Chiefs-Raiders preview: Frank Clark’s rise

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thanks for reading/listening to what we do! On this week’s mailbag/game preview edition of the Arrowhead Pride Laboratory, we talked about three points on offense and three points on defense to watch in Sunday night’s game.

Offense

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Tyreek Hill’s effectiveness

It appears as though Tyreek Hill avoided missing any more time than all but a few plays of the Chargers game. With the way this season has gone injury-wise, forgive me if I’m still anxious to see if he can play effectively on Sunday. The game in Mexico City showed the value Hill has with this team. The vertical threat and the ability to create on short throws on third downs was missed in that game. Hopefully, there are no setbacks and we get to see the offense at full strength coming out of the bye week.

Eric Fisher bounce-back game?

Eric Fisher’s return to the lineup was far from perfect. In fact, it was one of his worst games as a Chief. I don’t take too much stock in it, considering it was his first game back, lined up against Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram on an abysmal field. He’s had two weeks to rest up after his first action since early in the season. We expect a much-improved performance.

Raiders linebackers and safeties

Oakland has seen significant attrition at the linebacker and safety position. Lamarcus Joyner and Johnathan Abram were lost for the season to injury, Vontaze Burfict was deservedly suspended for the remainder of the season due to repeated personal fouls for cheap shots. This is a depleted group in the back seven that the Chiefs should be able to exploit. The middle of the field should be a place where they can attack with Travis Kelce.

Defense

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Stopping the trio

Josh Jacobs, Tyrell Williams and Darren Waller are a formidable trio of offensive weapons for Oakland. The talent may stop at those three, but a good group nonetheless. Jacobs seems to be getting better and better as he gains more experience in the league. He’s having a lot of success both in the run and pass game. Williams started the season with five straight games with touchdowns but has since not scored. Regardless, he should be respected. Waller hasn’t been below 13 yards per catch in the last four weeks. This trio presents challenges for all levels of the defense.

Derek Carr’s winter and Arrowhead woes

Derek Carr doesn’t like cold weather. He also doesn’t like playing at Arrowhead, where he’s yet to win since entering the league. Credit Jon Gruden for getting what he can out of Carr, but if he wants to pull off the upset, he’ll need his quarterback to display some traits you don’t typically expect with him. Trends will have to be bucked if the Raiders want to win.

Frank Clark’s rise

The big offseason acquisition is starting to heat up. Frank Clark has been healthier than he has at any point of the season, and it’s showing with his recent performances. He’s been improved since returning to the lineup in Week 10, registering a sack in each game. That comes after his last performance before missing time due to a neck issue resulted in a two-sack performance. Clark’s impact was felt in Mexico City, and this is a good matchup for him to sustain that success.

Arrowhead Pride Laboratory

We went into further detail on these storylines and listed players we’re looking forward to watching on this episode edition of the Arrowhead Pride Laboratory.