The Las Vegas Raiders will need to put a pass rush on Patrick Mahomes to win, but it's not going to be easy.
The Las Vegas Raiders are facing a huge challenge this Sunday as they host the Kansas City Chiefs, and getting after quarterback Patrick Mahomes will play a huge part in whatever success they have. It’s not going to be easy, as Levi Edwards of Raiders com noted in his piece about the matchups that will come into play.
The Raiders are hoping they can do better than they did last year. They were trounced at Arrowhead in a non-competitive game, and the win they got in the season finale almsot doesn’t count, as the Chiefs featured Chris Oladokun at quarterback and both teams were clearly playing ou the string.
The one player who has a successful history here is defensive end Maxx Crosby, who’s done well against KC over the years. He’s sacked Mahomes six times in his career, and recorded two tackles for loss and four quarterback hits in the Raiders' last two victories over the Chiefs.
But Crosby won’t be going it alone this year. The Raiders signed edge rusher Kwity Paye in free agency to bolster their pass rush, and new linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker have contributed as well.
As a result, the Raiders defense ranks second in quarterback pressure percentage at 36.3 percent despite blitzing on just 19.5 of all dropbacks, per Edwards.
Mahomes has complimented the talent the Raiders have brought in, but that’s typically what he does. The quarterback is all about throwing flowers before the game, but he turns into an assassin on the field.
The stats prove it. The Chiefs quarterback is 11-2 against the Silver and Black since 2019, with a 30:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio, according to Edwards.
The coaching matchups come with plenty of intrigue as well. Edwards framed this as new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard against Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, and Leonard’s results so far include leading the league in takeaways with nine and fumble recoveries with five. Las Vegas also ranks second in quarterback pressures with 41 while being tied for second in quarterback hits with 28.
This will be Leonard’s first time doing a full game plan against Reid, however, and he’ll be going up against a coach who’s a genuine offensive legend. Leonard has talked extensively about building an attacking defense, but this year’s version of the Kansas City offense features a “pick your poison” choice between stopping Mahomes and limiting new running back Kenneth Walker III, who was just named AFC Offensive Player of the Month.
