Chiefs vs. Raiders Recap: Earning Their Arrowheads
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Few things are better in sports than beating your rival in front of the home crowd, and that’s exactly what Kansas City was able to do on Sunday against the visiting Oakland Raiders.
To make things sweeter though, the Chiefs’ big win propelled them to 6-0 on the season, and Kansas City is without a doubt one of the best teams in the NFL.
It wasn’t pretty at times, but the Chiefs were able to get it done with a swarming defense, a terrific running game, and of course, great special teams.
If you’re noticing those three things to be a trend this season, you have noticed right. That’s how Kansas City has won games so far this year, and if the Chiefs continue to win games, the running game, defense and special teams will be the reasons why.
Per tradition, here are the three Arrowheads from yesterday’s game.
Arrowhead No. 3: Anthony Sherman, FB
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Anthony Sherman is not going to put up many, if any, stats during the course of any given game, but he’s arguably one of the most important players on the team. Simply put, without Sherman leading the way, the Chiefs’ running game would not be half as good as it has been in 2013.
Sherman made some terrific lead blocks Sunday against the Raiders, and he did a great job of blocking at the second level and walling off defenders—creating space for our second Arrowhead recipient to work with.
Arrowhead No. 2: Jamaal Charles, RB
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Jamaal Charles is one of the best running backs in the NFL, and right now, he’s probably the Chiefs best and most consistent player. Charles didn’t put up monster numbers against the Raiders, but he punched in two very important touchdowns and kept the chains moving throughout the game.
Per usual, he also played a huge role in the passing game, catching five passes for 50 yards.
Arrowhead No. 1a: Tamba Hali, OLB
John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Tamba Hali must have missed breakfast Sunday morning, because he played hungry vs. the Raiders. Hali notched 3.5 sacks and four total tackles. He was flying around out there for the defense, and even when he wasn’t bringing down the quarterback, his pressure allowed other defenders to make plays. Hali looked like a monster Sunday afternoon, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Terrelle Pryor will see him in his nightmares for weeks to come.
Arrowhead was loud Sunday afternoon, and that’s an understatement. You, the fan aka the Addict, showed up and cheered with all that you had. Believe me, the Raiders took notice, and the noise definitely threw them off their game. Oakland committed 11 penalties, many were false starts.
At the end of the day though, the world took notice. Congratulations, Addicts. Arrowhead Stadium is now officially the loudest stadium in the world.