Raiders-Chiefs preview: ‘Best team’ faces ‘worst team’ on Black Friday
The Raiders will look to earn their first AFC West win of the season when they travel to Kansas City to play a showcase game against the Chiefs on Black Friday.
The team is 0-4 in its division so far. That means the Raiders (2-9) have just two opportunities left to pick up an AFC West win. The other will come in Week 18 against the Chargers.
One of the Raiders’ division losses was a 27-20 defeat to the Chiefs (10-1) at Allegiant Stadium on Oct. 27.
Game information
■ Who: Raiders at Chiefs
■ When: Noon Friday
■ Where: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
■ TV: Prime Video/ABC (Al Michaels, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, Kaylee Hartung, analysts)
■ Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3) (Jason Horowitz, play-by-play; Lincoln Kennedy, analyst)
■ Line: Chiefs -12, total 42½
Series history
This series between storied rivals was close for a long time. Then Kansas City went on a dominant run that has seen it win 17 of the last 20 matchups.
That one-sided stretch has allowed the Chiefs to take a commanding 74-55-2 edge in a series that dates back to 1960, when they were still known as the Dallas Texans.
Kansas City is also 2-1 in the playoffs against the Raiders.
Last meeting
Oct. 27 — Star tight end Travis Kelce had 10 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown as the Chiefs remained unbeaten at Allegiant Stadium.
The Raiders had a great opportunity to end that streak when safety Tre’von Moehrig intercepted quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the third quarter and returned the ball to the 3-yard line. But the offense failed to score when quarterback Gardner Minshew was sacked on fourth down to keep Kansas City ahead 17-13.
The Chiefs scored the next 10 points after that to send the Raiders to another disappointing loss.
Mahomes threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Minshew passed for 209 yards and two touchdowns in the loss, but the Raiders had only 33 rushing yards on 21 carries.
Bold predictions
1. Kelce and Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers will each have at least eight catches and a touchdown.
2. Running back Isiah Pacheco will run for at least 100 yards and a touchdown in his return from an ankle injury.
3. Defensive end Maxx Crosby, who has gone four games without a sack, will record at least two against Mahomes to break out of his slump.
Storyline
The holiday matchup between the two rivals conjures up memories of their Christmas Day clash last year in Kansas City.
The Raiders scored defensive touchdowns on consecutive drives that game to pull off a stunning 20-14 upset. The team celebrated in the visiting locker room at Arrowhead Stadium and told the world times had changed in the AFC West.
The Chiefs took notice. They didn’t lose again the rest of the season, capping things off by celebrating a Super Bowl title in the home locker room of Allegiant Stadium in February.
Kansas City remains a contender this year, while the Raiders have lost seven straight. Coach Antonio Pierce still believes his team can replicate last year’s surprise win.
“Let’s call a spade a spade, right?” Pierce said. “The best team in football against the worst team in football. Let’s change the narrative, right? Let’s go out there and make it a dog fight. Let’s make it ugly. Let’s make it scrappy. It’s Black Friday. Let’s create a little chaos. Let’s get back to Raider football and have some fun and some personality. Let it loose.”
When the Raiders have the ball
Interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner has been the Raiders’ play-caller for two games now, and there have been some positive developments.
The team is still not getting enough out of its offense, however.
Now the Raiders will have to go through another quarterback change, as Aidan O’Connell is set to return from a fractured right thumb Friday after Minshew suffered a season-ending collarbone injury in Sunday’s loss to the Broncos.
O’Connell was the starter for the team’s win in Kansas City last year, but it wasn’t exactly an offensive masterpiece. He completed just nine of his 21 passes for 62 yards.
O’Connell will rely on Bowers and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers as he gets back up to speed. The Raiders also hope to get something out of their dormant running game, which had brief pockets of success last week.
Practice-squad running back Sincere McCormick, who had 33 yards on five carries against Denver, should get more opportunities against the Chiefs.
When the Chiefs have the ball
Mahomes continues to be one of the NFL’s most dangerous players.
He’s not putting up video-game numbers this year, but he always seems to make a big play at a key moment. Last week that meant getting the Chiefs in position for a game-winning field goal after the Panthers rallied from 14 points down to tie things up in the fourth quarter.
Mahomes’ longtime top target, Kelce, has the second-most receptions among tight ends with 68. Only Bowers (74) has more.
Kansas City’s offense will also be boosted this week by the return of Pacheco, who brings a more explosive element to the run game than running back Kareem Hunt.
The Raiders will have to dig deep to contain the Chiefs. Starting cornerbacks Jakorian Bennett and Nate Hobbs are both out Friday, Pierce said. That means it’s important for the Raiders to win on early downs and put Kansas City in third-and-long situations.
“It’s crucial to get them off track,” defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said. “You get them off track and try to eliminate one element, whether it’s run game, pass game, whatever it may be. But it’s critical to do that. It’s critical to do that because when they’re able to do whatever they want, obviously they have one of the best players in the league at the quarterback position, one of the better coaches in the league. So, we got to try to make them one dimensional as much as possible.”
Wednesday’s injury report
■ Raiders: DID NOT PRACTICE: CB Jakorian Bennett (shoulder), CB Nate Hobbs (ankle), QB Gardner Minshew (collarbone), RB Zamir White (quadricep). LIMITED: RB Alexander Mattison (ankle), WR Tre Tucker (hip). FULL: TE Harrison Bryant (ankle), C Andre James (ankle), LG Jordan Meredith (shoulder), QB Aidan O’Connell (right thumb), LG Cody Whitehair (ankle).
■ Chiefs: DID NOT PRACTICE: LE Leo Chenal (personal), LB Cam Jones (illness), K Spencer Shrader (right hamstring). FULL: S Chamarri Conner (ankle), RB Kareem Hunt (toe), DE Charles Omenihu (knee), RB Isiah Pacheco (ankle), CB Christian Roland-Wallace (ankle), WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (hip), RT Jawaan Taylor (ankle/knee).
The pick
Chiefs 31, Raiders 10
Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
