Chiefs looking to remain unbeaten when they visit the Raiders
Kansas City (6-0) at Las Vegas (2-5)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS
BetMGM NFL odds: Chiefs by 9.
Against the spread: Chiefs 5-1; Raiders 3-4.
Series record: Chiefs lead 71-54-2.
Last meeting: Raiders beat Chiefs 20-14 at Kansas City, on Dec. 25.
Last week: Chiefs beat San Francisco 28-18; Raiders lost to Los Angeles Rams 20-15.
Chiefs offense: overall (10), rush (10), pass (12), scoring (13).
Chiefs defense: overall (10), rush (4), pass (20), scoring (5).
Raiders offense: overall (26), rush (30), pass (16), scoring (26).
Raiders defense: overall (11), rush (23), pass (8), scoring (29).
Turnover differential: Chiefs minus-3; Raiders minus-13.
Chiefs player to watch
DT Chris Jones. Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said his team can’t rely on just one blocker to keep Jones out of Las Vegas’ backfield, a testament to how dominant the 30-year-old remains. “This guy is playing at that MVP level — defensive MVP level,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He takes a lot of pride in being the best and right now he’s doing that, he’s showing that.”
Raiders player to watch
DE Maxx Crosby. He finally appears to be fully healthy after playing through a high ankle sprain. Even while playing through pain, Crosby has made at least half a sack in every game but one this season. With 6 1/2 sacks, he’s on pace to surpass his career high of 14 1/2 set last season. He also has had notable interactions with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, as shown in the Netflix docuseries “Quarterback.”
Key matchup
Chiefs offensive line vs. Raiders defensive front. Pro Football Focus ranks Kansas City’s offensive line as the NFL’s third best, noting it had a particularly strong run-blocking performance Sunday’s victory over the 49ers. The Raiders have had a series of issues on their line — DT Christian Wilkins is on injured reserve and DE Malcolm Koonce is out for the season. That puts extra pressure on Crosby, LB Robert Spillane and others to pick up the slack.
Key injuries
Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) and DE Mike Danna (pectoral) will not play. Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers (ankle) is questionable after missing the past two games, but coach Antonio Pierce said he believed he would play. G Dylan Parham (foot) will be out for the second game in a row. LB Tommy Eichenberg (quadriceps) and TE Harrison Bryant (elbow) are questionable.
Series notes
The Raiders were the most recent team to beat the Chiefs, who have won 12 consecutive games including the Super Bowl since then. … Until that Christmas Day game, Kansas City had defeated the Raiders six straight times, 11 of 12 meetings and 16 of 18. … The Chiefs are 4-0 against the Raiders in Las Vegas.
Stats and stuff
Kansas City is 8-2 in its past 10 regular-season road games against the Raiders. … The Chiefs picked off 49ers QB Brock Purdy three times last week, the first game with that many interceptions since Oct. 5, 2020, against New England. … Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman had 110 all-purpose yards against San Francisco, including two carries for 38 yards and a touchdown. … Mahomes has 225 TD passes. He needs 13 more to pass Len Dawson for the Chiefs franchise record. … Chiefs TE Travis Kelce needs one TD catch to pass Jason Witten (74) for fifth most by a tight end. He needs three TD catches to break Tony Gonzalez’s franchise record. … Chiefs C Creed Humphrey has started 57 straight games since entering the league in 2021. … Jones is tied with Justin Houston for fourth in Chiefs history with 78 1/2 sacks. … Raiders TE Brock Bowers has been targeted on 30.3% of his routes, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, the highest rate for a rookie tight end through seven weeks since 2018. … Bowers also leads all tight ends with receptions (47), yards receiving (477), receiving first downs (23) and yards after catch (251). … CB Jakorian Bennett is allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete only 40.6% of their passes when he is the primary defender. That’s the fifth-lowest rate through seven games since Next Gen Stats began tracking the statistic in 2016. … Opponents are converting 28.9% of third downs against Las Vegas, the second-lowest rate in the NFL. It’s also the lowest for the Raiders through the first seven games since 2001 when the club held opposing teams to 25%. … Crosby has 98 tackles for loss. J.J. Watt (133), Aaron Donald (117) and DeMarcus Ware (101) are the only others to top 100 in their first six seasons.
Fantasy tip
Chiefs defense. Kansas City is playing at a high level, allowing just 17.2 points per game, and the Chiefs face a Raiders offense that has been held in the teens during a three-game losing streak.
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