Can The Chiefs Get Their Eleventh Win Against The Raiders?
NFL Betting – Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders
The Kansas City Chiefs will play the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, December 15, 2013, in a game of two teams going in vastly different directions. The 10 win, 3 loss Chiefs led by coach Andy Reid are pushing forward to the playoffs and fighting for home field advantage. The players of the four win, nine loss Oakland Raiders are fighting for their jobs as they have been doing for the majority of the season.
Last week the Kansas City Chiefs went into Washington and took apart the Redskins as they earned a 45 to 10 victory. In contrast, the Oakland Raiders played the New York Jets in New York and lost 37 to 27 to a team that had to play without its top three running backs and inconsistent rookie quarterback Geno Smith.
When one looks at the offense and defense of these two teams in this bitter interdivisional contest the ledger falls in favor of the Chiefs in each category.
Offensive Advantage: Kansas City Chiefs
On offense the Raiders will start rookie Matt McGloin at quarterback while the Chiefs will start the quarterback they have played all year, Alex Smith. The Oakland Raiders passing offense has struggled throughout the year as they have received inconsistent play from both of their starting quarterbacks. Kansas City has received steady if not outstanding quarterback play from Alex Smith and this has provided the team stability and productivity at the most important position on the field.
The Chiefs come into this game with an offense that is operating on all cylinders. They have a breakaway threat in the backfield with Jamaal Charles who is also a nightmare for linebacker forced to defend him in pass defense. The Chiefs advantage on offense is that they can throw effectively while the Raiders are unable to do the same.
The Raiders have the fourth best rushing offense in the league but that is actually misleading because their passing game is inconsistent. As a result teams are able to take advantage of them by placing eight men in the box and forcing the team into throwing possessions which usually is their downfall.
Defensive Advantage: Kansas City Chiefs
The Oakland Raiders have great difficulty stopping the run as they are allowing over 270 yards per game to opponents rushing the ball the past two weeks. The Chiefs use their running game to set up its opportunistic passing game. Kansas City is coming off a game in which its lead running back Jamal Charles rushed for 151 yards against the Redskins last week. The Raiders gave up 37 points to the offensively challenged New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs bring a much more potent offense to this game.
In contrast, the Chiefs defense only gave up ten points to the explosive Washington Redskins offense and shut down their running game last week. The Chiefs will try to force the Raiders into passing situations and with their excellent defensive backfield led by potential All-Pro safety Eric Berry its very likely they will shut down the Oakland Raider passing attack.
Conclusion
This game will be a very competitive game because of the passions that are always inflamed when these two bitter inter division rivals play against one another. However, the Kansas City Chiefs have the look of a playoff team and they understand that a win in this game will guarantee a playoff spot and keep them in the hunt for home field advantage.
Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs win a surprisingly close game.
