The Kansas City Chiefs are back in their accustomed role as favorites going into tomorrow’s game, but that’s only because they’re playing the Las Vegas Raiders. Predicting the outcome of this game is tougher than usual, though, as noted by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
That’s because of the role tanking might play, with the Chiefs listed as 5.5-point favorites. To quote Florio, “The Raiders would have a chance to win this one, if they weren’t tanking for the top pick.”
Florio went on to pick the Chiefs to win 17-10, while his colleague, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, had a closer Kansas City win, 13-10.
What’s even weirder is that no one quite knows what the Raiders are going to do. Quarterback Geno Smith and defensive end Maxx Crosby have been ruled out, but coach Pete Carroll has made it clear that everyone else is fair game in this one.
“Everybody’s gonna play and I’m hoping it works out well,” Carroll said in a piece written by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “It doesn’t always, good plans don’t always come through, but we’ve got plans for these guys to get in there and get their playing time. Really excited to see them. Excited to see them play.”
Carroll may be excited about this, but very few others are. The Chiefs will once again be playing their third-string quarterback, Chris Oladokun, and there’s a chance this could be teh final game for Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Aside from that, there really isn’t much of a storyline here for the Chiefs. The backups will get reps, and based on what we saw against the Denver Broncos on Christmas night, the defense will play well and the offense will struggle to score points.
But the reality is that all bets are off in a game like this. The Chiefs could fold in this one and look like they’re playing out the string the way they did against the Tennessee Titans, or this game could turn into a shootout between backup quarterbacks who are happy to be playing in a game that will likely have all the intensity of a preseason contest.
The possibility of the Raiders tanking is the other wild card in this one. Las Vegas locks up the number one pick in the 2026 draft if they lose, but it’s entirely possible that Carroll could screw that up by going all out for the win. He’s still making comments as if this game matters, when everyone else knows the opposite is true, while the Chiefs will be looking to end their five-game losing streak and end their season on a winning note.