Who national experts predict will win KC Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders game
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Majority of national experts predict Chiefs win, referencing Oct. 19 31-0 rout.
- Analysts cite Raiders' losing streak and draft position as motivation to lose.
- Pundits favor Chiefs despite QB changes and season struggles; close scorelines.
This has been a forgettable season for the Chiefs ... except for one game.
The Chiefs on Sunday will finish a season that won’t include the playoffs with a game against the Las Vegas Raiders. The first time the teams met this season was on Oct. 19, and it was a game that will go down as one of the best in Chiefs history.
Las Vegas was held to 95 total yards of offense and a mere three first downs as the Chiefs rolled to a 31-0 win at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs scored a touchdown on each of their first four drives before being held to a field goal the fifth time they had the ball.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was pulled from the game in the third quarter.
Kickoff is at 3:25 p.m. on KCTV (Ch. 5) in Kansas City. Chris Lewis and Kyle Long will be on the call. Here is who 58 national experts think will win.
A 21-13 Chiefs win is the prediction from the Sporting News’ Bill Bender. He wrote: “The Raiders close the season at home in what has been a terrible first year under Pete Carroll. Las Vegas is in line to get the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Chris Oladukon had just 66 passing yards in his first start for the Chiefs.”
A 25-12 Chiefs victory is the forecast from the Associated Press’ Rob Maaddi. This is an excerpt from his story: “Chris Oladokun played well in his first career start and the going-nowhere Chiefs gave Denver a tough battle on Christmas. The Raiders are playing for the No. 1 overall pick and know they can’t afford to mess that up.”
A 24-17 Chiefs win is the prediction from the Arizona Republic’s Jeremy Cluff. This is from his story: “The Raiders have lost 10 straight games and are in line to have the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It will be 11 straight after this game.”
Picking the Chiefs are all seven CBS Sports writers: Pete Prisco, Jared Dubin, Ryan Wilson, John Breech, Tyler Sullivan, Dave Richard and Jamey Eisenberg. Prisco sees a 24-16 final. This is from his story: “The Raiders need to lose. Yes, they need to lose. If they do, they get the top draft pick. The problem is this version of the Chiefs isn’t very good. With Chris Oladokun starting at quarterback, they are still better than the Raiders. Chiefs win it.”
Picking the Chiefs are four of five writers at NFL.com: Ali Bhanpuri (21-17 final score), Dan Parr (21-17), Gennaro Filice (17-9) and Tom Blair (20-14). Taking Raiders is Brooke Cersosimo (18-16) Here is a snippet of what Blair wrote: “I still see the Chiefs as being better than their record, with their rankings in EPA per play (10th on offense, 14th on defense) and a rash of one-score losses (they have eight, tied for the most in the NFL) painting the picture of a team that could be closer to .500. That does not describe the Raiders, whose overwhelmingly negative point differential (-193) is already tied for the third-worst mark since the expansion to 17-game seasons in 2021.”
The Chiefs are the pick for five of the six Sports Illustrated writers: Clare Brennan, Gilberto Manzano, John Pluym, Mitch Goldich and Matt Verderame. Taking the Raiders is Conor Orr.
Going with the Chiefs are five of six USA Today writers: Jarrett Bell (23-16 final score), Chris Bumbaca (16-13), Nate Davis (20-9), Tyler Dragon (22-20) and Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (24-20). Picking the Raiders is Nick Brinkerhoff (23-16).
SiriusXM’s Bruce Murray and Rich Gannon think the Chiefs will prevail.
Picking the Chiefs are four of seven Athletic writers: Joe Buscaglia, Nick Kosmider, Chad Graff and Hannah Vanbiber. Going with Vegas are Larry Holder, Dan Santaromita and Zack Rosenblatt.
The Chiefs are the choice for nine of 10 ESPN experts: Stephania Bell, Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Jeremy Fowler, Dan Graziano, Moses Moody, Pamela Maldonado, Lindsey Thiry and Seth Wickersham. Taking the Raiders is Jason Reid.
Picking the Chiefs are nine of the 10 Dallas Morning-News experts: Joey Hayden, Joseph Hoyt, Dana Larson, Craig Miller, Abraham Nudelstejer, Tim Cowlishaw, Damon Marx, Newy Scruggs and Kevin Sherrington. Going with Las Vegas is Calvin Watkins.
The Chiefs will win according to the Pro Football Talk writers: Mike Florio (17-10 final score) and Chris Simms (13-10).
