clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 12/6

Game Day! Kansas City Chiefs at the Los Angeles Santa Clara Oakland (still, right?) Raiders. Please punch these guys in the (figurative) mouth, fellas. You owe them. My prediction? Chiefs 44, Riders 20. Why not? Here's today's news to get you ready for kickoff. Go Chiefs!!!

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Chiefs vs. Raiders: Game Preview from The Mothership

Peters, under the veteran tutelage of cornerback Sean Smith, is helping to lead a Chiefs defense that over the past five games, all wins, has forced 14 turnovers.

To continue that trend Sunday, the Chiefs will need to find a way to beat Oakland quarterback Derek Carr, whose 24 touchdowns on the season to this point has already exceeded his season total of 21 from last year. Carr has also taken care of the football, throwing only 6 interceptions through Oakland's first 11 games.

"I think they're doing a heck of a job on offense and it starts obviously with Derek," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. "The offensive line is doing a nice job - we know a bunch of those guys and they're playing good football there."

The Oakland offensive line has allowed just 14 sacks on the season, which ties them with the New York Jets for the league lead in that regard.

Chiefs vs. Raiders: How to Watch and Listen from The Mothership

TV Coverage

CBS

KCTV5 Local

Play-by-Play: Greg Gumbel

Color Analyst: Trent Green

Sideline: Jamie Erdahl

Chiefs Download Podcast presented by Draft Kings: Trent Green and What to Watch For

KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: Traveling to Oakland

Game Day Forecast from The National Weather Service

Sunday - Rain likely, mainly before 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. South southeast wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Chiefs' offensive line not just deep, but flexible from The Kansas City Star

Fulton's first game action at center in any game occurred in the first half of the final preseason contest in August against the Rams. For the first time, Fulton had to make snaps, mostly in the shotgun and make the offensive-line calls.

"I hadn't played a game at center before that, it really helped," Fulton said.

Allen got his first start of the season at right tackle. That occurred against the Steelers. The Chiefs moved Fisher to left tackle and started him in place of Donald Stephenson.

A week later, a neck injury to Ben Grubbs brought Allen over to left guard. He was switching sides and positions.

"I wouldn't say it was easy," Allen said of the move to guard. "I definitely started to have a comfort level with it, and I feel like I've gotten better over time."

Historic Chiefs-Raiders matchup not immune to evolution of rivalry games in modern NFL from Chiefs Digest

There are postseason implications to consider Sunday with the Chiefs (6-5) attempting to hold off the Raiders (5-6).

But given the lack of hype leading to the game, is Week 13's matchup truly an illustration of an NFL rivalry game?

The only hints of a heated challenge between opponents once holding scorn for each other are arguably found on a team's social media page, fan-related blogs or heard on sports talk radio.

The players, for the most part, take a different approach to Sunday's game given the nature of the very league they play. And the preparation is far different from what they experienced in the weeks leading to rivalry games in college, which are rich in tradition.

Chiefs-Raiders scouting report from The Kansas City Star

Bottom line: Chiefs 27-23

The Chiefs need to be prepared to absorb Oakland's best shot, and they probably will be. Remember, the last time the visited the Raiders, they lost to an 0-10 team on national television. That loss should have taught them not to underestimate an opponent, especially with this Raiders team, which is much better than last year's version.

Five Questions Heading into Raiders vs. Chiefs from Raiders.com

1. Homefield advantage?

The Raiders have had trouble on the road the past several seasons, especially in the Eastern time zone. However, the Raiders have played better on the road this season than they have at home at O.co Coliseum in Oakland. The Raiders are 3-3 on the road and 2-3 at home, and their two biggest losses have come in Oakland. The Chiefs are 3-3 on the road this season. O.co Coliseum will need to be rocking, and the Raiders will need to play extremely well to defeat a team that has won five in a row.

Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs at a glance from The Sacramento Bee

Murray's breakout: Quarterback Derek Carr, who led an 80-yard drive in the rain to throw the game-winning touchdown, wasn't the only Raiders player with a breakout performance in last year's victory over the Chiefs. Latavius Murray ran four times for 112 yards and two touchdowns, highlighted by a 90-yard scoring run. After Murray struggled to get on the field to start his career, that game helped make him the starter. He has 765 yards this season and is on pace to become Oakland's first 1,000-yard back since 2010.

K.C. to visit Raiders in game with wild-card implications from The Associated Press via The Springfield News-Leader

With the Oakland Raiders mired in a 0-10 start in his rookie season, Carr led an 80-yard drive in the rain to throw the game-winning touchdown pass to James Jones with 1:46 remaining.

"I always had confidence in myself, I was just waiting for the wins to happen," Carr said. "We were blessed enough to finally get one, and it happened to be on a touchdown pass."

That was a sign of things to come for Carr, whose dramatic improvement in year two is the biggest reason why the Raiders (5-6) are still in the playoff hunt in December heading into Sunday's home game against the streaking Chiefs (6-5).

Fantasy football projections, Week 13: Chiefs-Raiders featuring Jeremy Maclin, Derek Carr and Amari Cooper from SB Nation

If it just so happens Maclin doesn't perform well on the West Coast this week, teammate and tight end Travis Kelce will likely pick up the slack. He scored just his fourth touchdown of the season against Buffalo last week and finished with four catches for 69 receiving yards. Only two teams have given up more points to fantasy tight ends than the Oakland Raiders. It's obvious that Kansas City's passing game may be providing some big time numbers to fantasy owners this week.

NFL Picks Week 13: Computer Predictions Against the Spread from Heavy.com

The lone outright win this week comes in the Bay Area. The Oakland Raiders are a field goal underdog at home against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have won and covered five straight games, and are 9-3 straight up and against the spread in their last 12 games in Oakland, but the computer predicts a 24-22 Raiders upset.

Sunday NFL preview: Who to start, sit in Week 13 from ESPN

Kansas City Chiefs: Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin had one of his best games of the season last week against the Bills (nine catches, 160 yards, one touchdown), but don't assume he'll have a similar performance against the Raiders. The Bills left Maclin in single coverage more than most opponents, and the Chiefs liked Maclin more than usual in those one-on-one matchups. -- Adam Teicher

Oakland Raiders: Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has completed 48.6 percent of his throws that have traveled 20 yards or longer downfield. It's the second-highest completion percentage in the NFL behind Atlanta's Matt Ryan. Carr has thrown seven touchdown passes on such throws, tied for the second-most in the NFL. -- Bill Williamson

Raiders vs. Chiefs: Keys to the game from The San Jose Mercury News

STATS TO LIVE BY

The Chiefs are the third team in NFL history to go five straight games without a turnover, joining the also Alex Smith-led 49ers in 2011 and the New England Patriots in 2010. Smith has gone 283 passes without an interception. ... The Raiders continue to do well on third-down, ranking fourth in the league with a 44.8 percent conversion rate, but the Chiefs are stingy defensively. Kansas City is third in the NFL, allowing opponents to convert just 32.9 percent of the time.

Raiders' Khalil Mack working on vocal side of his game from The San Jose Mercury News

He faces a Kansas City team which in last year's home game provided both the most satisfying and embarrassing moments of Mack's young career.

The Raiders won 24-20 after starting 0-10, but late in the game, Mack and linebacker Sio Moore were busy celebrating a sack some 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage when Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith rushed to the line and was getting ready to snap the ball.

A penalty could have been devastating and helped get the Chiefs in position for a game-winning touchdown, but Tuck called a time out before the Smith could get the play off.

Mack spent the entire offseason hearing about it from friends and former coaches.

Arrowhead Pride Premier

Sign up now for a 7-day free trial of Arrowhead Pride Premier, with exclusive updates from Pete Sweeney on the ground at Arrowhead, instant reactions after each game, and in-depth Chiefs analysis from film expert Jon Ledyard.