Arrowheadlines: Could the distraction of the Chiefs lead to a slip up by the Raiders?

The latest

NFL Week 12 ATS Picks: Jets topple Raiders, Seahawks beat Eagles, wild shootout between Dolphins, Browns | CBS Sports

Jets +3 vs. Raiders

Again, wrong team favored here. The Jets aren’t suddenly good or anything, but the offense has scored 34 points in each of the last two games. The Raiders struggle on defense because of injuries and youth. Sam Darnold should be able to move the ball in this game fairly well (I actually like the over as well, provided the weather is fine here). Conversely, the Jets have been good against opposing ground games so far this year. New York is giving up just 62.4 rush yards per game over its past five games and just 42.3 rush yards per game over the last three. The Raiders are much stiffer test and have run the ball well, but I don’t know if they can audible and challenge the Jets vertically with Derek Carr. We’ll see! I do think they’ll score some points, but I would back the Jets to win this game and certainly think they’ll cover as home dogs, especially with it being an early start and Oakland thinking ahead to next week’s game against the Chiefs for division supremacy.

With the Chiefs on their bye week, let’s examine what they’ve shown through 11 games | Kansas City Star

The Chiefs have relied on a variety of players to help pick up the slack in the interior alongside Derrick Nnadi: notably, rookie Khalen Saunders and veteran Mike Pennel, who joined the team in mid-October.

The unit is trending up, though, as a healthy Clark had five tackles, a sack, three quarterback hits and a forced fumble in Week 11.

Jones has also put together a nice three-game run since returning to the lineup in Week 9, totaling 11 tackles, three sacks, five quarterback hits, two tackles for a loss, two passes defensed and a forced fumble.

NFL Free Agents Still on the Market Who Can Spark Playoff Runs | Bleacher Report

S Eric Berry

Former Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry hasn’t played since the 2018 postseason, but he’s long been one of the NFL’s best ball-hawking safeties when healthy. When he last played a full 16-game slate in 2016, he finished with four interceptions, two touchdowns and a forced fumble.

Berry remains available and would be a tremendous addition for a few potential playoff teams.

The Cleveland Browns are an obvious choice. General manager John Dorsey has ties to Berry and the Chiefs, and Cleveland’s safety depth is lacking. The Browns released Jermaine Whitehead a few weeks ago and lost Morgan Burnett to a torn ACL last Thursday night.

The Oakland Raiders could also use an experienced safety after placing Karl Joseph on injured reserve. Rookie Johnathan Abram was placed on injured reserve after Week 1, and veteran Lamarcus Joyner is still dealing with a hamstring injury.

The Dallas Cowboys, who kicked the tires on safety Jamal Adams before the trade deadline, would also make sense.

Top Potential Destinations: Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders

Around the NFL

NFL’s All-Time Team: Jim Brown tops RBs; Bill Belichick a coach | NFL.com

That leaves just three slots for newer players, and it is hard to argue with the selections. Emmitt Smith is the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, a four-time rushing champion and the linchpin of the Dallas Cowboys’ three championship teams of the 1990s. Eric Dickerson’s 2,105-yard rushing campaign in 1984 remains the single-season record and he retired as the second-leading rushing in history. And Barry Sanders, who played just 10 electrifying seasons and left everybody wanting more, was the Offensive Player of the Year twice, led the NFL in rushing four times and had a record 14 straight 100-yard games as part of his 2,053-yard 1997 season.

How Raiders’ Darren Waller alters mindset to beat heavy coverage | Yahoo Sports

Waller saw Brown work during the offseason program and took notes. He also sees how elite tight ends Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz are covered but still are able to get going.

”The best players find a way. They get attention every week and still produce,” Waller said. “They still find moments to make an impact. Look at AB over the years. You know they’re looking for him on every play, and he’s still doing what he does. You’re obviously going against the other team, but you’re also going against yourself. There are obstacles coming your way, but if you focus on them, you’re lost. You have to have the confidence to say that they have to beat me, and not ask how I’m going to beat them.”

Patriots’ Tom Brady (elbow) questionable vs. Cowboys | NFL.com

Tom Brady (right elbow) is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Brady is expected to play, though. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero later added that the Pats will monitor Brady’s elbow issue into Saturday and reassess the situation.

Brady was a late addition to the injury report, appearing only on Friday as a limited participant alongside a lengthy list of teammates, including tackle Marcus Cannon (illness), safety Patrick Chung (heel/chest), and receivers Phillip Dorsett (concussion) and Julian Edelman (shoulder).

Which quarterback-team pairings do you want to see next NFL season? | SB Nation

Andy Dalton

Stites: Los Angeles Chargers. I agree with the notion that not many teams will want Dalton as a starter, but I think one or two might. He’s been a Pro Bowler three times in his career and he’s still just 32. The list of teams likely in the market for a veteran starter is small, but it could (or at least should) include the Chargers. Philip Rivers is struggling in 2019 and it’s spoiling a roster that can be a winner. Dalton could be the bridge starter for a young quarterback drafted as Rivers’ successor.

The Colts’ Late-Game Management Against the Texans May Cost the Team a Playoff Spot | The Ringer

But not only did the Colts lose, 20-17, they dropped this game in excruciating fashion. Late in the fourth quarter, Indy got the ball down three with a chance to drive for a win, or at least a tie. Then they did almost everything wrong. Frank Reich made a series of mistakes with his play-calling and timeout usage that hurt his team in its most important game of the season, and now the Colts are 6-5—well behind the 7-4 Texans in the division. Indianapolis’s playoff odds now sit around 36 percent.

Los Angeles Chargers’ Michael Davis suspended 2 games for violating NFL’s substance abuse policy | ESPN

The Chargers (4-7) are on their bye this week. The suspension will cover road games against Denver (Dec. 1) and Jacksonville (Dec. 8).

Davis, who is in his third season, has started nine games this year and has an interception along with 27 tackles.

General manager Tom Telesco said in a statement that Davis is a good person who made a “significant mistake this past offseason.”

In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride

PFF names Chiefs’ most underrated player

“It was a great route by Mecole,” Mahomes said last week before highlighting Hardman’s development. “A route that he probably wouldn’t have been able to run at the beginning of this year and it shows that he’s progressing and getting better every single week. I think just keeping the excitement of the game and enjoying it is always important.”

The Chiefs have said that they see Hardman as their next super-threat at the punt returner position — in a sense similar to what wide receiver Tyreek Hill brings to the table. That, of course, remains to be seen.

SB Nation’s Fan Pulse (after Week 11)

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