After Week 1's tough game against the San Diego Chargers, The Oakland Raiders are set to take on another AFC West rival, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Head Coach Tom Cable met with the media and discussed preparation for Sunday's game against the Chiefs.
"They are a much improved football team. They have a couple of identities offensively. Defensively, they are much more aggressive than they have been in the past. They have a new system, new coaches, and a lot of pressure from all over the field. It's their home opener much like it was ours Monday night so the energy will be high," Coach Cable explained. "We are hungry to win and that's really all you have to say where our confidence is."
That hunger, Coach Cable hopes, will be the catalyst the Raiders anticipate on using to replicate the outcome of last season's Week 2 matchup between the two teams when the Raiders came out victorious 23-8 at Arrowhead Stadium.
In that contest, Raiders' running backs combined for 300 yards on the ground.
Darren McFadden, a rookie last season, used the game as his coming out party totaling 164 yards rushing with one touchdown. His longest run that afternoon was an impressive 50 yards.
McFadden, finally healthy after lingering injuries from his rookie campaign, is excited to return to Kansas City.
"It was by breakout game. I'm looking forward to getting back out there. I'm just trying to get going. I'm healthy again this year, so I'm just ready for the game," McFadden stated.
McFadden knows though not to take the Chiefs' defense for granted.
"You know you have to go out there and play ball. They aren't going to go out there and let you run all over them. You have to go out there and play with your 'A' game," McFadden explained.
Hoping to duplicate Raiders' rookie success against the Chiefs is rookie wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey. With this being his first road game in the NFL, Heyward-Bey is staying focused.
"I'm taking the same approach. I'm just working hard," Heyward-Bey stated. "We know we have to block as receivers because we know are running game is doing really well right now."
Heyward-Bey is aware of Arrowhead Stadium's reputation, but he feels the team is prepared for the challenge.
"We prepared out there on the field with a lot of crowd noise and we are going to be ready for that. We have to stay composed and stay calm," Heyward-Bey said.
Watch the Oakland Raiders first road game of the season on CBS and visit Raiders.com for live updates from Arrowhead Stadium.
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