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The Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders face off in a big-time AFC West showdown on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs only have a one-game lead on the Raiders in the division and after Sunday they are going to be in complete control. Here are four reasons the Chiefs will pick up their eighth win of the season against the Raiders.
4. Chiefs coming off a bye
The Chiefs are coming off a bye and that is a big advantage for the home squad. The Chiefs last game was a win over the Los Angeles Chargers almost two weeks ago in a Monday night football game in Mexico City.
Andy Reid is one of the best coaches in NFL history coming off the bye. Reid is 17-3 coming off a bye during his coaching career. Add in that it’s expected to be inclement weather during this one, the Chiefs should be in really good shape.
3. Derek Carr at Arrowhead Stadium
Derek Carr is a good quarterback for the Raiders but something seems to overtake him when he plays at Arrowhead Stadium and he really struggles. Carr has played five games during his career at Arrowhead Stadium and he still doesn’t have a win.
In those five games, Carr is averaging only 186 yards per game having passed for three touchdowns and five interceptions.
Carr also can’t have confidence coming into this game after his last game against the New York Jets where he threw for only 127 yards and an interception.
Everything seems to be stacked against Carr in this game and that is a big advantage for the Chiefs.
2. Chiefs playmakers
The Kansas City Chiefs have so many playmakers on offense it’s not really fair. Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, and Travis Kelce are the obvious ones but don’t forget about Demarcus Robinson and Mecole Hardman who have come on this season.
The Raiders can try to take away some of the weapons but they can’t take away all of them. The Raiders defense is going to have no answer.
1. Patrick Mahomes
The biggest advantage in almost every game for the Chiefs is pretty simple — Patrick Mahomes. He is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in football, and he is a mismatch for any defense. He is also a player that has had a lot of success going against the Chiefs. When these teams faced off earlier this year, Mahomes went 30-for-44 for 443 yards and four touchdowns. The Raiders’ pass defense overall has been terrible giving up 268.5 yards per game which is 28th in the NFL.
Much like the United States Postal Service, rain, snow, sleet, or hail isn’t going to slow down Mahomes. Even if there are struggles in other places for the Chiefs, he can make up for a lot of the mistakes and he is going to have a big game in this one.
The Chiefs are the better team, are at home, and they should have no issue coming away with a victory which will give them a two-game lead in their division.