Raiders vs. Chiefs: NFL Week 14 betting odds, preview, and pick
Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark (55) celebrates after a play. (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire)
December 7th, 2021
The Las Vegas Raiders will look to get back on track as they travel to Kansas City this Sunday to face the red-hot Chiefs.
Let's examine this AFC West matchup, beginning with the latest betting odds.
Raiders need a run game
It was not that long ago that the Raiders were 5-2 on a bye week with a full game lead in the AFC West. Now they find themselves at 6-6, 1.5 games behind the Chiefs in the division, and a full game behind the last wild card position.
The Raiders rank 27th in the NFL in rushing yards per game (88.0), and that's a big reason for the team's skid. Vegas has averaged 72.3 rushing yards per game in its six losses, and 103.7 rushing yards per game in its six wins. That is a massive difference.
Some #Raiders fans are going to come for Josh Jacobs about his comments here, but I like that he’s speaking his mind instead of giving generic cookie-cuttter answers, and we’re left just speculating.
— Moe Moton (@MoeMoton) December 6, 2021
Shedding some light on the slow starts from his perspective… https://t.co/m9UhnM3WmU
With Josh Jacobs in the backfield, there is no excuse for the lack of a running game. However, he is only averaging 12.4 rush attempts per game, which is down from the 18.4 rush attempts he averaged in his first two season in the NFL. Now is the time of year to feed their workhorse.
Chiefs have found their defense
The Chiefs got off to a rough 3-4 start. In those seven games, they were allowing 29.0 points per game. Now, they sit at 8-4 atop the AFC West and have only allowed 11.2 points per game during their five game winning streak. They also have forced 14 turnovers in the past seven games, after forcing only four turnovers in their first five games.
Chris Jones has played a massive role in the resurgence of the defense with his 6.5 sacks and six tackles for a loss. He also has 13 QB hits, which leads the team.
Chris Jones does not care about your offensive play call pic.twitter.com/UH3HE2reok
— Pick Six Podcast (@picksixpod) December 6, 2021
The defense is still giving up a lot of yards, as they rank 27th in the league at 367.7 total yards per game allowed. However, they now rank eighth in the NFL in points allowed at 21.6 points per game. The bend-but-don’t-break defense is a staple of this Chiefs team, and Kansas City hopes to ride it to another Super Bowl.
Raiders vs. Chiefs Injury Report
| Las Vegas Raiders | Kansas City Chiefs |
|---|
CB Trayvon Mullen Jr: Questionable (toe) | RB Jerick McKinnon: Out (hamstring) |
RB Jalen Richard: Out (illness) | DT Khalen Saunders: Out (undisclosed) |
LB Nick Kwiatkowski: Questionable (ankle) | CB Chris Lammons: Questionable (ankle) |
LB Denzel Perryman: Questionable (ankle) | CB Rashad Fenton: Questionable (knee) |
DE Carl Nassib: Questionable (knee) | OT Lucas Niang: Questionable (ribs) |
RB Kenyan Drake: Out (ankle) | |
TE Darren Waller: Questionable (knee/back) | |
LB Cory Littleton: Questionable (undisclosed) |
Raiders and Chiefs betting trends
- The home team is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 meetings
- The Under is 13-3 in the last 16 meetings in Kansas City
- The Raiders are 5-1 ATS in their last six games as a road underdog
- The Chiefs are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 games in December
- The Over is 5-1 in the Raiders' last six game vs. an AFC West opponent
- The Under is 6-1 in the Chiefs' last seven games overall
Hot vs. Not
These are two teams moving in opposite directions right now. The Chiefs are on a five-game winning streak, and the Raiders have lost four out of their last five games.
These two teams met just a month ago in primetime in Las Vegas, and the Chiefs controlled every facet of the game. They will look to replay that same game in Kansas City this Sunday. I like the Chiefs to win here with defense and turnovers, especially if Raiders TE Darren Waller must miss another game.
Score prediction: Chiefs 27, Raiders 9
NFL Week 14 picks: Chiefs -9.5, Under 49
Raiders vs. Chiefs pick powered by The Quant Edge
Our predictive engine is calling for the Chiefs to win outright and to cover the spread.
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