Arrowhead Pride
Let’s see what AP staffers (and readers) think about Friday’s game between Kansas City and Las Vegas.
Before the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 12 game against the Carolina Panthers, the predictions from our panel of Arrowhead Pride contributors averaged to a 29-15 Kansas City victory. That had 24 points of error from the 30-27 final: it missed the point spread by 11 points, the Chiefs’ score by one point and the Panthers’ score by 12 points. Half of our panel incorrectly believed the game would be a Kansas City blowout. Our readers were a bit less confident. Half of our readers expected the Chiefs to win easily.
In Week 13, the Chiefs face the Las Vegas Raiders on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Kansas City is favored by 12.5 points.
Let’s see what the staff — and our readers — think about the matchup.
I think there will be people who predict this game to be close, but I don’t see it. It’s a short week for both teams, it’s going to be cold and the Raiders are bringing in a new quarterback Aidan O’Connell to start. As much as these recent Chiefs games have been weird, I think this will a good bounce-back for both sides of the ball. I expect the Kansas City pass rush to look better — and I think the offense will be able to move the ball against the Las Vegas defense. It’s been a while since the Chiefs played at home. I think that will serve them well.
Chiefs 30, Raiders 9
This is another game where some folks will expect a big Kansas City victory. It’s certainly possible, because the Raiders have a lot of problems right now. But I think we’ll see the same thing we saw against the Panthers: a matchup where the Chiefs get an early lead and hold it throughout the game — and then Las Vegas will get a garbage-time score that makes the game seem closer than it really was.
Chiefs 27, Raiders 20
Division games are typically hard-fought and tightly contested. Just the same, this feels like the week where the Chiefs will finally put it all together. Coming off a win against the Panthers that was much closer than it should have been, the players made it clear they weren’t satisfied with their performance. Expect a strong response as the team tries to make a statement against a Raiders team that has struggled all season. This time, Kansas City should dominate in all phases, walking away with a convincing victory.
Chiefs 27, Raiders 13
This is a dangerous feeling — similar to the one before last year’s Christmas matchup against Las Vegas. The holiday game against a lowly division rival felt like the get-right spot. The disappointing result of last year’s game has to be sticking with this Chiefs...
