Can the Raiders make the AFC West exciting again?
Week twelve in the NFL sees a clash between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs. The roles seem to be quite clear in advance, because while the visitors, as reigning champions, are among the favorites for the Super Bowl again this season, we wouldn’t be surprised if the home side even missed the playoffs completely. For this reason, the bookmakers’ odds between the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs clearly favor a win for the away team
However, we should not underestimate the Raiders ahead of this game, as Antonio Pierce’s team has just two fewer wins than their upcoming opponents. In addition, the visitors have lost two of their last three games, while Las Vegas have won two of their last three. In our opinion, the odds between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs are therefore a little too far apart
We recommend betting on a touchdown from Travis Kelce between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs. The tight end is and remains Patrick Mahomes’ favorite player and is therefore often put in the spotlight. His height alone makes him difficult to defend in the end zone and he has already scored five touchdowns this season. The best odds for this bet can be found at Bet365, probably the best bookmaker when it comes to American football.
Kickoff for this AFC game is at 22:25 on Sunday at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The game can be watched live and in full on DAZN.
Las Vegas Raiders – Statistics & current form
Las Vegas are currently in third place in the AFC West and still have a chance of making the playoffs. With a win against the Kansas City Chiefs, Antonio Pierce’s team could even get back into the race to win their division.
Nevertheless, the home side should remain realistic, because with opponents such as the Minnesota Vikings, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos, the remaining schedule is anything but easy. In fact, we would tend to assume that the Raiders will miss out on the knockout round completely
Positional battle in LV
Jimmy Garoppolo was the starting quarterback in the first few weeks and did a decent job overall. However, after Josh McDaniels was sacked, Antonio Pierce was introduced as the new head coach, who is obviously not a big fan of Jimmy G. Since the change of coach, rookie Aidan O’Connell has therefore been on the field. With two wins in his first three NFL games, the decision doesn’t seem to have been a bad one
Back to old form
Josh Jacobs was by far the best running back in the NFL last season, collecting 1,653 rushing yards and also scoring twelve touchdowns. However, the Raiders’ superstar struggled at the start of the new season and clearly fell short of expectations. In the meantime, however, JJ has regained his old strength and is ranked eighth in the league at his position.
Good starting positions
Davante Adams is the second big superstar in the Raiders’ team alongside Josh Jacobs. The wide receiver has already caught passes for 741 yards, ranking eleventh among all pass receivers. The 30-year-old veteran has also made four appearances in the end zone. Jakobi Meyers is also playing a very strong season alongside him and has even scored five touchdowns. Nevertheless, Las Vegas is averaging just 16.8 points per game, which is simply not enough
Solid defense
While the offense is rarely at its best on the court, the defense has been very solid so far. Antonio Pierce’s team is only allowing an average of 20.5 points. Still, the D-line has a clear weakness, allowing opponents 132.2 rushing yards per game. Fortunately, the Kansas City Chiefs’ strength lies more in the passing game.
Key players for the Las Vegas Raiders:
- QB: Aidan O’Connell
- RB: Josh Jacobs
- WR: Davante Adamas
- S: Trevon Moehrig
- K: Daniel Carlson
Kansas City Chiefs – stats & current form
Kansas currently lead the AFC West and have won seven of their first ten games. However, Andy Reid’s side have lost two of their last three games, leaving them just two wins ahead of the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders.
A win against one of their direct rivals would therefore be particularly important at this stage of the season. In addition, the two teams meet again in just a few weeks, meaning that this first duel could also play a decisive role in the direct comparison.
Most Valuable Player
Patrick Mahomes was voted MVP of the regular season last season, won the Super Bowl with his team and was also named Super Bowl MVP. In sporting terms, it was a year of superlatives for the Chiefs quarterback. In the new season, however, Mahomes has not yet been able to build on his performances from the previous year. After ten games, he has 2,619 passing yards and 19 touchdowns, which only puts him in eighth place.
Good running game
Isiah Pacheco has already amassed 614 rushing yards this season, putting him twelfth in the league. Nevertheless, the running back is currently unable to reach his best form, as the youngster currently lacks efficiency with just three touchdowns. As a result, hardly any other team in the NFL has as few touchdowns through the running game as the Kansas City Chiefs.
Clear target player
Travis Kelce is clearly Patrick Mahomes’ target player and is always looked for in the decisive moments. The tight end has already caught passes for 641 yards, making him one of, if not the best player at his position. With Rashee Rice, Jerick McKinnon, Justin Watson, Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, Noah Gray and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the Chiefs also have a number of other good pass receivers in the team.
Hard to crack
The Chiefs have one of the best defenses in the NFL, allowing an average of just 16.4 points. Only the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens can top this figure so far. The D-Line has not yet revealed a real weakness, as the defense does not seem to have any problems against either the passing game or the run game.
Key players for the Kansas City Chiefs:
- QB: Patrick Mahomes
- RB: Isiah Pacheco
- TE: Travis Kelce
- LB: Drue Tranquill
- K: Harrison Butker
Las Vegas Raiders – Kansas City Chiefs head-to-head / H2H record
The direct comparison of the two teams clearly goes to the visiting team. The Chiefs have won 62 duels against the Raiders, while the visitors currently have 43 wins. The last time the two teams met was on matchday 17 of the previous season, almost eleven months ago. Back then, Kansas won very convincingly 31:13 and gave their opponents no chance. Not much should have changed since then, which is why our prediction between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs also goes in the direction of the away team
Las Vegas Raiders – Kansas City Chiefs betting tip
The roles are clearly distributed before the game, because while the visitors are hardly to be stopped this season, the home side is one of the middle-class teams. What’s more, Aidan O’Connell has very little experience and will have his work cut out against KC’s strong defense. We therefore play the betting tip between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs on a win for the visiting team in connection with a halftime lead
Alternatively, we recommend the odds for under 45.5 points in the game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs. We have already mentioned the strong defense of the visiting team, but the D-Line of the home team has also shown strong performances so far, allowing an average of only 20.5 points. Overall, this suggests a low-scoring game.
