Raiders, Chiefs meet in pivotal showdown for AFC West lead

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) runs for a touchdown on a 78-yard kickoff return during the first half of an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders in Kansas City, Mo., Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016. The two franchises were among the elite of the old American Football League, then continued to battle into the 1970s. While many fans took that as an insult, it would appear Andy Reid has embraced it…at least over the past few weeks.

With a record of 10-2, and now the first overall seed in the AFC, the Raiders still have to beat hated division rival Kansas City Chiefs (9-3) on Thursday Night Football.

The Seahawks (8-3-1) rolled up a season-high 534 yards and kept a three-game lead in the NFC West with four remaining.

Should Oakland win, however, they would have the same division record as the Chiefs at 3-1 by virtue of splitting the season series, and would find themselves again alone atop the entire AFC.

The Chiefs have won seven of their last eight, a stretch that began with a 26-10 win in Oakland on October 16, and have won four straight against their old AFL rivals. And, it was a convincing decision. In comparison, the Chiefs are rather average, but control pace and limit mistakes. The Raiders are now 10-2, but one of their losses was at the hands of the Chiefs.

Reid’s memory of Carr, the third-year pro, was of a quarterback who was “fearless with his throws”.

December 2011, Week 16: Raiders beat Chiefs, 16-13. “I like to watch the way people teach and try to pick up different leadership techniques from certain people, and I just liked the way that he treated players and the way he coached them”. “Not trying to get into specifics”, Del Rio said, “but it was significant enough we wanted to make sure we got him to the proper care”. I don’t think there’s a clear-cut player. “We’ve got to keep our eyes on the prize and stay focused on the main goal”. Now it’s a matter of … The Raiders are also coming off a tough game, but will be going on the road. Miller really came on a year ago during the postseason.

The Chiefs haven’t won the AFC West since 2010, when they finished 10-6 in a division that it seemed nobody wanted to win. That season, the Raiders lost in the divisional round after finishing second, while the Chiefs won the division and lost in the AFC Championship, both to the same team, the Buffalo Bills. Carr has engineered six fourth-quarter comebacks this season. But while quarterback Derek Carr and running back Latavius Murray are receiving much of the glory, they both know that their success is due in large part to the five beasts that make up the offensive line. “They’ve made changes defensively that have made them better on that side of the ball”. They were a little down on the defensive side early on but they’ve picked up in that area.