The AFC West division title is on the line in Week 13 as the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs duke it out, here are three players to keep an eye on.
Kansas City plays host to arguably the biggest game of the season for the AFC West foes on Sunday, fresh off a relaxing bye week full of extra preparation for the momentous match up. The narratives are well developed by now, but let’s recap them. The Chiefs, especially under Andy Reid, are great coming off of their bye as evidenced by Reid’s 17-3 record with an extra week of preparation.
The Raiders, primarily under Derek Carr, have struggled against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Carr is 0-5 on the road against the Chiefs, and now the narrative about his struggles in cold weather games is coming to the surface. Sunday’s forecast has a low of 34 degrees, so those talks have a bit of credence. Regardless of the two primary narratives, the winner of this game is the favorite to win the division and book their ticket to the playoffs.
The blueprint for being the Chiefs ‘juggernaut’ has been laid out by the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts. To have success against Kansas City teams need to be able to run the ball and get off the field on third downs.
With that in mind, let’s look at a couple players who are key to making those things happen and will be pivotal in Sunday’s contest.