Las Vegas Raiders Look to Crawl Out of Their Hole Against the Kansas City Chiefs

Posted on: October 10, 2022, 09:30h. 

Last updated on: October 10, 2022, 12:41h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

Week 5 of the NFL concludes this Monday with a division game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders at the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City is on a mission to maintain its AFC West lead, while Las Vegas is looking for its second win and a chance at leaving last place in the division.

Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tyron Johnson (17) and running back Josh Jacobs celebrate as the team defeated the Denver Broncos in Week 4. The Raiders close out Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs, but a victory may not be possible. (Image: Getty Images)

Although the Chiefs have won 15 of their last 18 meetings against the Raiders, QB Patrick Mahomes said they respect their rival. They expect this to be a tough game because of the quality of their opponents’ roster.

The Raiders’ last road win at Kansas City was in November 2020. Since then, the Las Vegas team has had three consecutive losses. The last one was in December 2021, when they were beaten, 48-9.

Raiders Coming in Hot

The Raiders have a bye week next week, which means they can leave everything on the field on Monday night. Coming off their first win of the season, they’ll also have some momentum going into this matchup.

The Chiefs faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, collecting a win, and will host the Buffalo Bills next week. Sandwiched between those two tough games is tonight’s contest. This is only the Chiefs ‘ second home game after three of their first four came on the road.

Some Raiders don’t like playing at Arrowhead Stadium. Wide receivers Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow said it’s tough because of the noise from the fans. Chiefs fans will turn up the volume today, but Adams and Renfrow said they’re ready.

Adams came to Las Vegas after shining for Green Bay. He boasts more than 100 receiving yards in each of his last five prime-time games. He will have to juice up his boosters tonight if the Raiders want a real shot at knocking down the Chiefs.

Oddsmakers give Kansas City the game, listing them at around -345 on the moneyline. That’s a long way off the +280 or so the Raiders are getting. It also might not be an accurate reflection of what the Raiders can produce.

That isn’t to say that Las Vegas will win, but they will definitely put up a good fight. The Chiefs are second in the league in terms of points per game, and even though they have a few injuries, they’re still likely to dominate. As a result, the 52 over/under might easily be broken.

AFC Race Taking Form

The Baltimore Ravens advanced into the NFL playoff picture as leaders of the AFC North after they took down the Cincinnati Bengals. However, based on how they played, the Ravens might not hold their position for long.

The good news is that the Ravens don’t have much to worry about in the division. The Cleveland Browns, who continue to trip over their own feet, are 2-3. They gave up some great opportunities that otherwise would have had them looking at 4-1.

Beating the Bengals helped settle the AFC wild-card standings, as well. Baltimore moved up to the No. 4 seed, but Cincinnati spiraled downward out of control. They’re now near the bottom of the AFC North, only better than the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Chiefs are still positioning themselves for a place in the standings. They’re at the top of the AFC West, but need another win to stay there. That shouldn’t be a problem tonight. But next week’s game against the Bills will be a different story.