonard will have to be at his best when making coverage calls to the field. They run a Cover 3 unit with diverse shells, disguising alignments, splits, and widths in the secondary to throw opposing quarterbacks off balance.

Generating pressure will be key, and Maxx Crosby is the guy to do it. Recent help from Malcolm Koonce and Kwity Paye will help create singular opportunities against opposing blockers in pass sets. If the Raiders can limit Mahomes in the air, it would be a signature game for Leonard.

Raiders Passing Game vs. Chiefs Man Coverage Defense

Quarterback Kirk Cousins has been better than expected as the bridge passer for rookie Fernando Mendoza, and the Raiders have no reason to make a change anytime soon if this success continues. However, Cousins faces his first real challenge against a Chiefs defense with the fifth-highest man coverage rate in the NFL at 33.9 percent, according to SumerSports.

The Chiefs' secondary is a young bunch featuring first-round pick Mansoor Delane and second-year cornerback Nohl Williams. L'Jarius Sneed's return has also helped Kansas City succeed in a revamped unit that lost two standout cornerbacks to the Los Angeles Rams. Over three weeks, the Chiefs have played a steady mix of Cover 0 (7.4 percent), Cover 1 (17.6 percent), and Cover 2 Man (5.6 percent), according to Football Insights.

The key for Kubiak and the Raiders is to keep tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer out of heavier personnel groupings while using Tre Tucker and Cody White more often in the intermediate and vertical passing game. Bowers could take over the game as he did two years ago, which could make the difference again in Week 4.