**** OFFICIAL Chiefs vs Raiders Thread ***

[pr_capone]

An hour and a half before kickoff and no game day thread?!?!?!?

The Planet has lost its burst. We should be ashamed of ourselves.

Originally Posted by http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2009/11/14/game_summary_atoak/

• Don’t assume that RB Jamaal Charles will get the start at running back this weekend. The Chiefs truly are a running back by committee and the opening play-call and personnel package will determine who is officially inked into the starting lineup. But don’t fret fantasy footballers and Charles fans, the Chiefs speedster is still expected to be a very big part of the Chiefs offensive sets on Sunday.

• Look for Charles to receive 15-20 touches (rushes and receptions), but Kolby Smith to churn out the Chiefs first ground score of the season.

• The Chiefs will likely keep one of their six wide receivers inactive on Sunday. Last weekend that player was WR Bobby Wade. I wouldn’t expect to see Wade inactive in back-to-back weeks. It looked like the decision came down between Mark Bradley and Wade last Sunday.

• Expect Andy Alleman to get his second-straight start at right guard this Sunday. Alleman has taken the job over from Mike Goff (injured reserve), but the job is far from his. Ikechuku Ndukwe is pushing Alleman for playing time. We’ll see if both linemen are active on Sunday.

• S Dajuan Morgan got a chance to start last Sunday in place of the injured Jon McGraw. I’d expect McGraw to return to his starting post, but Morgan may see more time spelling both McGraw and Mike Brown on Sunday.

• Justifiably, Raiders QB Jamarcus Russell is a magnet for criticism. He has just one TD compared to seven INTs since the Chiefs and Raiders last met. But he’s not as bad as those numbers. Last season, Russell posted a very pedestrian 77.1 QB rating over 15 starts. This season, his rating stands at 48.3 through eight starts. This is the bottom for Russell.

• The Chiefs will win on Sunday if they can hold Oakland’s rushing attack under 100 yards (67 rushing yards in last Chiefs/Raiders matchup).

• Look for TE Leonard Pope’s role to expand this week.

• Matt Cassel will improve to 2-0 as a starter in Oakland.

• Voice of the Chiefs Mitch Holthus will use the nickname “Sea Bass” to describe Raiders K Sebastian Janikowski within the first five minutes of Sunday’s radio broadcast.