Chiefs’ scouting report: Raiders have made major changes since last game vs. KC

The Chiefs ended the 2022 regular season with a 31-13 win over the Raiders in Las Vegas, and you may remember that KC unveiled its “Snow Globe” spinning huddle.

Raiders coach Josh McDaniels watched quarterback Jarrett Stidham get sacked six times and throw an interception that day. Stidham was starting in place of Derek Carr, who was benched, likely with the blessing of general manager David Ziegler.

McDaniels, Stidham, Carr and Ziegler are now all gone from Las Vegas. McDaniels and Ziegler were fired on Halloween night; Antonio Pierce is interim head coach and Champ Kelly is the general manager.

So yeah, a lot has changed in Las Vegas since the Chiefs’ last trip there.

Each week, I take an early look at the Chiefs’ next opponent, and here is a quick scouting report of the Raiders, 5-6. Kickoff is at 3:25 p.m. Sunday, and the game will air on KCTV (Ch. 5).

1. A new No. 4

Carr was released by the Raiders after last season and he signed with the Saints. His No. 4 jersey is now being worn by rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who was a fourth-round pick out of Purdue.

Pierce and Kelly elevated O’Connell to the starter’s role after benching Jimmy Garoppolo.

O’Connell had his worst game Sunday in a 20-13 loss at Miami, throwing three interceptions. He has six this season on 145 pass attempts, but his interception rate (4.1%) is better than Garoppolo’s (5.4%).

Las Vegas is second-to-last in the NFL in turnover margin (negative-7), ahead of just Washington.

2. Nice addition at receiver

Davante Adams leads the Raiders with 64 receptions and 741 receiving yards, and he’s been more than just a deep threat for Vegas this season. Thirty-nine of his catches have resulted in a first down.

Jakobi Meyers, who signed with the Raiders in March, has done well in his first season in Vegas. He has caught 46 passes for 512 yards and a team-best five touchdown receptions.

3. Struggling ground game

One Raiders player that Chiefs fans likely remember is running back Josh Jacobs. He’s on pace for another 1,000-yard season, but he’s averaging just 3.3 yards per attempt (661 yards in 200 carries).

Jacobs was limited to 39 yards on 14 carries in the loss to the Dolphins. That came after he rushed for 214 yards in 53 attempts in victories against the Giants and Jets the previous two weeks.

The Raiders are averaging just 79 yards rushing per game, which is second-to-last in the NFL (ahead of the Buccaneers). Jacobs is the Raiders’ third-leading receiver with 31 catches for 265 yards.

4. The Vegas defense

Las Vegas is 26th in scoring offense (16.8 points per game), but the defense is 13th (giving up 20.5 points per game).

However, the Raiders are allowing 5.3 yards per play, which is in the bottom half of the NFL, per Pro Football Reference. Las Vegas is giving up 210.0 yards per game through the air, which is 11th in the league.

The Raiders have allowed an average of 132.3 yards rushing per game. That’s the sixth-worst in the NFL. And opponents have scored a touchdown on 62.5% of their trips to the red zone.

5. Maxx vs. Mahomes

One of the best moments from Netflix’s “Quarterback” docuseries was the interaction between Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby.

You may recall how the Raiders “woke up” Mahomes during a game last season. Mahomes had a funny explanation about what he was saying while on the “ManningCast” last week.

“You woke up the wrong gentleman,” Mahomes joked, choosing the last word over a bleeped-out one from the Netflix show. “I blacked out a little bit. Said a couple words I probably shouldn’t have said.”

Crosby is having another great season with 10 1/2 sacks, which is tied for fifth-most in the NFL. Crosby also has 14 tackles for loss and 17 quarterback hits.