- 1,277
- 86
- 48
The 18th and final week of NFL regular season action will kick things off on Saturday mid-afternoon with an AFC West clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders. Coverage begins from Allegiant Stadium in Vegas at 4:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
However, with the Chiefs likely still needing a win in order to lock up the one-seed, and the Raiders desperately trying to prove that they are much better than their record currently indicates, both squads should have plenty left to play for this Saturday.
The Chiefs have hosted four straight AFC Championship Games. So, clearly Andy Reid’s squad takes pride in claiming homefield advantage in the postseason. And while admittedly, Kansas City has become notorious for playing down to lesser opponents in certain situations over the last few seasons, that’s been far from the case this year.
Of course, the Chiefs had their one head-scratching blunder against Indy back in Week 3 (L, 20-17). But aside from that, Kansas City’s only losses on the season have come in highly competitive matchups against top shelf squads in the Bills and Bengals. So, I wouldn’t worry about a sluggish performance from Patrick Mahomes and co.
In the last nine matchups between the Raiders and Chiefs, these squads have combined for a stunning average of 56.3 points per game, with at least one team eclipsing the 28-point mark in all nine of those affairs, and both teams breaking 29+ points in three of their last five.
The over-under for this matchup is stationed comfortably north of OU 50. So, the oddsmakers are clearly aware of the fireworks that have ensued between these AFC West foes in their recent meetings.
However, I still expect this matchup go 'over' the lofty total between a Raiders’ squad that’s now scored 27+ points in four of their last six games, and a Chiefs’ squad that’s averaging 27.8 PPG across their last eight.
Score Prediction: Chiefs 31, Raiders 24
Best Bet: Over 52.5 (-110)
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS vs. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS BETTING PREDICTION
The fate of both these teams’ had already been decided prior to Week 18, considering the Chiefs punched their ticket to the postseason with a win over Houston a few weeks back, and contrarily, the Raiders were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to San Francisco in their latest outing.However, with the Chiefs likely still needing a win in order to lock up the one-seed, and the Raiders desperately trying to prove that they are much better than their record currently indicates, both squads should have plenty left to play for this Saturday.
The Chiefs have hosted four straight AFC Championship Games. So, clearly Andy Reid’s squad takes pride in claiming homefield advantage in the postseason. And while admittedly, Kansas City has become notorious for playing down to lesser opponents in certain situations over the last few seasons, that’s been far from the case this year.
Of course, the Chiefs had their one head-scratching blunder against Indy back in Week 3 (L, 20-17). But aside from that, Kansas City’s only losses on the season have come in highly competitive matchups against top shelf squads in the Bills and Bengals. So, I wouldn’t worry about a sluggish performance from Patrick Mahomes and co.
In the last nine matchups between the Raiders and Chiefs, these squads have combined for a stunning average of 56.3 points per game, with at least one team eclipsing the 28-point mark in all nine of those affairs, and both teams breaking 29+ points in three of their last five.
The over-under for this matchup is stationed comfortably north of OU 50. So, the oddsmakers are clearly aware of the fireworks that have ensued between these AFC West foes in their recent meetings.
However, I still expect this matchup go 'over' the lofty total between a Raiders’ squad that’s now scored 27+ points in four of their last six games, and a Chiefs’ squad that’s averaging 27.8 PPG across their last eight.
Score Prediction: Chiefs 31, Raiders 24
Best Bet: Over 52.5 (-110)