Raiders at Chiefs: The Blood Fued

To get you ready for week 12, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the New Oakland Raiders/Kansas City Chiefs preview.

2007 Records:

Kansas City Chiefs: 4-6 (3rd in AFC West)
Oakland Raiders: 2-8 (4th in AFC West)

Last Game(s):

Colts 13 - Chiefs 10
Vikings 29 - Raiders 22

When the Chiefs have the ball: Does anyone else feel bad for Brody Croyle? Not because he's making a living playing football or because he's rich, but because he'll be without both Larry Johnson and Priest Holmes in only his third NFL start.

No? Well, you're right there with the Oakland Raiders then, because if there is a group of people who couldn't care less about Croyle, it would most certainly be them. In fact, you should fully expect a heavy pass rush and a series of blitzes all day from Oakland. They'll be looking to take his head off.

When the Raiders have the ball: There are few teams in the league that are as bad as the Chiefs offensively, and one of them happens to be the Oakland Raiders. And while their rushing attack has been solid all year, it's the passing attack that has given them fits. It doesn't seem to matter who they plug in at quarterback, they all perform equally as bad. Daunte Culpepper will be in charge of turning that around this Sunday.

For the Chiefs, the bottom line is simple: stop the run. If they're able to shut down Oakland's ground game and control the line of scrimmage, they'll have a shot at winning this game and keeping their slim playoff hopes alive.

The Edge: Experts, analysts and fans are always looking for the "edge" and what team has it. So, who has it this week? I'd have to hand that over to Kansas City. Not only will they be playing at home, they still have a little something left to play for.

Keep an eye on:

Tony Gonzalez versus Oakland linebackers - Without Johnson and Holmes, the Chiefs will be heavily reliant on the aerial attack this Sunday. And for that reason, you can expect Croyle to hit his most trusted target repeatedly. It will be up to the Raiders linebackers to slow him down.

Raiders offensive line versus the Chiefs front seven - As I've stated numerous time already, the Raiders must run the ball, while the Chiefs must stop it. Mix in the bad blood between these two teams and the end result should be an amazingly aggressive battle in the trenches.

Notes: It's Oakland-Kansas City. What else needs to be said? Sure, it doesn't get the hype Indianapolis/New England or New York/Boston gets, but in terms of all-time rivalries, it's right up there.