MNF Preview: Kansas City Chiefs Host Las Vegas Raiders

It’s impossible to make every primetime game a marquee matchup, but I do love divisional tussle, especially between rivals that have no love lost.

Even though the Kansas City Chiefs are the clear-cut best team in the AFC West, and the Las Vegas Raiders are probably the worst club in the division, this could be a good game. Or it could be a 48-9 blowout like we saw the previous time they played in Arrowhead last December. Let’s hope for the former. 

• Location: GEHA Field at Arrowhead | Kansas City, MO
• Time: 8:15 p.m. ET | TV: ESPN

Even if this one ends up a blowout, you know it’s worth tuning into because who knows what type of magic Patrick Mahomes will pull out of his bag of tricks. 

The All-Pro passer has thrown at least two touchdown passes in three of four games this season, including three scoring strikes last week. Do you need more? Mahomes is great vs. the Raiders; he’s great at home and excellent on Monday Night Football. 

In seven games against the Raiders, Mahomes has 24 touchdowns (22 passing) to three INTs (112.4 rating) with seven TDs (no INTs) and a 126.2 rating in his past three in Arrowhead. In his six MNF starts, the Chiefs are 5-1, and Mahomes has posted a 100.9 rating.

• Spread: Raiders +7 (-106) | Chiefs -7 (-114)
• Moneyline: Raiders (+280) | Chiefs (-350)
• Total: OVER 51.5 (-114) | UNDER 51.5 (-106) 

Travis Kelce put up nine catches for 92 yards and a score last week and is the only tight end with at least 50 receiving yards in every game this season. Many of those Mahomes TD passes against the Raiders have landed in the hands of Kelce, who has 100+ yards in three of his past four against them.

Some newcomers are coming on as well. JuJu Smith-Schuster has ten catches in the past two games, Marquez Valdes-Scantling had a season-high 63 yards last week, and rookie Isiah Pacheco rushed for a career-high 63 yards last Sunday. 

The key to Oakland’s offense is another newcomer, Davante Adams, who went for 101 yards on nine grabs last week and has scored a touchdown in three of four games this season. His primetime streak of five-straight games of 115-plus yards, including three on MNF, is even more impressive. 

• KC ML, Mahomes OVER 279.5 P-Yds, Kelce OVER 72.5 R-Yds (+267)
• KC ML, Smith-Schuster OVER 49.5 R-Yds, Kelce Anytime TD (+313)
• KC -7, Mahomes 300+ Passing Yads, Kelce Anytime TD (+537)

A less heralded offseason addition, Mack Hollins (who?), is also making an impact. He has already recorded a career-high with 17 receptions this season, while Hunter Renfrow had nearly as many in their last meeting with KC when he hauled in a career-best 13 grabs.

Running back Josh Jacobs comes into this one playing the best football of his career with a personal-best 175 scrimmage yards last week and two TDs. It was his ninth-career game with multiple rushing touchdowns, the second most in the NFL since 2019.