The 8-5 Kansas City Chiefs take their seven game winning streak to Baltimore to visit the Ravens, who have fallen to 4-9 this year on the heels of a number of key injuries, including Joe Flacco. The Chiefs are a 7-point road favorite in this game which is pretty high for a road team.
The Chiefs are playing to solidify their spot in the AFC playoff picture. KC is set up for the top Wild Card seed right now which would have them facing the winner of the AFC South division (one of the worst divisions in football). However, the Chiefs still have AFC West title hopes. The Broncos, who play the Steelers and Bengals in the next two weeks, would need to lose twice while the Chiefs would need to win out. It's not that crazy of a scenario.
The Ravens are playing for .... well, the Ravens aren't playing for anything. Their season is effectively over as there is no shot for the playoffs. They're still a tough team who has been within one score of every game this season save last week's blowout loss to the Seahawks. The Ravens will be starting Matt Schaub. He throws a lot of interceptions and the Chiefs pick off a lot of passes. So you can see where this one is likely going. KC's defense is its strong suit and they should be able to handle the Ravens and whoever is at quarterback.
While the Ravens will be without Flacco, the Chiefs will be without Justin Houston, who continues to recover from a hyperextended knee. It's not clear how much longer he will be out. You can find the Ravens injury report here.
I am picking the Chiefs to win, 23-20. Here are more Chiefs-Ravens predictions from ESPN, CBS and others.
The nuts and bolts...
Nuts and bolts
Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Game time: Sunday, December 20, 12 p.m. (Arrowhead Time)
TV channel: CBS / KCTV-5 (Do I get the game?)
Online streaming: NFL Game Pass (Live audio, replay after it's over)
Radio: 101.1 The Fox (Mitch Holthus and Len Dawson) | Full listings
Odds: Chiefs are 7-point favorites
Matchup history: 3-3
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon, Chris Fischer (sideline)
Enemy blog: Baltimore Beatdown
Twitter: @ArrowheadPride
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AFC playoff picture
(Overall record, AFC record)
1. New England Patriots (11-2, 8-1)
2. Cincinnati Bengals (10-3, 8-2)
3. Denver Broncos (10-3, 6-3)
4. Indianapolis Colts (6-7, 4-5)
5. Kansas City Chiefs (8-5, 7-2)
6. New York Jets (8-5, 6-4)
In the hunt
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5, 5-4)
8. Oakland Raiders (6-7, 6-4)
9. Buffalo Bills (6-7, 6-5)
10. Houston Texans (6-7, 4-5)
11. Miami Dolphins (5-7, 3-6)
Chiefs regular season schedule
Week 1: @ Houston Texans (W: 27-20)
Week 2: Denver Broncos (L: 31-24)
Week 3: @ Green Bay Packers (L: 38-28)
Week 4: @ Cincinnati Bengals (L: 36-21)
Week 5: Chicago Bears (L: 18-17)
Week 6: @ Minnesota Vikings (L: 16-10)
Week 7: Pittsburgh Steelers (W: 23-13)
Week 8: Detroit Lions (W: 45-10)
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: @ Denver Broncos (W: 29-13)
Week 11: @ San Diego Chargers (W: 33-3)
Week 12: Buffalo Bills (W: 30-22)
Week 13: @ Oakland Raiders (W: 34-20)
Week 14: San Diego Chargers (W: 10-3)
Week 15: @ Baltimore Ravens (Dec. 20, 12 p.m., CBS)
Week 16: Cleveland Browns (Dec. 27, 12 p.m., CBS)
Week 17: Oakland Raiders (Jan. 3, 12 p.m., CBS)