What is Truly at Stake for the Raiders in Week 18

The shorthanded Las Vegas Raiders will face the shorthanded Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in a game that both teams can gain more by losing the game than by winning it.

Jeffery Chadiha believes there are several aspects to the Raiders' matchup against the Chiefs on Sunday. As much as it seems the Raiders' front office has put their team in position to secure the No. 1 pick, Chadiha noted the Chiefs have an incentive to lose for a better draft pick, just like the Raiders.

What is on the line on Sunday

"The only positive in the Raiders' 34-10 loss to the Giants was the advantage that could come in April. The Raiders now have a firm grasp on the top pick for next year's draft, as their defeat dropped them to 2-14. The key for Las Vegas is not to do something in the season finale against Kansas City that would end up blowing this benefit," Chadiha said.

Las Vegas Raiders Pete Carroll | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

"The Chiefs will be starting a third-string quarterback (Chris Oladokun) along with an assortment of backups, so this isn't a given for the Raiders. As spirited an effort as Kansas City gave in a Christmas Day loss to Denver, the Chiefs also could be thinking about securing the best possible draft pick they can gain after their own nightmarish season. It feels like the Raiders are committed to finishing what they started."

Not only do the Chiefs likely want a better draft pick, but they have also dominated the AFC West for the last decade. They have dominated the Raiders. Everyone, including the Chiefs, knows the Raiders will likely draft their franchise quarterback with the No. 1 pick. The Chiefs do not want that.

Still, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll noted on Monday that he hopes to finish the season strong on Sunday.

"Well, just going to keep going like we go in that we just try to make it as hard for everybody as possible to compete to be the player that they're capable of being. And there's going to be opportunities now, tremendous opportunities, for acquisitions to add to the team. We'll see how that goes, but we'll just try to continue to make it as competitive in all spots as we can possibly make it. And our guys have taken to the mentality,” Carroll said.

“They know when I say stuff like that, they know what I'm talking about, and they have to rise up every day and battle against each other and try to see who can win and who's going to get on the highlights the next day in the meetings and all that. That's the foundation of it. It's where you're coming from, and we're coming to compete to be as good as we can possibly be. And we know this team a lot better now. We know who we got, and we'll do everything we can to make it as good as possible."

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