Welcome back to another edition of Around the AFC West.
What a thrilling victory by the Chiefs this past weekend! I’m a nail biter. I’ve never been able to quit and, to be completely frank, writing this kind of hurts due to my lack of nails. My husband made fun of me describing the way my stomach felt towards the end of the game—an eagle and an owl wrestling. But isn’t that why we watch sports? For the thrill?
Before I dive too deep down that hole, let’s take a look around the AFC West to see what Week 9 brought to the race for the division.
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders hosted the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon. The Lions are the perpetual 8-8 team, but they have proven to be relatively formidable this year going toe to toe with the Chiefs just a few weeks ago. The Raiders, coming off a close loss to the Texans were looking to rally and keep pace with the number one Chiefs. This was also the first time the Raiders had been back home since their loss to the Chiefs in Week 2.
This game came down to the wire. After going up by 7 points on a touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow, the Lions got the ball back with just two minutes remaining. The Lions (aided by a 26-yard pass interference call) drove down to the one yard line. At that point, head coach Jon Gruden called an inexplicable timeout and it looked like the Lions would tie it up. However, the Lions called one of the poorer plays of the day and missed a short pass ending the game.
I still don’t quite understand the Raiders calling a timeout, essentially allowing the Lions to pick their play and not hurry, but ultimately it didn’t matter. This game took a lot of guts and highlighted the star power of rookie running back Josh Jacobs. He is a force and will be someone that will cause the Chiefs problems in years to come. Derek Carr was fine – not remarkable, but he came up clutch in moments that mattered. At the end of the day, the Raiders pulled out a win.
The Raiders saw a few notable injuries after their defeat of the Lions. Right tackle Trent Brown injured his knee and did not return. Additionally, Arden Key is reported to have suffered a broken foot and is expected to miss significant time. Given the short week, it will be interesting to see if Brown can go in a crucial Thursday night match-up. Given that he progressed from a non-participant to a limited participant in Tuesday’s practice, there is reason for Raiders’ fans to hope.
The Raiders host the Los Angeles Chargers in a critical divisional match-up on Thursday Night Football. I, for one, am actually excited to watch this game. The Raiders are 4-4 and are looking great – especially with rookie Josh Jacobs playing as well as he is. The Chargers are 4-5 and made Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Green Bay Packers look like a high school football team.
This game is a must win for both teams if they want to try and keep pace with the Chiefs in the race to win the AFC West. I expect a tough game that comes down to the wire, but I believe the Chargers defense is just that much better to give the Chargers the edge.
Opening line odds for the Raiders in Week 10: Chargers by 1.5
Game time is Thursday at 7:20 p.m.