Bold predictions made by Kansas City Chiefs for their Week 16 Christmas Day game against the Raiders
The NFL’s first game of a three-game set begins on Christmas morning with the Kansas City Chiefs (9-5) hosting the Las Vegas Raiders (6-8) in a Week 16 matchup. Enjoy the rest of your day after opening your presents.
It required traveling to New England to play the Patriots in order to get back in the win column after dropping two of their previous three games and losing four of their previous seven. A few years ago, you couldn’t have said that. A few years ago, you also couldn’t argue that the Chiefs wouldn’t have had their playoff ticket punched by now, but that isn’t the case this year.
The Chiefs have dominated the Raiders in their last meetings, much like the majority of the AFC West division. They have won 11 of their previous 12 games and six in a row. Even more astounding is the fact that Kansas City won the majority of those matches fairly handily. Oh, and the Raiders have only triumphed in Arrowhead once since 2012.
Right now, one cannot be certain about the Raiders team’s future. They had fired head coach Josh McDaniels a few weeks prior, had fallen short against the Minnesota Vikings 3-0 two weeks prior, and had thrashed the Los Angeles Chargers one week later, leading 42-0 at the half. The Chiefs team of this year is not the same as those of the previous few years, which is good news for the Raiders. So, is this the long-awaited Christmas miracle that Las Vegas needs to celebrate? Or will the Chiefs stuff their opponents’ stockings with coal? Let’s discuss some audacious Chiefs predictions for their Week 16 matchup with the Raiders.
This season, the Chiefs have dropped a league-high 26 passes, or almost two per game. This season, it has been Kansas City’s biggest offensive problem, frequently causing drives to stall or completely collapse. It’s not something that can be readily resolved, particularly at this late stage in the season. In the Christmas Day game, anticipate two or three more drops.
Even with his legs, Mahomes can still be lethal when he wants to be. This season, Mahomes has had to rely more on his own playmaking ability when he is out of the pocket because he is unable to trust his receivers as much. Week 4 against the New York Jets gave him his highest rushing total of the season, 51 yards after he carried the ball seven times.
Because they are outscored, the Chiefs have a nasty habit of allowing teams to come back on them in the fourth quarter. They were held scoreless by the Patriots the previous week and managed only a field goal in a defeat to the Buffalo Bills the week before. CBSSports reports that they are only scoring 2.8 points per game on average in the fourth quarter.
This season, the Chiefs have actually suffered more losses at home (3-2) than away from home. They have, however, gone 3-1 this season against teams in the AFC West, with their lone road loss coming against the Denver Broncos. They have lost all but one of their five games by a touchdown or more.
With the Raiders looking to pull off an upset and record their first victory over the Chiefs in a long time, it seems like this could be another close game for the Chiefs. However, it’s still just too hard to pull against the Chiefs. Yes, they aren’t as good as they were last season and their defense is now more important than their offense. But it will always be difficult to criticize Mahomes and Andy Reid as long as they are still in the team.
