:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65795585/891804014.jpg.0.jpg)
The latest
AFC West stock watch: Chiefs rising, Derek Carr falling | FanSided
Fallers
Derek Carr in poor weather: The Raiders didn’t lose to the Jets by 31 points because of Carr. He didn’t play well, but no one did for the Raiders. Yet, it continued the narrative that Carr doesn’t play well in poor weather as the Raiders struggled in the rain. Now, comes a game in Kansas City where the temps are supposed to be in the 30s with wind and possible snow. Carr is 0-4 games played under 40 degrees. He also struggles mightily at Arrowhead Stadium. He must change those trends or the Raiders could kiss their divisional chances goodbye.
Kansas City may see rain Friday afternoon before temperatures rise Saturday | Kansas City Star
Kansas City will turn “cold and blustery” by Sunday, Lauria said. Temperatures will hit 36 degrees by kickoff as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Oakland Raiders. Fans should expect 25 to 30 mile-an-hour winds, he said.
“Could affect the kicking and passing game,” Lauria said.
Raiders catch break with later kickoff in Kansas City | Las Vegas Review Journal
“You know it’s hard on any team to fly Friday and get in your room at two o’clock in the morning Friday night and play at 10:00 a.m.,” Gruden said. “Your body clock time on Sunday takes a little experience.”
Normally that would have been spot on. But not this week. The NFL, understanding the importance of Sunday’s AFC West matchup between the Chiefs (7-4) and Raiders (6-5), flexed it to the late afternoon time slot to feature it as the CBS national game of the week. That means the Raiders will actually be playing on a body clock time of 1:25 p.m.
2019 NFL playoff picture: AFC, NFC standings, seeds, scenarios and outlook in Week 13 | ESPN
4. Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)
In a matter of six days, the Chiefs moved from a virtual tie in the AFC West to an opportunity to all but lock up the division by the end of Week 13. First, they held off the Chargers in Mexico City in Week 11. Then, the Raiders suffered an embarrassing loss Sunday to the Jets. So if the Chiefs can beat the Raiders at home this weekend, they’ll complete a season sweep and clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker. In essence, that means they would have a three-game lead in the division with four games left. The likelihood of that scenario gives the Chiefs a 96.8% chance to win the West, per FPI.
Next up: vs. Oakland
NFL Week 13 game picks: Ravens edge Niners; Pats win again | NFL.com
Kansas City Chiefs 35, Oakland Raiders 20
4:25 p.m. ET (CBS) | Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Mo.)
The Raiders are 1-4 against teams with winning records, including a blowout loss to these Chiefs. Oakland’s scoring differential is minus-56, good for 26th in the league. In short: Jon Gruden has overachieved with a talent-poor roster, especially on defense. Most concerning is that one of the league’s best offensive lines has struggled in back-to-back weeks against the Bengals and Jets. The Raiders will need their offense to be at its efficient best on Sunday to keep up with a Chiefs team expected to get Tyreek Hill back, but it’s hard to keep up in a shootout with 10-play drives. The Chiefs’ push for a title starts ... NOW.
“The longest field goals, a lot of times it’s during pregame warm-ups,” Butker said Wednesday, the first day of media availability after the Chiefs’ Week 12 bye. “And with media around talking about the altitude in Mexico City, I knew there would probably be cameras on me for the warm-up.
“So, normally, I’m obviously not kicking that far because I can’t. But I kind of wanted to see just how far back I could go with that altitude in Mexico City.”
3. Patrick Mahomes Kansas City Chiefs QB
If not for the injury that cost him nearly three full games, Mahomes would be a factor in the MVP race. There’s an argument to be made that he’s actually been the best quarterback in the league this season. By DVOA, which measures value per play, he ranks first. And he’s second to only Jackson in total QBR.
Last week: 4
NFL Three-Quarter Mark Power Rankings: Lamar Jackson’s Ravens Are No Fluke | The Ringer
5. Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)
I put the Chiefs this high on the list mostly out of deference for Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City has had an uneven season while dealing with injuries to Mahomes and other key members of the offense, but Reid’s team is getting healthy at just the right time. Coming out of the Week 12 bye, the offensive line should be fully intact for the first time all season. Mahomes’s pass catchers are healthy. And though the Chiefs haven’t been quite the planet-exploding force they were in 2018, this unit still has more potential than any other passing offense in the league. The defense may still struggle against the run, but this unit isn’t the disaster it was last season.
Around the NFL
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he’s sticking with Jason Garrett | ESPN
“This is not the time for me [to make a coaching change],” Jones said outside the locker room with tears in his eyes. “I’m looking ahead at another ballgame. I’m looking ahead at winning four or five straight and helping write a story they will talk about, how it looks like you’re down and out. And I mean that. That’s the way that I’m operating. Every decision that I make over the next month will be with an eye in mind to get us in the Super Bowl now.”
Steelers legend Joe Greene named to NFL All-Time Team | NFL.com
Hall of Fame defensive tackle and Pittsburgh Steelers legend Joe Greene was named Thursday night to the All-Time Team. He’ll be joined by Ray Lewis, 13 defensive linemen and 11 linebackers, when the rest are revealed at 8 p.m. on Friday night on NFL Network, in a special hosted by Rich Eisen, Bill Belichick and Cris Collinsworth.
Taysom Hill blocks punt, scores twice in Saints’ victory | NFL.com
In 35 total snaps, his most since Week 2, Hill blocked a first-quarter punt, “caught” a touchdown “pass” on the ensuing possession and added a rushing score in the second quarter. It was a first half for the ages for the third-year multi-purpose weapon, one Hill knew was coming and one he won’t soon forget.
”It was one of those weeks I was really excited about,” Hill said after the game. “I think when you have guys like Mike Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Jared Cook, the list goes on, it kind of creates opportunities for little old me because there’s so much attention that’s put on those guys. Coach (Sean Payton) is one of the best at being creative and putting guys in position to be successful. I got lucky because I was the guy tonight.”
Why the Bills won
Allen played arguably the best game of his young career. The Cowboys’ disappointing defense had no answers for his mobility, and Allen displayed nearly flawless decision-making and pinpoint accuracy -- two traits that have often eluded him -- to pick apart Dallas through the air and the ground. To put it another way, he outplayed Prescott, an MVP candidate for much of the season, by a wide margin.
In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride
Patrick Mahomes weighs in on Lamar Jackson’s season
“The league in general — and the quarterbacks that are in this league right now and the quarterback play — it’s such a high level,” said Mahomes. “And so you see every single year, it seems like someone else is coming out and putting their stamp on the game and how you can go about [having] success here. Lamar’s playing at an extremely high level right now -- not only what he’s able to do with his legs, but the way he’s able to get in the pocket and hit these seam throws and hit these shots down the field -- and you understand that with the more and more experience he [gets], he’s really understanding what defenses are trying to do to him.”
SB Nation’s Fan Pulse (after Week 12)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19417187/fp6.png)
Follow Arrowhead Pride on Social Media
Facebook Page: Click here to like our page
AP Instagram: Follow @ArrowheadPride
AP Twitter: Follow @ArrowheadPride
AP Editor-in-Chief: Pete Sweeney: Follow @pgsween
610 Sports Twitter: Follow @610SportsKC