The Kansas City Chiefs just knocked off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road last week. Will the Chiefs keep the momentum and defeat their rival, Las Vegas Raiders, on Monday Night Football?
Let’s see what the NFL odds tell us at the top sportsbooks!
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Monday, October 10, 2022 -08:15 PM EDT at Arrowhead Stadium
The Kansas City Chiefs will welcome the Las Vegas Raiders to Kansas City, MO for a divisional matchup on Monday Night Football.
The Chiefs have plenty of momentum coming into this game, after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 41-31 on Sunday Night Football last week.
Meanwhile, the Raiders finally got in the win column with a 32-23 win over Denver at home.
Las Vegas seems to always give it their all against the Chiefs. But with the way the offense played last week, will the Raiders be able to keep up with Kansas City on the road?
When the Chiefs Have the Ball
The Chiefs are closing in on 400 yards per game this season. They’ve averaged 293.5 yards per game, including 276.5 yards in the air. Kansas City is also averaging 32.3 points per game, thanks to Patrick Mahomes, who has thrown 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions throughout the season.
This team has a lot of contributors, including Travis Kelce, who has already caught 26 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns through four games.
How Can They Beat the Raiders?
The Raiders have struggled in coverage and continue to play about average everywhere else on the defensive end. Las Vegas has allowed 25 points per game along with 367.5 yards per game. 264.3 of those yards are coming in the air.
The Chiefs should be able to execute their passing plays against a below-average secondary of the Raiders.
On top of that, the Chiefs have done really well blocking for the run game this season. That’s another area where Kansas City will be superior. They’ll be able to open up holes against this Raiders defense thanks to a terrific offensive line in the run game.
When the Raiders Have the Ball
The Raiders are scoring just 24 points per game but averaging 373.5 yards per game. The offense isn’t going to have many problems down the stretch. Derek Carr is a solid quarterback with plenty of great playmakers around him, like Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, and Darren Waller.
Adams has 26 catches for 290 yards and 3 touchdowns. This team struggled to get Adams the ball earlier this season but against Denver last week, Adams came up big for the Raiders.
Carr will need to do a better job leading this football team. It all starts with him under center for the Raiders. He’s thrown 6 touchdowns but also has 4 interceptions to go along with it. He’ll need to make better decisions moving forward.
Meanwhile, Josh Jacobs has been terrific this year in the run game. He’s averaged nearly five yards per carry on 70 attempts. The problem is that the Raiders sometimes forget about their run game and don’t utilize his ability enough.
How Can They Beat the Chiefs?
The Chiefs have been above-average in most areas defensively, but if there’s something to call out, it’s their rushing defense. I know, I know. Kansas City has allowed 65.8 yards per game on the ground.
They’re playing teams that aren’t running the football nearly as much as they should be. If the Raiders commit to the run, they’ll open up so many more opportunities in this game.
Prediction and Pick
The Chiefs are always battling the Raiders in primetime games. Eventually, the Chiefs pull away, but sometimes it takes until overtime to do so.
I’m thinking this game will be more of a shootout. The Chiefs just dropped 41 points on the Buccaneers and the Raiders have to be confident coming off a win.
Both teams are very capable of averaging 400 yards per game and nobody would be surprised to see both teams score 4 touchdowns.
The Chiefs will want to attack the secondary of the Raiders while the Raiders are going to want to rush the football with Jacobs to open up the playbook. Las Vegas will also need to block better in the run game. But for now, Jacobs and the run game have looked really good for the Raiders. They need to commit to that more and then take deep shots with Adams.
I’ll take the Over 51 for my NFL picks.
NFL Pick: Over 51 (-110) at BetMGM
