The Las Vegas Raiders have the Chiefs figured out. Or so says cornerback Jack Jones, who has heard the talk about the troubles plaguing Kansas City’s wide receivers.
“We’re not worried about them,” Jones told the Las Vegas Review-Journal this week. “It’s Patrick Mahomes we’ve got to stop. You stop the magician, then the act is over.”
The last act in this rivalry didn’t go so well for the Raiders, who lost 31-17 to the Chiefs in Las Vegas on Nov. 26.
Can the Raiders stop Mahomes and the Chiefs? Here are who 73 national experts are predicting will win the Christmas Day game, which kicks off at noon and airs on KCTV (Ch. 5) and Nickelodeon in Kansas City.
The five writers at NFL.com picked the Chiefs to win: Ali Bhanpuri (26-20 final score), Brooke Cersosimo (24-21), Dan Parr (25-17), Gennaro Filice (23-17) and Tom Blair (27-14). Here is a snippet of what Filice wrote: “After a 6-1 start to the season, the defending Super Bowl champions have gone 3-4 while averaging just 20.1 ppg (20th in the NFL during that span). Mahomes appears to be growing increasingly frustrated with his yakety sax receiving corps, and I just can’t see this offense suddenly flipping the switch, even with the Silver-and-Black salve coming to town. K.C. wins, but Antonio Pierce’s defense allows the Raiders to hang around.”
Picking the Chiefs are the eight USA Today writers: Jarrett Bell (20-10 final score), Chris Bumbaca (24-17), Safid Deen (24-17), Tyler Dragon (26-17), Victoria Hernandez (28-20), Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (28-20), Lorenzo Reyes (31-16) and Nate Davis (24-19). This is part of what Hernandez wrote: “The Chiefs had to come back against the Raiders in Las Vegas in their first matchup this season and have had hiccups in their last few games. But returning home with the AFC West title on the line should lead to a solid win.”
A 27-16 Chiefs victory is the pick for the Associated Press’ Rob Maaddi. Here is what he wrote: “The Chiefs (9-5) have averaged 35.5 points against the Raiders (6-8) in 11 games with Patrick Mahomes. After putting 63 points up against the Chargers, Las Vegas faces a much tougher defense.”
All eight writers at CBS Sports think the Chiefs will win: Pete Prisco, Jared Dubin, Will Brinson, John Breech, Ryan Wilson, Jamey Eisenberg, Tyler Sullivan and Dave Richard. Prisco sees a 24-21 final. He wrote: “The Chiefs got back on track last week against the Patriots and now can push to get the top seed. They beat the Raiders earlier this year on the road, but the Raiders are a better defense now. The Chiefs win it, but it’s close.”
A 38-14 Chiefs victory is the prediction from the Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer. Here is an excerpt from his story: “The Chiefs have been contained offensively for a few weeks, but they busted out a little in New England despite a tricky defensive matchup because they were sparked into more offensive creativity for Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs have diversified well in the passing game away from Travis Kelce and also can run when needed, however their backfield mix looks.”
The 12 writers at the Athletic picked the Chiefs: Mark Kaboly, Austin Mock, Larry Holder, Zack Rosenblatt, Zak Keefer, Zac Jackson, Tashan Reed, Chad Graff, Josh Kendall, Ben Standig, Michael-Shawn Dugar and Nick Kosmider. Here is a passage from that story: “Before Thursday’s 63-point outburst against the Chargers, the Raiders scored only 76 points combined in their previous five games, including just 46 in the previous four games.”
All 10 experts at ESPN predict the Chiefs will win: Stephania Bell, Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Jeremy Fowler, Jason Reid, Dan Graziano, Kimberly Martin, Moses Moody, Lindsey Thiry and Seth Wickersham.
All seven experts at Sports Illustrated are predicting a Chiefs victory: Albert Breer, Conor Orr, Mitch Goldich, Gilberto Manzano, Matt Verderame, John Pluym and Claire Kuwana.
All nine SB Nation writers see the Chiefs winning: JP Acosta, James Dator, Jeanna Kelly, Brandon Lee Bowton, Mark Schofield, Jared Mueller, RJ Ochoa, Matt Warren and Michael Peterson.
The Chiefs will win, say the NFL Network’s Gregg Rosenthal (23-21 final score), Cynthia Frelund (26-17) and Patrick Claybon (24-21).
The Chiefs are the choice for Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio (31-20 final score) and Chris Simms (28-17).
