Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders (Sun - 8:20 ET)
This game should be exciting as it features two divisional rivals who have top passing offenses: the Las Vegas Raiders average the second-most passing yards per game (305.1), while the Kansas City Chiefs are 6th (281.0). The Chiefs were the presumptive favorites to win the AFC at the start of the season as they have played in the last two Super Bowls. However, their offense has hit a wall recently as they've only scored 36 points over the past three weeks and haven't eclipsed 300 yards of total offense over those games. Patrick Mahomes is on pace for the most interceptions of his career (10 so far this season), as he hasn't been able to get away with some of the freestyle playmaking that has become his signature. Tyreke Hill and Travis Kelce continue to be reliable playmakers, as Hill is 5th in receiving yards per game (85.8), while Kelce leads all TEs in receiving yards this season (628). If the Chiefs can't get back in sync this week, they will have difficulty moving the ball against a Raiders secondary that has given up the 5th fewest passing yards per game (206.9). Mahomes will need to take care of the football to win this game, as the Chiefs have a -9 turnover differential (2nd worst in the league), compared to the Raiders, who are +2 on the season.
The Raiders are somehow staying afloat during off-the-field dysfunction, to put it mildly. The Raiders have lost their head coach, young wide receiver, and young cornerback in unrelated incidents. It has gotten so bad that Sports Illustrated recently called for an intervention by the NFL. Despite all this, the Raiders currently sit atop the AFC West at 5-3 and could make the playoffs if they hold the ship together. QB Derek Carr has substantially improved his passing yards per game this season (320.6 this season, his career record is 262.5) and yards per pass attempt. To help increase the explosiveness of their passing offense, they recently signed the ageless deep-threat DeSean Jackson, who the Rams recently released. The Raiders combine their explosive passing offense with a solid defense that gives up the 10th fewest yards per game (340.4), highlighted by LB Denzel Perryman, who has the 3rd most tackles in the NFL (91). On paper, the Raiders' defense matches up well against the Chiefs, as their passing defense (5th best) is much better than their rushing defense (5th worst). The Raiders are also at home for this one, where they 3-1 on the season. This is a big test to see who will come out of the AFC West, where all the teams are currently neck-to-neck with 5 wins apiece. Who do you think will prevail?
Spread: Chiefs are favored by 2.5
Over/under: 52
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