by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Dec 08, 2021
Game time: 1 p.m. ET
Venue: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Where to watch: CBS
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Chiefs -9
BetMGM: Chiefs -8.5
Caesars: Chiefs -9.5
Season record
Raiders: 6-6 (3rd place, AFC West)
Chiefs: 8-4 (1st place, AFC West)
Jim Feist hit both the side and total on Monday night with the Patriots and the UNDER. Start your week 14 of the NFL the same way Jim finished week 13, with a winner. It's Thursday Night Football as the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Vikings in Minnesota. Catch Jim’s plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Raiders - Chiefs preview and analysis
Last week
Raiders: lost 17-15 vs. Washington
Chiefs: won 22-9 vs. Broncos
The much-maligned discussion on the Kansas City Chiefs has subsided because their defense is apparently the greatest unit ever.
A red-hot defense has carried the Chiefs to five straight wins, and I like them to push it to six when they host the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday in a must-win for the road team.
Kansas City has flipped the script since losing 27-3 at the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 24. The Chiefs have held each opponent to less than 20 points and less than 10 on three occasions, including 9 in back-to-back weeks against the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos at home.
That also includes giving up 14 points to the Raiders in Las Vegas on Nov. 7 while putting up 41 on the road. The offense hasn't quite been there -- evidence of 267 total yards last week against the Broncos -- but the defense forced three turnovers in the victory.
Patrick Mahomes had another pedestrian day throwing for 184 yards and an interception.
"Mostly it's been about a commitment to each other, believing in each other, not letting outside noise dictate what we feel," Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu said. "It's been a total team effort to stay committed to each other."
The Chiefs have covered three straight after failing to do so the previous three by a wide margin. The Raiders, meanwhile, have lost four of five and have also gone 1-4 against the spread.
Once upon a time, Las Vegas was 5-2 and atop the AFC West. Things have since gone downhill and Derek Carr may not be the answer. The Raiders are coming off a 17-15 loss to the Washington Football Team at home, losing all momentum after somehow winning by three against a depleted Dallas Cowboys team on Thanksgiving.
The onus falls on Derek Carr, who threw for 249 yards and no touchdowns last week. This season, Carr has thrown for 3,663 yards and only 17 touchdowns. Not having Darren Waller in the lineup last week may have aided in the lack of passing production, but things have fallen off a cliff in regards to getting the ball in the end zone since Las Vegas' 3-0 start.
"It's very frustrating," Carr said. "Field goals aren't going to win you games. You have to get touchdowns, especially with the teams we have coming up. We will need touchdowns to win these games."
Prediction
The last time the Raiders went to Kansas City, there were no fans and the Raiders won in a shootout, 40-32. That was only one of the three times in the last 16 meetings at Arrowhead Stadium that the over cashed. Tack on the Raiders going 1-4 against the spread in the last five and their current struggles, this has the makings of a dominant Chiefs win despite laying nearly double digits. Chiefs by 14
Betting trends
The over is 5-1 in the Raiders’ last six divisional games.
The Raiders are 5-1 ATS in their last six as a road dog.
The Raiders are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games in December.
The under is 6-1 in the Chiefs’ last seven games.
The Chiefs are 1-7 ATS in their last eight when totaling fewer than 90 yards rushing the previous week.
Players to watch
Raiders: Tight end Darren Waller did not play last week against Washington. He has a receiving touchdown in two of the last three games against Kansas City.
Chiefs: Tight end Travis Kelce is looking for his fourth straight game of at least 100 receiving yards against the Raiders.
Statistical leaders
Raiders:
Passing: Derek Carr – 3,663 yards, 17 TD, 9 INT
Rushing: Josh Jacobs – 472 yards, 7 TD
Receiving: Hunter Renfrow – 760 yards, 4 TD
Defense: Yannick Ngakoue – 8 sacks
Chiefs:
Passing: Patrick Mahomes – 3,384 yards, 25 TD, 12 INT
Rushing: Clyde Edwards-Helaire – 421 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Tyreek Hill – 954 yards, 8 TD
Defense: Chris Jones – 6.5 sacks
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
