Raiders vs. Chiefs: Derek Carr is mastering Jon Gruden’s offense

We spoke to Raiders expert Brad Weiss about the Raiders cadre of draft picks, Derek Carr’s future, and the fan base’s optimism.

The Kansas City Chiefs are 0-for-2 in games in which they could clinch home-field advantage and their third straight AFC West title. Now in their third and final chance, they’re heading home to face the basement-dwelling Oakland Raiders.

Chiefs fans should not be fooled, however, by the Raiders overall record of only four wins. They’re playing their best football of the season these days with a dominating win over the Denver Broncos in Week 16 and a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in December that helped knocked the perennial powers from the postseason.

Given the Chiefs inability to seal the deal in recent weeks and the surge of optimism in Oakland, Sunday’s game should be closer (and more interesting) than Vegas oddsmakers might have you believe.

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We spoke with Brad Weiss, site expert of Just Blog Baby, to tell us more about this week’s game and the Raiders’ future.

The Chiefs have lost 2 of the 3 games since they’ve played the Raiders and even that game was closer than expected. Do you think the Chiefs have good reason to be afraid?

The Chiefs do have reasons to be concerned as they enter Week 17, and a lot of it has to do with how inconsistent they have been as of late. The defense has been an issue all season long, but the offense has sputtered without Kareem Hunt at running back, and that is alarming as they enter the playoffs. They need to finish strong against the Raiders, because they are going to need that home field advantage in the playoffs, especially with a defense that does not help them at all.

Given last week’s win and the recent victory over the Steelers, what is the pulse of the fan right now concerning confidence in Jon Gruden?

The fan base is very excited about where this team is headed. The bottom line is, they have been playing better football as of late, and were able to dominate the Denver Broncos last week with a bunch of key players on the shelf. Sure, the move to Las Vegas is hitting a lot of the faithful in Oakland very hard, as they do not want to see the team go, but overall, Raider Nation is excited. The team has a lot of draft picks in 2019 and 2020 and cap space heading into the offseason, which should be very exciting.

Do you think Derek Carr is the long-term answer at QB for the Raiders?

Absolutely. Derek Carr has shown over the past 11 weeks that he is mastering Jon Gruden’s offense, and the numbers have been outstanding. He is completing better than 68 percent of his passes this season, has not thrown an interception since Week 5, and has done all of this despite playing behind two rookie tackles, injuries to the middle of his offensive line, and really no big weapon at wide receiver. He has shown to be the leader of this team, and at only 27-years old, has a lot of football left in him.

Is there any frustration with the recent wins knowing the draft picks get worse with each victory or has it been nice to earn some wins?

The Raiders have never really hit on first-round picks anyway, so who is to say that it really matters whether or not they pick at No. 1 or No. 4. They have so many holes on this roster, and this draft class is loaded with talent on the defensive side of the ball, which is where they need the most help. I think the wins have been great for the team, especially the young guys, as it will only breed confidence in the team moving forward.

Any predictions for this Sunday?

Look, the Chiefs are a fantastic team, and they have so much firepower on offense. This Raiders defense is just not there yet to stop the Chiefs for four quarters, and eventually, I think Mahomes and company will be able to do things in the second half to pull away. Oakland will keep it close, as I feel the 13.5 point spread is a bit much, but in the end, Kansas City wins by a touchdown, and takes home their third straight AFC West title.