Chiefs Seeking to Stretch KC Victory Streak vs. Oakland to Seven Games
Nov 14, 2006, 1:33:00 AM by Pete Moris
The Arrowhead Advantage vs. Oakland
Raiders head coach Art Shell owns an 0-6 record (0-5 regular season, 0-1 playoffs) as a head coach at Arrowhead. No coach in NFL history has made more appearances in Kansas City without a victory. According to STATS, Inc., former Colts head coach Ted Marchibroda owns the most road appearances against one opponent without a win (0-9 at Pittsburgh). Among active NFL coaches, only Tony Dungy (0-7 at Green Bay) has played more road games against a single foe without a victory than Shell.
KC has won 19 of its last 21 games against QBs in their first or second year as NFL starters who are making their initial appearance as a starter at Arrowhead. Oakland QB Andrew Walter is expected to make his first start in KC on Sunday. The Raiders are 0-4 in November games at Arrowhead dating back to ‘90. Jon Gruden was the last Raiders head coach to guide Oakland to a win at Arrowhead, getting a 27-24 victory (9/9/01). The Chiefs are 10-2 (.833) at Arrowhead dating back to 2005, while the Raiders are 2-10 (.167) on the road over that same timeframe, including a string of seven straight losses away from home.
Chiefs-Raiders Scoring Stats, Part I
Dating back to ‘85, the Chiefs are 14-1 at Arrowhead in regular season and playoff action when holding the Raiders to 21 points or less. Since the start of the 2002 season, Oakland is 5-41 (.109) when being held to 21 points or less. The Raiders have been held to 21 points or less in all six of Art Shell’s previous appearances at Arrowhead as that club’s head coach.
Oakland has topped the 21-point plateau just once this season, getting a 22-9 win vs. Arizona (10/22). Kansas City has won 20 consecutive games at Arrowhead when holding foes to 21 points or less, a mark that ranks as the fourth-longest active streak in the league. Kansas City has held its foes to an average of 18.4 ppg in its five wins in 2006. Oakland has been held under 10 points in four games in 2006, the most of any squad in the NFL. KC is a perfect 39-0 at Arrowhead since ‘90 when holding foes to 10 points or less, including an 8-0 mark vs. the Raiders.
Chiefs-Raiders Scoring Stats, Part II
The Chiefs are 29-4 (.879) at Arrowhead when scoring 30+ points dating back to ‘95, including a streak of five straight wins. Kansas City has averaged 29.0 ppg in its first four home outings of 2006, the fourth-highest home scoring average in the NFL this season. Oakland has averaged 7.3 ppg in four road contests this season. In total, Oakland has scored a league-low 105 points in 2006, an average of just (11.7 ppg).
The Chiefs are 50-7 (.877) in regular season action at Arrowhead when leading at the half dating back to ‘95, including a streak of six consecutive wins. KC will face an Oakland squad that has lost nine consecutive games when trailing at halftime, including an 0-4 mark in 2006. KC has outscored its foes by a 54-20 margin in the first half of their three wins at Arrowhead this season. In fact, the Chiefs have shut out five of their nine opponents in the first quarter in 2006. Oakland has scored an NFL-low 28 points in the second half of games this season. KC’s defense is coming off a second-half shutout at Miami (11/12).
The Turnover Table
During the past four games, the Chiefs have produced a +5 (9 takes/4 gives) turnover mark. Kansas City currently ranks seventh in the NFL with 57 points off takeaways with 37 of those points coming in the past four games. The Chiefs have registered a positive turnover ratio in 16 consecutive wins at Arrowhead, the third-longest active streak in the NFL.
The Raiders are 3-19 (.137) on the road with a negative turnover mark dating back to 2004, including eight straight losses. Only Pittsburgh (24) has committed more turnovers than Oakland (23) this season. Oakland (15 takes/23 gives), Pittsburgh (16 takes/24 gives) and Cleveland (14 gives/22 takes) are all tied for last in the NFL with a -8 turnover differential.
Winning Division Games at Home is a Must
The Chiefs have made a habit of winning division games at home. Kansas City is 9-1 (.900) against AFC West foes at Arrowhead since 2003, including a streak of six consecutive wins. Oakland owns a 2-18 (.100) overall record in division play over that same timeframe, owning a streak of 10 consecutive losses against AFC West opponents. The Raiders last victory against a division foe was a 25-24 win at Denver (11/28/04).
QB Damon Huard Seeks to Stay Hot at Home
Chiefs QB Damon Huard owns a 6-0 record as an NFL starter in home games, including a 3-0 mark at Arrowhead. In three home starts with the Chiefs, Huard has completed 66.7% (50 of 75) of his passes for 752 yards with five TDs and no INTs, good for a 121.6 rating. Huard currently leads the NFL with a 0.41 INT percentage and ranks fifth in the NFL with a 96.7 rating. QB Steve DeBerg (0.90%) established the Chiefs record for lowest INT percentage in a season in ‘90 when he was picked off just four times on 444 attempts. Huard has thrown 121 consecutive passes without suffering an interception dating back to a contest at Pittsburgh (10/15).
Chiefs-Raiders Rushing Stats, Part I
During the Chiefs six-game winning streak against the Raiders, Kansas City has outgained Oakland by an average of 32.5 rushing yards per game. Over that six-game span, KC has registered 127.5 ypg compared to 95.0 for Oakland. Dating back to ‘90, KC owns a stellar 17-2 (.895) record vs. the Raiders when compiling 30 or more rushing attempts.
The Chiefs are 14-4 (.778) when RB Larry Johnson posts a 100-yard rushing game, including a perfect 10-0 mark at Arrowhead. The Raiders are 1-13 (.071) when allowing a 100-yard rusher dating back to 2004. Johnson has averaged 125.8 rushing yards in 11 career starts at Arrowhead and has scored 24 of his 40 (60.0%) career rushing TDs at home. Johnson has scored at least one TD (rushing or receiving) in seven consecutive games and needs just five more rushing TDs to overtake Hall of Fame RB Marcus Allen (44) for second on KC’s career rushing TD list.
Dating back to 2002, Kansas City is 21-2 (.913) at Arrowhead when scoring two or more rushing TDs. Oakland has lost 17 consecutive games when allowing an opposing team to produce two or more rushing TDs. The Chiefs own 11 rushing TDs in their last six meetings with the Raiders, producing two rushing scores in five of those six contests. Oakland’s defense has permitted just four rushing TDs this season, a mark that is tied as the fifth-lowest total in the NFL.
Chiefs-Raiders Rushing Stats, Part II
The Chiefs have gone 18 straight games without relinquishing a 100-yard rusher at Arrowhead, the longest active streak in the league. The Raiders haven’t posted a 100-yard rusher against the Chiefs in their last 27 trips to Arrowhead. The last Oakland player to accomplish that feat at Arrowhead was RB Arthur Whittington (134 yards on 11/5/78). Kansas City’s defense has allowed just 85.4 rushing ypg and one TD in the club’s five wins this season. KC has permitted just two 100-yard rushers in the team’s last 32 games. Oakland has scored three rushing TDs on the season. Only Cleveland (2) has scored fewer.
Chiefs-Raiders Passing Stats
KC owns a stellar 31-3 (.912) record at Arrowhead when forcing two or more INTs dating back to ‘95, including a 14-1 (.933) mark in such contests dating back to 2002. Since the start of the 2002 campaign, Oakland is 3-16 (.158) in games when throwing two or more INTs. Only Tennessee (14 of 265 – 5.3%) has had a higher percentage of its passes intercepted this season than Oakland (116 of 245 – 4.9%). KC has forced five of its seven INTs in its last three home games. KC hasn’t allowed an opposing passer to post a 300-yard game or a 100.0 rating in its last nine home games. Oakland has thrown an NFL-low four TD passes in 2006.
Kansas City’s Sack Attack at Arrowhead
KC has registered 15.0 sacks in its five victories and has posted 2.0 or more sacks in all five of those wins in 2006. The Chiefs own a 20-1 (.952) record at Arrowhead since the start of the 2002 campaign when forcing 2.0 or more sacks, including a string of 10 consecutive wins. Oakland has been sacked an NFL-high 47.0 times in 2006. The Raiders are currently on pace to relinquish 83.5 sacks this season, which would shatter the previous franchise record of 67.0 sacks allowed by Oakland in ‘98 and would rank as the second-highest tally in NFL history (PHI – 104.0 in ‘86).
Chiefs DE Jared Allen has a team-high 6.0 sacks and is on pace for his second straight double-digit sack season. Allen also has four fumble recoveries on the season and is on schedule to surpass the Chiefs single-season record of six FRs: S Deron Cherry (’88), DT Dan Saleaumua (’90).
The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.
