MNF: Chiefs vs Raiders prediction and game thread

Monday Night Football, Week 5. Tonight we have an AFC West grudge match between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs will be hosting this game in Kansas City. In days of yore we’d have people saying things like “these two teams just don’t like each other,” and “you can throw out the records when these two teams meet,” and similar cliches.

The 3-1 Chiefs are coming off a 41 - 31 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. Led by the incomparable Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs lead the NFL in scoring and have scored 40+ points twice already this season. The Chiefs also boast the league’s #1 rushing defense. On the other hand the Chiefs have allowed more passing touchdowns than any other team in the NFL, so if you want to beat the Chiefs, you probably are going to have to air it out.

The 1-3 Raiders’ season has not gone as planned. When they acquired star wide receiver Davante Adams in the offseason he was supposed to be the missing piece to a juggernaut Raiders’ offense. While Adams has performed well, the expected offensive explosion by the Raiders has yet to materialize. Quarterback Derek Carr is having one of the worst seasons of his career. With six touchdown passes and four interceptions through four games Carr sports a mediocre 83 passer rating. While Adams has done his part, other feature players in the Raiders’ offense have yet to get untracked. Tight end Darren Waller and slot receiver Hunter Renfrow in particular have underperformed, leading to the Raiders exceeding 23 points on offense just once in four games this season. With a dynamic passing game being the way to compete with a brilliant Chiefs’ offense, Derek Carr and the Raiders’ passing game will need to figure things out in a hurry if they want to upset the Chiefs tonight.

The Chiefs have dominated this rivalry recently, taking 13 of the last 15 games between these two teams. I expect that trend to continue tonight in Kansas City. I have submitted my pick using the widget from our partners at Tallysight. You can follow all my picks throughout the season, as I prove for another season how I’m not made to be a gambler. Seriously, I cannot stress enough how bad an idea it would be to bet real money based on my picks. Don’t do it. Don’t even consider it. Make your own picks, and good luck. And if you do bet, consider using our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Let us know your pick below, and use this thread to discuss the game.