Our weeks of lackluster Thursday night games are over. At least for one day. The Oakland Raiders (10-2) battle to keep control of the AFC West and home field advantage in the playoffs against the Kansas City Chiefs (9-3).
The Game: Oakland at Kansas City (-3.5)
The Raiders on Offense
Through some outstanding drafts and free agent acquisitions, the Raiders are completely loaded on offense with young, dynamic playmakers. It all starts under center with Derek Carr. Carr is making his own MVP case leading the Raiders to multiple late-game and come-from-behind wins and in one of them coming back after a double dislocation in the pinky-finger on his throwing hand. Amari Cooper is his top target, but Carr spreads the ball around to his other weapons like Michael Crabtree and underrated tight end Mychal Rivera.
The Chiefs on Offense
Quarterback Alex Smith gets one his favorite weapons back tonight with wideout Jeremy Maclin suiting up for the first time in weeks. Spencer Ware continues piling up yards and should be on his way to his first 1,000-yard season, which will give Kansas City a real Sophie’s Choice when Jamal Charles is healthy again. Travis Kelce, when not dating 50 women on TV, is having a career season and will probably eclipse 1,000 yards too.
The Raiders on Defense
Rookie safety Karl Joseph is out, as is linebacker Shilique Calhoun and defensive tackle Stacy McGee. And while missing two starters might seem like a big deal, the Raiders best starters, Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin remain on the field and terorrizing quarterbacks. Mack in particular is on a game-breaking tear, ending multiple comeback attempts with sacks and forced fumbles. Irvin, in his first year away from Seattle, has settled right into his old role and is heading for a career year of his own.
The Chiefs on Defense
Starting nose tackle Dantari Poe and back up defensive end Kendal Reyes are both listed as questionable on the depth chart, but the Chiefs still bring Justin Houston, Eric Berry and Marcus Peters to the field and those three guys are in the Top Five at their position in the league. The problem for opposing teams isn’t just that you have three legit NFL superstars on the Kansas City defense, it’s that the rest of the starters are all good. This is a loaded unit across the board, with Derrick Johnson a consistently underrated presence at inside linebacker. Since 2010 he’s had one season where he didn’t record 107-plus tackles and it’s because he got hurt in the first game. This year he has 89 tackles through 12 games. While Houston gets tons of hype at his outside linebacker spot, and he deserves it, on the other side third-year man Dee Ford already has 10 sacks this season himself and is making a case to be the fourth superstar on this defense.
The Coaches
Andy Reid continues to prove his relevance in this league. After the Eagles fired him, he immediately made the Chiefs a contender within a year. They’ve never dropped since and he’s probably a Super Bowl trophy away from being a Hall of Fame coach. After fizzling out with the Jacksonville Jagaurs, Jack Del Rio is making the most of his second chance as a head coach. He’s built a team that could not only win the AFC this year, but for the next 10 years. His team reflects their coach in their toughness and ability to come back from any deficit. Advantage = Push.
The Pick
There are plenty of reasons to pick Kansas City here. Alex Smith is 8-1 against Oakland in his career and the Chiefs beat the Raiders earlier this season, 26-10 back in Week Five. I feel like a little revenge is in order. This Raiders team has proven its resilience and it’s time to go to the next level. Raiders 24, Chiefs 21
Last Week
Straight up: 9-6
Against the spread: 5-10
Season
Straight up: 117-73-2
Against the spread: 97-91
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