Headline Sports with London Marq: Ohtani will provide power with his bat and great starting pitching for Angels; Stanford hoops; A’s working on new stadium plans

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Combined photo shows Nippon Ham Fighters’ Shohei Ohtani pitching and batting during a game at Sapporo Dome in Japan on Oct. 4, 2017. (Kyodo via AP Images) ==Kyodo

On the Headlines Sports with London Marq:

1 With the signing of Shohei Ohtani the Angels now have a flexible player that will enter his rookie season that can do what only one player in the game was ever able to do on a consistent everyday basis and that was the one and only Babe Ruth who a pitcher with the Boston Red Sox and then went to the Yankees and converted into the greatest hitter of all time. Ohtani will hit and could very well be a designated hitter and pitch every other day. With this oddity and if he does well the Angels will be selling lots and lots of tickets.

2 Stanford Cardinal basketball continues after the Cardinal took a long break last playing Dec 3rd and losing at home to Long Beach State 76-66. The Cardinal Reid Travis led the team with 26 points. The Cardinal were underachieving, Reid Travis is not the only person on the Cardinal with talent. He’s the player that’s been their the longest and by far he’s not the only player with talent on that team.

3 The Oakland A’s who were voted with thumbs down at the Laney College Board of Directors meeting last Tuesday night for a new stadium will be regrouping again to look for another spot that will work. The A’s team president David Kaval did not make a statement regarding Laney College’s decision to go in a different direction regarding the new location but Kaval did say previously going into the Lake Merritt project that the Oakland Coliseum is not a viable project for a do over and it is Kaval and the A’s who made it clear they want to move downtown and not stay at the Coliseum.

4 Giancarlo Stanton is looking over his options after speaking with numerous clubs, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, and now he might end up staying with the Miami Marlins because some of the clubs may not want to match or take over the rest of Stanton’s contract thus forcing him to go back to the team started will.

London Marq does the Headline Sports Podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Niners look to build momentum with new QB Jimmy Garoppolo

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San Francisco 49ers Jimmy Garoppolo (10) drops back for a pass during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Sunday, December 3, 2017, in Chicago, IL (Terrell Lloyd via AP Images)

By Jeremy Harness

It took quite a long time, but things appear to be looking up for the 49ers as the final month of the season commences.

In his first start with his new team, even though he did not throw a touchdown pass, Jimmy Garoppolo led the 49ers to a final-seconds win over the Chicago Bears. It was only the second win of the year for the 49ers, but it was a special one for kicker Robbie Gould, who spent his entire career with the Bears, and he was the one who kicked the game-winning field goal.

Now the team will try to build on those positive vibes – and they have been few and far in between this year – on the road against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

One thing that is good for the team is this: The 49ers appear to be in pretty good shape in terms of the injury report. Tackle Trent Brown could not practice last week, but he was upgraded to limited on Wednesday with a shoulder that is on the mend, and safety Adrian Colbert also practiced on Wednesday while nursing a thumb injury.

The 49ers’ defense, however, will have a huge challenge on their hands when the Texans are on the field. Opposite star receiver DeAndre Hopkins, Houston is expected to get Will Fuller back to the active roster.

He was limited in practice on Wednesday with a rib injury, but coach Bill O’Brien was reportedly optimistic that Fuller will be able to play against the 49ers.

Burns’ OT Winner Caps Special Night By Special Teams in Sharks’ 5-4 Win Over Hurricanes

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Photo credit: San Jose Sharks

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. – There are going to be a large number of San Jose Sharks fans standing around the water cooler tomorrow morning talk about turning the TV off in the middle of another Sharks blowout. They’ll talk about how it was déjà vu, the Sharks getting blown out for the third-straight game after losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals by a combined 9-3 margin then falling behind to the visiting Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 after 20 minutes at home Thursday night.

“It’s not how we would draw it up to start a game,” said Sharks coach Peter DeBoer. “We dug ourselves out of a hole. You’re going to win all kinds of different ways over 82 games in this league.”

But something special happened. Or rather something special teams happened. The Sharks scored a pair of power play goals and shorthanded goals to overcome a 3-0 deficit, forcing overtime against the visiting Canes. A storybook comeback deserves a happy ending, so Brent Burns scored just 22 seconds into overtime to cap a furious 5-4 Sharks comeback. Burns, the third Sharks’ skater to enter the offensive zone, skated around Sebastian Aho to pick up the puck in close and beat goaltender Cam Ward for his second goal of the year.

Joe Thornton moved up the all-time points list with two points (one goal, one assist). Barclay Goodrow, Logan Couture and Melker Karlsson also scored for San Jose, while Paul Martin returned to the lineup finishing with a +/- of -2.

“It was his first game back,” said DeBoer. “It looked like it was his first game back, trying to get some of the rust off. I don’t think that was the story of the game.”

Trailing 3-0 heading into the second period, the Sharks used the second-best penalty kill in the league to break up Cam Ward’s shutout. Melker Karlsson fed Chris Tierney to start a two-on-one rush down the ice. Tierney returned the favor, feeding Karlsson right on the opposite post. Karlsson’s blistering up-close shot ricocheted off the back of the net and out for his fourth of the year in his first game back in the lineup since December 1st.

“Coach [Peter DeBoer] said if we can get one it would change the momentum of the game,” said Thornton. “It definitely did.”

The Hurricanes briefly stymied the momentum the Sharks were gaining after Karlsson’s shorty, striking after a lax defensive effort around their own net. The Hurricanes managed to fire off a number of in-tight shots on Jones with the puck bouncing throughout the goal area with Jeff Skinner ultimately pushing the puck through a pile of bodies for a 4-1 Carolina lead with 5:16 left in the period.

The other half of San Jose’s special teams stepped up to cut the Carolina lead to two with Joe Thornton scoring a power play goal with 2:09 left in the period after Trevor Van Riemsdyk was given the gate for holding the stick in a scramble. The Sharks man-advantage entered the game tied for 24th in the league with a 16.7 percent success rate.

The power play did it again in the third period, using crisp passing by Brent Burns to set up a one-timer for Logan Couture. Joe Thornton picked up the secondary assist to help the Sharks pull within one 4-3 with 11:29 left to play. The helper pushed Thornton to 19th place on the all-time points list, tied with Dale Hawerchuk and his 1,409 career points.

“We haven’t been getting any,” said Thornton on power play opportunities. “It’s tough to get into a rhythm when you’re not getting any. Tonight we could finally get into a rhythm getting 3 power play chances. It’s nice to see you score some goals.”

The PK had to catch up to the PP goal-for-goal, so Barclay Goodrow did the trick, tying the game with 8:04 left in regulation. Jannik Hansen led the rush up the ice, but it was Goodrow’s hustle to beat two Hurricanes skaters across the blue line for a breakaway on Ward that made the difference.

“That’s what guys have to do to try to stay in the lineup,” said DeBoer. “He’s playing with that desperation.”

The comeback was great, but San Jose video coach Dan Darrow might as well delete any footage from the first period after a listless start domed the home team. The Hurricanes took advantage of a sleepwalking Sharks club, with defenseman Noah Hanifin crashing from his spot on the blue line to wind up in the slot unfettered. Hanifin took Derek Ryan’s pass from below the faceoff dot and rifled a one-timer that Jones saved. The rebound bounced to Sebastian Aho though, who beat Jones 9:10 into the period for a 1-0 lead.

The Canes capitalized on a rare bad break from Marc-Edouard Vlasic whose clearing attempt aimed at the boards deflected into the slot instead. Center Elias Lindholm came up with the puck, then passed it to Victor Rask just inside the faceoff dot to Jones’ left. Rask fired the one-timer home for a 2-0 Carolina lead 11:37 into the period.

Aho pulled a similar move to Hanifin’s earlier in the game to score his second of the match. The winger slid into the slot alone, took a pass from Teuvo Teravainen and potted his second of the game and seventh of the season with 5:46 left in the frame. Despite the three goals, the Hurricanes only produced five shots on goal in the period to the Shark’s six and looked well on their way to a win.

“With the travel we’ve had over the last week or two it hasn’t been easy at times,” said Sharks captain Joe Pavelski. “It’s not an excuse. It took a few shifts to get it out of us.”

The five-goal performance Thursday might prove to be a preview for the weekend slate for the Sharks. San Jose will welcome a pair of opponents prone to giving up crooked numbers to the Shark Tank over the weekend, with the Ottawa Senators and Minnesota Wild making stops in Northern California over the weekend. Ottawa is currently sixth in the league, allowing 3.27 goals per game while the Wild allow 3, good for 13th place.

Fantasy Football Emergency Podcast: NFL Week 14 & the Fantasy Playoffs are on!

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Fantasy-Football (1)

Podcast hosts: Vasu “the Party-Man” Vaddiparty & Charlie O. Mallonee – Fantasy Football Freaks

The Playoffs are underway and money is on the line. We want you to win the championship of your league. We have the last minute advice you need on personnel moves to make to upgrade your roster and dominate your opponents. Come on … let’s win NOW!

Stanford Cardinal Football Podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Stanford’s Love should be the hands down Heisman winner

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AP File Photo: The Heisman Trophy sits on a table during a college football game between the Penn Quakers and the Ohio Dominican Panthers on September 16, 2017 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

On the Stanford Cardinal Podcast with Jerry F:

1 After Stanford’s tough loss last week at Stanford Stadium to USC they will face the TCU Horned Frogs for the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio

2 The Cardinal worked hard all season to get a decent bowl game. It was quite disappointing for them as Cardinal head coach David Shaw describes to get that far in the Pac 12 Championship and not make the Fiesta Bowl

3 Bryce Love had a career year with 1972 yards, 8.3 yards per carry, he carried for over 100 11 times during the season

4 Love also set an FBS record with 12 runs good for 50 yards

5 Jerry says Love is a hands down Heisman winner his numbers impressive and what he did with a injured ankle during the regular season was unbelievable

Jerry Feitelberg did the Stanford Cardinal Football podcasts join Matt Harrington for the football podcasts and Alexandra Evans for Stanford basketball podcasts at http://www.sportsadioservice.com

 

Headline Sports Podcast with Tony Renteria: A’s still want out of Coliseum; Downtown Oakland only place for A’s

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File photo: Oakland A’s team president Dave Kaval who led the effort to build a new ball park at Lake Merritt will now have to do a study on one of two locations Howard Terminal at Jack London Square or the Oakland Coliseum

On Headline Sports Podcast with Tony Renteria:

1 Laney College shot down the Oakland A’s new stadium proposal as the college faculty not only picketed against the new ball park but forced the Peralta Board of Trustees who didn’t want  munity with their faculty on their hands to vote and drop any further discussion on a new stadium at Laney College

2 A’s team officials were shocked when they found out the board had voted to stop all discussions on the new stadium. Had the discussions still carried on the faculty were planning on marching on the Chancellor’s office Thursday afternoon.

3 The A’s have two choices left to build a new park the Oakland Coliseum where A’s team president David Kaval said at one time the location was undesirable for corporate sponsors, developers, retail, businesses, also it was a location that most fans won’t want to walk around after a ball game. Jack London Square would be a much better alternative out of the two choices right now. You know it’s bad if Sam’s Hoff Brau year’s back had to move out of the Coliseum area a few years.

4 Does Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf have a huge problem in saving the A’s? The A’s campaign motto last season was “Rooted In Oakland” and it feels like depending on who your talking to that the A’s failed campaign to move to Lake Merritt failed that motto and everyone involved is asking “what next?”

5 Turning to football Tony takes a look at the Oakland Raiders in a must win situation as they play in Kansas City this Sunday. The Raiders are coming off a win against the New York Giants from last Sunday the Chiefs are coming off a six game loss streak so they want to win and win on their own home field.

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsadioservice.com

Bear-ly believable: Cal blown out by Central Arkansas at Haas

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California’s Juhwan Harris-Dyson, second from right, fights to keep the ball from Central Arkansas’ Thatch Unruh, right, and Ethan Lee (2) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–One sleuth of bears doesn’t normally differentiate itself from another sleuth to this degree.

Call it a strange night at Haas Pavilion as the Bears from California were totally outclassed by the lesser known Bears from Central Arkansas, 96-69. While UCA presented red-hot shooting and roster-wide “exuberance,” the Bears countered with turnovers and defensive indifference.

After achieving an energized start and an early lead of 12-5, the Bears flatlined. UCA scored 24 of the game’s next 30 points to establish a double-digit lead. They increased that lead to 20 at the half, then as as much as 35 in the second half before settling for a 27-point win.

“We have to go back and figure it out,” California coach Wyking Jones said after a spent more than a half an hour addressing his team in their locker room after the game. “We’re young but we can’t keep using that as an excuse. We’re better than we showed tonight.”

“I thought our effort was pretty good at San Francisco, but we went above and beyond tonight,” Central Arkansas coach Russ Pennell said referencing his team’s two-point loss at USF on Monday. “I thought the effort overall was good. And as skilled as we are, when we play hard, we’re going to make a lot of shots.”

Central Arkansas, finally enjoying their full Division I status after years at the NAIA level, where they welcomed Scottie Pippen as a 6’1″ walk-on in 1983 and saw him depart as a 6’8″ All-American, should have signaled some warning signs in Berkeley. Picked to finish 11th in the 13-member Southland Conference, ahead of only Incarnate Word and McNeese, UCA already registered one eye-popping result with a November 15 loss at UCLA in overtime in which they scored 101 points.

But Central Arkansas also lost to Baylor by 41, Tulsa by 20, and USF on Monday by two points. However, Cal has a 27-point loss to Chaminade and with seven freshman can hardly afford to overlook any opponent. But on Wednesday, the Cal Bears (3-6) appeared to do just that.

“Obviously, it’s an effort thing,” Jones admitted. “We’re much better than we showed.”

But how much better? Cal’s offense imploded again without ball and player movement leading to a whopping 22 turnovers. Marcus Lee, coming off a big effort against St. Mary’s, had just five rebounds, but six turnovers and succumbed to foul trouble. Lee played just 21 minutes.

Don Coleman misssed 10 of his 14 shots and had four turnovers. Five freshman saw action for Cal and combined to shoot 9 for 24.

Meanwhile UCA’s Jordan Howard led all scorers with 26 points and five made threes. That piggybacked his burden on the UC educational system after he put up 35 on UCLA. Two other Central Arkansas sharpshooters, Mathieu Kamba and 5’11” freshman DeAndre Jones also came up with multiple three-pointers in the rout.

On Saturday, Cal travels to San Diego State where they will see former teammate, Kameron Rooks, the graduate transfer averaging four points a game for the 7-2 Aztecs. SDSU has losses to undefeated Arizona State and Washington State, but also a whopping 31-point win over previously mentioned McNeese.

 

 

Heat scorch the SJ Barracuda with a 6-0 shutout win

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic and Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE–The third time was definitely a charm for the Stockton Heat as they crushed the San Jose Barracuda in a 6-0 shutout victory at SAP Center on Wednesday night.

Led by Spencer Foo’s first hat trick of the season, the Heat came into the game having a 0-2 record against the Barracuda this season. They made the most of their shots early on in the game as they scored three goals on just eight shots, proving quality over quantity.

Hunter Shinkaruk started off the scoring for the Heat just 5:11 into the first period when he skated in alone off a odd man rush and snuck in a shot passed Antoine Bibeau (6-4) on the short side of the goal.

The Barracuda couldn’t capitalize on separate 2-on-1 opportunities by Jon Martin and captain John McCarthy in the first period as both player’s shots missed the net.

Stockton goalie Jon Gillies (7-5-1) recorded his second shutout of the season on 25 saves. The highlight of his game came with 11 minutes left in the third period when stopped three point blank chances by the Barracuda. Adam Helewka’s back-hander on a breakaway and two subsequent rebound chances were stoned away by Gillies to preserve the shutout.

The Barracuda were guilty of standing around watching the puck when Defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon was wide open in the right slot and scored his third goal of the season beating Bibeau top self for a 2-0 lead. Ramus Andersson assisted on the Heat’s first two goals.

Foo scored the first goal of his hat trick at 9:07 of the 2nd period on tip in from a shot from Oliver Kylington along the left side of the boards as the puck redirected right between the five-hole of Bibeau. Head Coach Roy Sommer had seen enough and pulled Bibeau immediately after and replaced him with backup Parker Gahagen to try shake up his team’s lackadaisical play.

“We had some breakdowns defensively,” head coach Rommer said after the game. “It didn’t feel like a game where we didn’t have any emotion to me. I mean they were the ones who carried all the emotion, not us.”

Foo then tallied his second goal of the game at 15:40 of the third period on a power play goal skated in alone after receiving the puck and put a back-hander past Gahagen. The Heat had four goals on their first 12 shots.

Marek Hrivik continued the barrage when he scored his seventh goal of the season after the Cuda turned the puck over in their own zone and Hrvik was all alone in front of Gahagen putting the puck past the five-hole for a 5-0 lead

Foo would complete his hat trick and the scoring for the Heat when he was able to bury home a rebound shot from Oliver Kylington that beat Gahagen into the net. After a video review the goal was deemed good.

NOTES: The loss for Bibeau snapped his five-game winning streak. Gahagen finished his night with 12 saves on 15 shots. San Jose out shot Stockton 25-23. San Jose was 0/4 on the power play while Stockton cashed in, going 2/4. Stockton improved to 13-6-0-2 and with 28 points are in second place in the Pacific Division while San Jose currently sits sixth with 19 points at 9-9-0-1.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda take on the Pacific Division leading Tuscon Roadrunners on Friday 12/8 at SAP Center at 7 pm.

Durant, Warriors, send the Hornets down with 101-87 win

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Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant reacts to making a dunk against the Charlotte Hornets during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors were without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Patrick McCaw, and saw Zaza Pachulia leave the game early in the first quarter with a shoulder injury.

The Warriors called up Quinn Cook from the G-League Santa Cruz Warriors and Cook made his first start in the NBA. With Pachulia out, head coach Steve Kerr rotated JaVale McGee, David West, Jordan Bell, and Kevon Looney. Kevin Durant had a triple-double (35 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds) to lead the Dubs to a 101-87 win. It was the Dubs’ fifth win in a row on their six-game road trip.

The Warriors held the Hornets to 38 points in the first half as they shot 31% from the floor. Klay Thompson, Nick Young, and Quinn Cook made significant contributions to the Warriors’ attack.

“I knew Quinn would play well,” Kerr said. “He’s played a lot of minutes for New Orleans last year and we have watched him in practice in the G-league…We have a lot of synergy between the franchises and we run the same stuff, so Quinn knows all of the plays.”

The Warriors played from start to finish and refused to let the Hornets climb their way back into the game. The Hornets made a run late in the game, but the Dubs answered the challenge.

“Even without those other guys, they’re still pretty good,” Hornets interim head coach Stephen Silas, who’s leading the team while Steve Clifford is dealing with a health issue. “Obviously with Kevin Durant and Klay (Thompson) it was hard to stop those guys tonight.”

Kevin Durant led by example. Durant scored just 16 points in the first quarter. The Warriors led 26-18 as they held Charlotte to just 31% from the floor. In the second quarter, Thompson, Cook, and young connected on several three-pointers as the Dubs ended the first half with a 53-38 lead. The Dubs had a 26-point lead, but Kemba Walker and the Hornets’ offense got going.

In the second half, David West and JaVale McGee made several key buckets. The Hornets cut the deficit to 11 at the end of the third quarter, but the Warriors played defense in the fourth quarter to put the game in the win column.

Game Notes and Stats — Curry has a sprained ankle and is wearing a boot. He’s going to head home to the Bay Area Thursday and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

Green was out with a shoulder injury and it is not known if he will play in Detroit Friday night.

Patrick McCaw was hit on the nose by Demarcus Cousins Monday. McCaw may not be available Friday.

Pachulia injured his shoulder and his status is unknown.

Durant said: “It’s fun when you get to create and just be creative out there, whether it’s passing to JaVale (McGee) for a lob or shooting a pull-up jump shot…Tonight it felt like I could go in my bag of tools, my bag of tricks, to pull some stuff out. I don’t expect it to be like that every single game, but tonight I thought it called for it.”

“It wasn’t so much a vocal leadership role, but more of an ‘I got this’ type of thing,’ Kerr said. “It was the way he carried himself. He was clearly the best player on the floor and the dominant player on the floor. Without Steph (Curry), he almost had a different bounce to his step, like `This one is mine, I got it.”

Thompson ended the night with 22 points. Cook tallied eight points, three assists, and three rebounds. Young came off the bench and knocked down 10. Andre Iguodala had eight points and eight boards. David West added six points, four assists, three rebounds, and two blocked shots.

Leading scorers for the Hornets were Kemba Walker with 25, Nick Batum 15, and Dwight Howard with 14.

The Warriors shot 48% from the floor and held Charlotte to just 35% The Dubs knocked down 11 three-point shots and recorded 26 assists. On defense, they had eight steals and 12 blocked shots.

The Warriors finish the six-game road trip in Detroit Friday night. The Pistons beat the Warriors in Oakland early in the season. The Pistons will be trying to sweep the season series. Game time is at 4 pm.

Raiders get set for crucial AFC divisional game with Chiefs in Kansas City

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Photo credit: @RAIDERS

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — After back-to-back wins at home over the Broncos and the Giants, the Raiders head on the road to take on the Chiefs in Kansas City Sunday in a critical AFC West matchup. The Raiders are looking to complete the season sweep over the Chiefs after dispatching Kansas City, 31-30, in Week 7 at Oakland that halted Kansas City’s 11-game divisional win streak.

Kickoff is at 10:00 a.m. PT from Arrowhead Stadium. With both teams–along with the Los Angeles Chargers–sporting identical 6-6 records, the winner of this game would be in the driver seat of the division with three games to go in the regular season.

For the second straight week, Oakland’s defense held the opposing team to under 300 yards of total offense in limiting the Giants to 265 yards in Week 13. Defensive lineman Denico Autry recorded one of Oakland’s three sacks, his third in the last two games. Defensive end Khalil Mack and linebacker Bruce Irvin each posted a sack off of Giants starting quarterback Geno Smith.

Middle linebacker NaVorro Bowman led the team with eight solo tackles (one assisted).

Running back Marshawn Lynch carried the offensive load for Oakland, running for a 100 yards in a game since October 2015 as a member of the Seattle Seahawks. Lynch rushed for 101 yards on 17 carries, including a 51-yard touchdown run on Oakland’s first drive of the game. It was Lynch’s second-straight 100-yard game for Oakland this season.

Lynch owes the Raiders a big performance against the Chiefs, after getting ejected from the previous game for making contact with an official after coming off the bench to aid in defusing an altercation between Kansas City cornerback Marcus Peters, and the Raiders offensive line.

Lynch and Peters are “cousins” with the two having close ties from growing up in West Oakland.

With Oakland’s wide receiver corps depleted with Michael Crabtree serving a one-game suspension for fighting with Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib, and Amari Cooper out with a concussion/left ankle injury, wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson step up for the Silver and Black leading the team with 79 yards receiving on four receptions. Patterson’s 59-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter, helped seal Oakland’s victory over the Giants.

Crabtree is expected to be ready to go against the Chiefs, but Cooper is a different story. Cooper did clear the league’s concussion protocol, the team announced Wednesday, but has yet to practice on the sprained left ankle. If you’re part of Raider Nation, you better take a wait-and-see approach with Cooper.

Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr completed 22-of-36 passing for 287 yards and a touchdown, a nine-yard toss to wide receiver Johnny Holton in the fourth quarter.

Carr’s biggest performance of 2017 came against the Chiefs in front of a national audience on NBC’s Thursday Night Football, throwing for a ridiculous 417 yards on 29-of-52 passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Carr and Cooper were in perfect harmony that night, with Cooper having a career night with 11 receptions (on 15 targets) for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Cooper scored on touchdowns of 38- and 45-yards respectively.

In seven career games against Kansas City, Carr is just 2-5 against the Chiefs, his worst record against one team. Carr is just 3-4 against the Broncos in seven career games, his second-worst record against one team.

But Sunday’s game is essentially a playoff game for Oakland’s signal-caller, who sports a 0-3 record at Arrowhead Stadium. Carr knows that he must play well in order for the Raiders to leave Kansas City with a win.

Speaking before Wednesday’s practice, Carr acknowledge that the Silver and Black have their work cut out for them facing the Chiefs.

“Definitely number one right now, especially this week,” Carr said via the team’s official website. “It’s definitely up there. It’s something that we have not been able to do since I’ve been here. We have to get on that.

“We have a tough task ahead of us because, although their record is the same as ours, we’re both pretty good football teams. We have to go out there and play hard.”

After starting the season 5-0, including an impressive 42-27 win at New England in Week 1, Kansas City’s season has fallen into a tailspin. The Chiefs are just 1-6 in their last seven games and are currently riding a four-game losing streak after falling to the New York Jets, 38-31, at MetLife Stadium in an offensive shootout last Sunday.

Kansas City’s offense racked up 474 yards of total offense against the Jets, with starting quarterback Alex Smith having a huge day throwing and running the football. Smith threw for 366 yards on 19-of-33 passing, with four touchdowns and no interceptions. The former Utah quarterback also had a 70-yard run in the game.

Wide receiver Tyreek Hill erupted for six receptions for 165 yards and two touchdowns, while tight end Travis Kelce finished with four receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, Kansas City was shredded by the Jets allowing 488 yards of total offense to Gang Green. Journeyman quarterback Josh McCown threw for 331 yards on 26-of-36 passing and a touchdown. Kansas City’s secondary allowed wide receivers Jermaine Kearse (9 receptions for 157 yards) and Robby Anderson (8 receptions for 107 yards) to run uncovered for most of the game.

The Jets converted 13-of-20 third downs and hogged the time of possession, controlling the clock for 42:49 and didn’t allow the Chiefs to get near McCown. Justin Houston, Kansas City’s most feared pass-rusher, was held to just one tackle for the game.

That won’t cut it for a team who has a rich history of getting to the quarterback with guys named Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith and Tamba Hali just to name a few.

In Kansas City’s biggest game of the season, the team will play without the aforementioned Peters, who was suspended by the team Wednesday for leaving the field while the game was still being played against the Jets. Peters also threw a penalty flag in the stands after a Jet touchdown.

With Peters out against the Raiders, the Chiefs already leaky secondary has gotten weaker and that could be a place where Oakland could attack. Teams are averaging 252.8 passing yards a game against the Chiefs this season. Kansas City ranks 28th in the league against the pass.

Oakland averages 241.2 passing yards per game this season, good for 15th in the league. Overall, the Silver and Black rank 21st in the league averaging 20.8 points per game.

Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders will host the visiting Dallas Cowboys at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum in Oakland’s final home game of the regular season, while Kansas City hosts the Chargers in another pivotal AFC West matchup in Week 15.