They say this is a league of quarterbacks so let’s take a look at the quarterback matchup on Thursday night between the Chiefs and Raiders.
Alex Smith is clearly in the driver’s seat with this one. As a Chief, Alex is 6-1 against the Raiders with four consecutive wins against them. The Chiefs haven’t lost to Oakland since the 2014 season. Or, to put it another way, Eric Berry has been diagnosed and beaten cancer since the Chiefs last lost to Oakland.
The problem is that what Derek Carr did against the Chiefs two years ago may not be as relevant as Alex Smith. Alex has been pretty much the same guy since he’s been in Kansas City. Carr is very young and so the development from year one to year two to year three is significant. He’s a much better player now than he was two years ago.
Alex Smith vs. Raiders (as a Chief)
W 24-7, 14-of-31, 128 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs
W 56-31, 17-of-20, 287 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs
L 24-20, 20-of-36, 234 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs
W 31-13, 18-of-30, 297 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs
W 34-20, 16-of-22, 162 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs
W 23-17, 14-of-24, 156 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
W 26-20, 19-of-22, 224 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs
Alex is coming off of a game last week in Atlanta that looks an awful lot like his last game in Oakland. If Alex is completing 80-plus percent of his passes and throwing fewer than 30 times, I’ll bet you a lot of money the Chiefs win. They are 18-1 when Alex Smith has a rating over 100.
Derek Carr vs. Chiefs
W 24-20, 18-of-35, 174 yards, 1 TD, O INT
L 31-13, 27-of-56, 222 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
L 34-20, 31-of-48, 283 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs
L 23-17, 21-of-33, 194 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
L 26-10, 22-of-34, 225 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Derek Carr has a completion percentage under 60 percent just once this season - last week against Buffalo. His last game against the Chiefs was his third worst passer rating of the season (behind Denver and Tennessee).