Chiefs vs. Raiders: Week 5 Preview and Predictions
Just over a week after taking the Sunday Night Football stage and coming away with a big win over a contender on the road, the Kansas City Chiefs are back at home for a Monday Night Football outing against an AFC West opponent.
For the first time in 2022, Kansas City is playing host to the visiting Las Vegas Raiders in a game that is shaping up to be a major barometer for where both clubs are at right now. The Raiders are coming off their first win of the 2022 campaign and at 1-3, their margin for error is incredibly slim as they look to climb back into the playoff-caliber conversation with head coach Josh McDaniels. The Chiefs, on the other hand, have had an up-and-down start to the year but are still 3-1 on Monday afternoon with a chance to rise to 4-1 with a victory. A Week 5 win further proves that they haven't lost much of a step.
How will tonight's game unfold? The Arrowhead Report crew makes their predictions.
Joshua Brisco: I'm not forgetting about the Chiefs' loss to the Colts, I just don't think it'll happen again. The Chiefs should control the Raiders en route to a multi-possession victory. Barring Indianapolis levels of chaos and self-destruction, the Chiefs are clearly the better team, despite the fact that the Raiders have one of the most dynamic pass-catching units in football. Vegas' weapons notwithstanding, I'll take the Chiefs' defense to step up and the offense to overpower the Raiders.
Prediction: Chiefs 31, Raiders 20
Jordan Foote: The Chiefs are undoubtedly a better team than the Raiders, but the football world saw a couple of games ago against the Indianapolis Colts that it isn't always about talent level. Kansas City needs to enter games fully prepared and when things aren't firing on all cylinders, even a Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid-led squad is vulnerable against inferior opponents. On the other hand, the Chiefs are back at home and will be squaring off against a team they've dominated in the recent past... in a time slot that they've dominated in the recent past. The Chiefs won't win big here because Las Vegas knows that a loss here effectively ends their season, but talent reigns supreme in this scenario. Kansas City fails to cover but secures a six-point win.
Prediction: Chiefs 27, Raiders 21
Mark Van Sickle: The Raiders are coming to town and the Chiefs are back on track after a big win on Sunday Night Football against the Bucs last week. Derek Carr typically has a rough time at Arrowhead and Mahomes typically shines in primetime games. This should lead to a big Chiefs win, but we’ve seen some wacky things happen this season. With that said, the Chiefs will handle their business. I’m really hoping to see a George Karlaftis sack and Skyy Moore touchdown so we can call this the “rookie” game.
Prediction: Chiefs 38, Raiders 20
Conner Christopherson: Well, the Chiefs got back on track. What they did against the Bucs, especially on offense, is possibly the ceiling of the team and it was championship-level. Now the question remains if they can play to that level at will. The Raiders have had a rough start to the year and are coming into Arrowhead on Monday night. That is a recipe for disaster for Las Vegas on paper, but anything is possible in divisional games. The matchup to watch will be the Chiefs' defensive line against the Raiders' offensive line. If the Chiefs can rattle Carr, it’ll be a long night for the silver and black.
Prediction: Chiefs 31, Raiders 20
Zack Eisen: The Chiefs found themselves offensively against the Buccaneers last week. They put on an offensive masterclass to the tune of 41 points, which felt like it could have been more. This week against a divisional opponent, I expect them to come out firing again and have another high-scoring output. Defensively, the Chiefs need to make sure they don’t let the Raiders’ weapons get loose. If the defensive line can get pressure early on Derek Carr and force mistakes, it will put the Chiefs in an advantageous position. Monday Night Football under the lights, the Chiefs get a win in front of the home crowd.
Prediction: Chiefs 34, Raiders 20
Marlow Ferguson Jr.: Patrick Mahomes’s numbers against the Raiders (7-1 record, 318.3 yards, 22 TDs, and 3 INTs) and his numbers on Monday Night Football (6-1 record, 297.9 yards, 17 TDs, and 5 INTs) preach almost identical messages: the Chiefs’ offense will be in good hands. What will be more interesting, personally, is looking into how Kansas City defends Davante Adams. This year, teams have had success using that Cover-7 bracket coverage on Adams and Darren Waller — similar to the way teams tried to defend that old Travis Kelce-Tyreek Hill combo — so it feels must-watch, especially with the media calling for more targets Adams’ way. On primetime and with the prospect of falling to 1-4, we can expect Las Vegas to hold no punches, though in a valiant, losing effort.
Prediction: Chiefs 29, Raiders 23
