KC Chiefs vs. Las Vegas Raiders: NFL Week 12 Preview and Predictions
It's a short week for the Kansas City Chiefs, and one that brings an added level of intrigue due to it being a divisional game as well.
Andy Reid's squad is on the road for a Sunday matchup against Antonio Pierce's Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders find themselves 5-6 through 11 games, which puts them in serious need of a win to keep pacing to factor into the playoff picture in the coming weeks. With that said, Kansas City is also in need of a win following its Week 11 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs are heavily favored in this one, but that isn't a slight at their rivals that figure to bring as much of a challenge as possible.
How will Sunday's game unfold? The Arrowhead Report crew makes their predictions.
Joshua Brisco: I’ve spent most of this season banking on the Chiefs’ defense with a simple mantra: I’m not going to predict that they’ll allow more than 24 points in a game until it happens. Let’s try it from the offensive side: I’m not going to predict an offensive resurgence until we see one, even against a middling Raiders team likely without its best defensive player. I think Andy Reid will make an effort to get a couple of early targets to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but I don’t expect to see many more offensive tricks debuted in KC’s first matchup with the Raiders with the rematch just a month away. I’m expecting a solid, in-control win that doesn’t make Chiefs fans feel much better.
Prediction: Chiefs 20, Raiders 13
Jordan Foote: The Chiefs' offense may not be the powerhouse many expected it to be this season but even amid some serious struggles, it's certainly adequate to outscore an Aidan O'Connell-led unit. The Raiders deserve their flowers for playing a competitive brand of football with Antonio Pierce leading the way, however, a gritty game might not be enough on its own to overcome Kansas City on Sunday afternoon. I'm rolling with the home team to cover but the visitors to secure a seven-point win. It won't right the ship necessarily, although it's better than the alternative.
Prediction: Chiefs 24, Raiders 17
Mark Van Sickle: The Chiefs are going to play angry in this one. The sting of a Monday Night Football loss to the Philadelphia Eagles hasn’t gone away, and it’s felt like forever since that win over the Miami Dolphins in Germany before the bye week. The defense continues to play at an elite level and if the Chiefs' offense stops hurting themselves via drops and turnovers, they’ll win more often than not. This feels like a “get-right" game for KC.
Prediction: Chiefs 27, Raiders 13
Zack Eisen: After dropping two of their last three games, the Chiefs travel to Las Vegas to take on their rival, the Raiders. It’s the same storylines every week with Kansas City’s offense. The wide receivers, drops, penalties and turnovers have been uttered as issues since the season’s opening night. This game would be a nice start for the team to get the mistakes corrected, but they’ll need to string games together before the storyline takes a backseat. That’s all before we get to the second-half offense, which is the worst in the league this season. If the Chiefs want any hope of looking remotely close to the offenses of old, it starts this week in Vegas.
Prediction: Chiefs 28, Raiders 16
Conner Christopherson: I cannot imagine the fecal storm that would erupt if the Chiefs lost this game due to another Herculean effort by the offense in the second half to lose. The stat I believe defines the Chiefs' offense so far is they have scored the least second-half points of any team all season. That’s less than teams like the Giants and Jets… and that is ALL SEASON. It has also been all season that the Chiefs' defense has kept the team afloat, like last week against the Eagles. Luckily for the Chiefs, that is probably enough to beat a paltry Raiders team, but the offense needs to improve fast. Maybe the day the wide receivers finally deliver an excellent game is today?
Prediction: Chiefs 20, Raiders 10
Marlow Ferguson Jr.: The roller coaster ride for this inconsistent Chiefs offense has been quite the surprise, particularly in how long it’s lasted. Against a Raiders defense allowing just 12.6 points under Antonio Pierce, it’s difficult to draw faith in this being the week they fully get things on track. Las Vegas’ defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, has also historically played the Mahomes-to-Kelce combination well. Yet, for everything we’ve hoped for in Kansas City, it isn’t a hefty ask for them to reach that 20-point mark, something that might be too much for the Raiders. They’ve hit that number just twice in 11 games. Expect the Chiefs to take advantage of the Raiders’ key injuries, use the run game and set themselves up to get back on track in the AFC West.
Prediction: Chiefs 25, Raiders 16
