WR Denarius Moore played a key role in the Raiders 26-16 win at Kansas City last year. Photo by Tony Gonzales.
The Oakland Raiders head back out on the road this week as they take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Oct. 13. Sunday's meeting will be the second straight contest against an AFC West foe for the Silver and Black, and the first of two meetings this season for the divisional rivals. Last season, Oakland swept the season series vs. the Chiefs, winning 26-16 in Kansas City and 15-0 in Oakland.
Kansas City enters the contest as one of only three teams in the league to be to be undefeated after the season's first five games. The Raiders are coming off of a victory at home last Sunday night over the divisional-rival Chargers, while the Chiefs went to Tennessee and knocked off the Titans. The Raiders have won six straight contests at Arrowhead, dating back to 2007.
The Silver and Black picked up their first divisional win of the season last week with the win over San Diego, 27-17. Oakland got off to a quick start, with S Usama Young picking off Philip Rivers on the game's first drive. On the very next play, QB Terrelle Pryor found WR Rod Streater for a 44-yard TD pass to kick off the scoring. After racing out to a 17-0 halftime lead, the defense held strong, led by S Charles Woodson, who tied the NFL's all-time record for defensive TDs when he returned a third-quarter fumble, giving him 13 on his career. Woodson also recorded an interception in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Kansas City continued their hot start to the season last week by beating the Titans, 26-17. Overcoming a fourth-quarter deficit, the Chiefs rattled off 13 unaswered points in the game's final 6:23 to secure the victory. The defense recorded three sacks and RB Jamaal Charles rushed for over 100 yards to pace Kansas City in the win. Their defense has now allowed a league-low 58 points.
Following Sunday's contest, the Raiders will have next weekend off, as they have their bye week, and Kansas City will play host to the Houston Texans.
"[The win vs. San Diego is] a huge confidence builder for our football team. I thought that was our most complete game that we've played all year long - offensively, defensively, and in the kicking game. We understand the challenge that we face going up against Kansas City. They've got a lot of good football players. They're playing really good football right now, and it'll be a tough environment to play in. " -- Raiders Head Coach Dennis Allen
Pro Connections
• Raiders special teams coordinator Bobby April spent the last three seasons (2010-12) in the same capacity with the Eagles under Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid, who was the head coach in Philadelphia from 1999-2012. Under their direction, the Eagles captured the NFC East division title in 2010.
• Raiders senior offensive assistant Al Saunders served as assistant head coach/offensive coordinator of the Chiefs from 2001-05 and assistant head coach/wide receivers coach from 1989-98. In 2002, Saunders helped RB Priest Holmes find the end zone 24 times en route to him winning the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
• Chiefs DB Ron Parker appeared in three games for the Raiders in 2011.
College Connections
• Raiders WR Denarius Moore and Chiefs S Eric Berry were teammates at the University of Tennessee from 2007-09. In 2007, the Volunteers went 10-4 and finished the season ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll.
• Raiders TE Mychal Rivera and Chiefs QB Tyler Bray were both members of the Tennessee Volunteer offense from 2010-12. In 2012, Rivera had 36 catches for 562 yards and 5 TD's. Raiders LB Kevin Burnett and Chiefs P Dustin Colquitt were also teammates at Tennesee from 2001-04. In 2001, the Vols went 11-2 en route to a final Associated Press ranking of fourth in the nation.
• Raiders DE Lamarr Houston and Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles were teammates at the University of Texas from 2006-07. In 2007, the Longhorns went 10-3 and won the Holiday Bowl over Arizona State to finish the year ranked number 10 in the AP Poll.
• S Tyvon Branch played collegiately at the University of Connecticut with RB Anthony Sherman in 2007 where the Huskies had an overall record of 9-4. Sherman was also a teammate of LB Sio Moore in 2009 and 2010 at Connecticut.
Chiefs From Northern California
• There are two Chiefs from Northern California: QB Tyler Bray (Kingsburg) and LB James-Michael Johnson (Fairfield).
Chiefs Snapshot
Overview: After finishing the 2012 season wiht a 2-14 record, the Chiefs have bounced back in a big way thus far in 2013. Kansas City is one of three remaining undefeated teams entering Week Six. Currently, Kansas City is tied for first in the AFC West with Denver, who is also 5-0. After hiring former Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid and trading for former No.1 overall draft pick Alex Smith, the Chiefs have already surpassed their win total from 2012. This past week the Chiefs became the first team ever finish with two wins in their previous season and begin the next season 5-0.
Offense: The Chiefs offense is led by new quarterback, Alex Smith. So far this season, Smith has thrown for 1,202 yards and seven TDs against only three interceptions. Behind Smith is explosive RB Jamaal Charles. Charles currently leads the team in rushing with 397 yards and three scores, while being a consistent weapon in the passing game as well, where he has added 250 receiving yards and two TDs.
Defense: Kansas City's defense currently leads the league in points allowed per game (11.6) and sacks (21). The Chiefs defense is lead by OLB Tamba Hali, who has filled up the stat sheet through the first five weeks of the season. Hali currently has 13 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception. OLB Justin Houston leads the team with 8.5 sacks and one forced fumble. Fourth-year veteran S Eric Berry leads the secondary for the Chiefs and has 21 tackles and one interception in the early going.
Standouts vs. the Chiefs
K Sebastian Janikowski
• Janikowski has appeared in 24 career games vs. Kansas City, connecting on 51-of-59 field goals (86.4 %), including 8-of-12 from 50-plus yards.
• In last season's 15-0 win at home, Janikowski connected on 5-of-6 field goals, including two 50-plus yarders.
WR Denarius Moore
• In four career games vs. Kansas City, Moore has caught 15 passes for 240 yards and two TDs, including a five-catch, 96-yard one-TD performance on 10/28/12 in Kansas City.
S Charles Woodson
• Woodson has played in 14 career games vs. Kansas City and has totaled 70 tackles, six interceptions (for a whopping 156 yards) and two TDs. He has
also forced two fumbles and recovered one other and recorded 17 PD.
