Though the Raiders are playing their best ball of the season, it only helps that they are catching the Chiefs in their roughest spot in years. Winning in Arrowhead is normally insanely difficult, but this Chiefs team isn’t scaring any one. This is the worst the team has looked since 2012.
Kansas City might be a slight favorite at home, but this is the time that the Raiders can sink their arch rival. With a win over Kansas City at Arrowhead, the Raiders will have completed the season sweep of the Chiefs for the first time since 2012. It will be key to have the head-to-head tiebreaker over Kansas City if Oakland wants to win the AFC West this year.
So why has Kansas City faltered so badly of late? Quarterback Alex Smith has gone back to being a dink-and-dunk passer. Rookie running back Kareem Hunt has cooled off considerably since his hot September start. The defense isn’t up to par, especially since Eric Berry isn’t coming back at any point this year. Even head coach Andy Reid is to blame in some capacity.
The Chiefs’ best defensive player in cornerback Marcus Peters will be suspended by the team for this rivalry game. That was Reid’s call, as he has given up play calling duty to offensive coordinator Matt Nagy in the last few weeks. This Chiefs team is a mess and the Raiders have handled three complete messes in the last five weeks. So why not make it four in six?