It’s been four years since the Raiders beat the Chiefs at home, either in Las Vegas or Oakland.. In fact, the Chiefs have won five of the six meetings played away from Arrowhead Stadium.
This year’s meeting will find the Chiefs trying to catch Las Vegas in the standings. The Raiders and Chargers are tied atop the AFC West with a 5-3 record. The Chiefs and Broncos are close behind with a 5-4 record.
Can the Chiefs continue their dominance on the Raiders’ home field? Some pundits are not so sure. Here is what 60 NFL media members are saying about the game, which kicks off at 7:20 p.m. and will be broadcast on KSHB (Ch. 41).
A Raiders victory is the prediction from the New York Times’ Emmanuel Morgan. Here is an excerpt of what he wrote: “Kansas City is 1-4 against AFC teams and its offense has been frustrated when defenses employ two high safeties, goading Patrick Mahomes into 10 interceptions so far. Against Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, who is tied for second-most in quarterback hits (19), Kansas City should struggle to keep the score close.”
A 26-23 Raiders win is the prediction from Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com. This is part of what he wrote about the Chiefs: “Their status as a heavy favorite against decent teams has finally evaporated, a few weeks after their offense entered a slump that is unlike anything I’ve seen in the Andy Reid era. Any Andy Reid era. There are so many reasons to believe Kansas City’s offensive slide will end at some point, but guessing whether that’s this week, this month or this season is impossible.”
A Chiefs victory is the prediction from the two Pro Football Talk writers. Michael David Smith predicted a 27-24 score.He wrote: “The AFC West is wide open, and I think the Chiefs may win it even though they really have not been a good football team at all this season.” Mike Florio sees a 31-24 score. He wrote: “The Chiefs, slowly but surely, are getting their legs back under them.”
Four of the eight writers for CBS Sports see the Chiefs getting the win: Pete Prisco, Jared Dubin, Ryan Wilson and Jamey Eisenberg. Picking Las Vegas: Jason La Canfora, Dave Richard, John Breech and Will Brinson. Prisco predicted a 34-33 final score. Here is part of what he wrote: “These two teams both need this in the worst way. This might be the game that Patrick Mahomes finally gets back on track. It should be a fun, high-scoring game if that happens. I think it does. Mahomes wins a shootout with Derek Carr.”
A 34-28 Raiders win is the prediction from Yardbarker’s Chris Mueller. This is an excerpt from his story: “The Chiefs failed to top 250 yards of offense (against Green Bay), and whatever is ailing them on that side of the ball clearly isn’t fixed. Nine games in, Kansas City is lucky to be 5-4, and it feels like a sudden breakout isn’t coming. Andy Reid’s team is going to have a fight on its hands just to make the playoffs.”
A 27-24 Chiefs victory is the call from Bill Bender of the Sporting News. Here is a bit from his story: “It’s been an up-and-down season for both teams. Patrick Mahomes II leads the Chiefs to their third straight victory in another close call.”
A 30-26 Raiders win is the prediction from Ben Rolfe of Pro Football Network.Here is part of what he wrote: “The Raiders had a tough game against the Giants, but frankly, that can be forgiven. Now, they need to come out and make a statement against a Chiefs team that is there to be beaten. This game is huge for both sides. Yet, for the Raiders it could be the start of a resurgent playoff push or the beginning of a potential spiral to another forgettable season.”
Five of the eight Athletic writers see a Las Vegas victory: Mark Kaboly, Ben Standig, Michael-Shawn Dugar, Jay Morrison and Nick Kosmider. Picking the Chiefs are: Chris Burke, Tashan Reed and Katherine Terrell. This is an excerpt from the Athletic story: “Yes, both of these teams are above .500 at the halfway point of the season. But it’s difficult to get excited about the Chiefs or Raiders right now. Kansas City is benefiting from a favorable schedule and some good fortune while Las Vegas’ strong start has been marred by off-field distractions. The Chiefs opened as slim favorites on the road, except they’re just 2-7 against the spread.”
Four of seven writers at USA Today believe the Chiefs will prevail: Jarrett Bell (33-30 final score), Nate Davis (25-21), Jori Epstein (24-20) and Lorenzo Reyes (30-20). Picking the Raiders are Mike Freeman (27-26), Mike Jones (31-27) and Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz (27-24).
Six of the 11 pundits at ESPN see a Raiders victory: Mike Clay, Jeremy Fowler, Domonique Foxworth, Dan Graziano, Kevin Seifert and Damien Woody. Taking the Chiefs are Emmanuel Acho, Matt Bowen, Rob Ninkovich, Laura Rutledge and Seth Wickersham.
The Chiefs will win, say three of the four Athlon Sports writers: Bryan Fischer, Ben Weinrib and Aaron Wilson. The pick for the Raiders: Rob Doster.
A Chiefs victory is the prediction from the five Sports Illustrated writers: Conor Orr, Gary Grammling, Jenny Vrentas, Albert Breer and Mitch Goldich.
The Chiefs will win, say the five writers for The Star: Sam McDowell, Blair Kerkhoff, Vahe Gregorian, Herbie Teope and Sam Mellinger.
A Chiefs victory is the prediction from three of Audacy’s five writers: Jordan Cohn, Jesse Pantuosco and Tim Kelly. Going with Las Vegas: John Healy and Dan Mennella.