Most national experts are saying Chiefs will win Sunday’s game against Raiders
The AFC West title is there for the taking for the Chiefs. Again.
For the third straight game, the Chiefs have a chance to win the division and there is an added bonus: the top spot in the AFC playoff field will come with a victory Sunday against Oakland.
The Chiefs have lost two straight (home to the Chargers and at the Seahawks) against teams that have qualified for the postseason. Sunday’s game is against the 4-11 Raiders, who are fresh off a Christmas Eve victory at home against the Broncos.
The game, which kicks off at 3:25 p.m. and will be shown on CBS (Ch. 5), is at Arrowhead Stadium.
Most national NFL observers believe the Chiefs will win Sunday. Of the 48 pundits who made straight-up picks for the game, all but one picked Kansas City. Here is the breakdown and what people are saying about the game:
Elliot Harrison of NFL.com thinks the Chiefs will win 35-20. Here is an excerpt of what he wrote: “The Chiefs win and they earn both the AFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the conference. Now, the simplest way to do that is to run on these Raiders often. Teams have employed the ground forces at will on Oakland, making third downs quite manageable. This is part of the reason why Jon Gruden’s team ranks 30th in third-down defense.”
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and Michael David Smith both predicted an easy Chiefs victory. Florio wrote: “If the Chiefs can’t beat the Raiders to nail down the No. 1 seed, the Chiefs don’t deserve the No. 1 seed.” Smith wrote: “The Chiefs just need to win to earn home-field advantage, and they’ll do that easily, even though the Raiders have been playing hard down the stretch.”
The Sporting News’ Tadd Haislop thinks the Chiefs will win 37-17. This is part of what he wrote: “The worrisome defensive and running-game issues in Kansas City won’t apply in this game.”
Seven of the eight CBS Sports writers picked the Chiefs to win: Jared Dubin, Ryan Wilson, Will Brinson, David Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Pete Prisco and John Breech. The lone pick for the Raiders came from Jason La Canfora. Prisco predicted a 37-27 Chiefs victory. Here is part of what he wrote: “The Chiefs offense will be too much for the Raiders, but Oakland will score here as well. It will be fun, but the Chiefs will take it.”
All six SB Nation writers predicted a Chiefs victory: Stephen White, Christian D’Andrea, Charles McDonald, Adam Stites, Ryan Van Bibber and Geoff Schwartz.
ESPN’s 10 experts all think the Chiefs will win: Mina Kimes, Louis Riddick, Seth Wickersham, Mike Golic, Trey Wingo, Molly Qerim, Kevin Seifert, Mike Clay, Matt Bowen and Dan Graziano.
Each of the seven Sports Illustrated Monday Morning Quarterback writers believe the Chiefs will prevail: Albert Breer, Mitch Goldich, Jonathan Jones, Bette Marston, Andrew Brandt, Jenny Vrentas and Mark Mravic.
All eight Pro Focus Football writers predicted a Chiefs victory: Neil Hornsby, Steve Palazzolo, Sam Monson, Mike Renner, Zac Robinson, Jeff Ratcliffe, Nathan Jahnke and Gordon McGuinness.
USA Today’s five experts picked the Chiefs: Mike Jones (31-20 final score) and Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz (35-14). Lorenzo Reyes (33-23), Jarrett Bell (34-24) and Nate Davis (34-17).
