The Kansas City Chiefs will try and make it three-straight wins to get back to .500 when they take-on the Oakland Raiders at Oakland County Coliseum this Sunday afternoon in this AFC West matchup. The kick-off is set for 4:05 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast regionally on CBS.
Kansas City is hoping to put a 0-3 start in which it was outscored 109-27 behind and get back into the division race. It is coming off a bye week after back-to-back victories over Minnesota and Indianapolis in which it covered as a three-point home underdog against the Vikings and a one-point road underdog against the Colts. The total has gone ‘over’ in three of its five games.
If the Chiefs are to have any shot at defending last season’s West title, they will need Matt Cassel to continue to elevate his level of play. The slow start has this offense ranked 29th in the NFL in both passing yards and points per game.
Oakland made a splash this week by trading for Carson Palmer, after Jason Campbell was lost for at least six weeks with a broken collarbone. Right now, Kyle Boller is expected to get the start at quarterback against the Chiefs, but not be surprised if head coach Hue Jackson tries to work Palmer into the mix on Sunday.
High hopes and expectations were the primary reason the Raiders paid such a high price for Palmer (a first and second round pick) after a 4-2 start straight-up (5-1 against the
spread) has the team dreaming of a legitimate run at the AFC West title. They are hoping that Palmer can provide an aerial attack to go along with a ground game that is averaging 160 yards a game.
Kansas City is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games as a road underdog, but just 1-5 ATS in its last six games in the division. The total has stayed ‘under’ in its last four games against the AFC West.
Oakland has gone 8-0 ATS in its last eight games against the AFC West and is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in six of its last eight games in the division
Head-to-head in this series, the Chiefs are 7-1 ATS in their last eight trips to Oakland and the underdog is 8-0 ATS in the last eight games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in 10 of the last 12 meetings. The current half-point on this line looms large as it will be the difference in a tight game.
The Pick: Oakland 23 Kansas City 20
