The tumultuous first season of Jon Gruden’s return as head coach of the Oakland Raiders is close to reaching its end, but are they in for one more letdown of a loss before they plunge into an early vacation? Or will they pull off a shocker by downing the Kansas City Chiefs, who are +450 to win Super Bowl 53?
Don’t tell me you’re not surprised to see that the Raiders still had in them to win a game when they defeated the Denver Broncos at home last Monday, 27-14. Although the Raiders didn’t score via air, they found the end zone twice on the ground and once more via the special teams. Running back Doug Martin had 107 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, while tailback Jalen Richard had a touchdown to go with only 11 yards on four rushing attempts. Meanwhile, Dwayne Harris took off for a 99-yard kick return touchdown to open up the game’s scoring and set the tone early in the first quarter. Although the Raiders can’t match the offensive firepower of Kansas City, the Chiefs’ vulnerable defense give Derek Carr a chance. In the Raiders’ 40-33 home loss to Kansas City in Week 13, Carr passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions on 29-of-38 completions.
On the season so far, Oakland is 3-5 straight up and 4-4 against the spread (ATS) while the over is 3-0 in the Raiders’ last three road games.
Betting on the Kansas City Chiefs (11-4)
Although the Chiefs suffered an upset 38-31 road loss at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16, it did not hurt quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ stock much. Even in a loss, Mahomes was sensational, as he passed for 273 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions on 23-of-40 interceptions against the Seahawks. He also had 33 rushing yards on three carries. He could be in for a bigger performance in Week 17, as he must be feeling confident in toying with the Raiders’ defense – again. In the first meeting with the Raiders. Mahomes threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns with zero errors. Also hoping to have a good game this weekend is tight end Travis Kelce, who only had 54 receiving yards on five catches and nine targets in the Seattle game. He led the team in Oakland, though, with 168 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 12 receptions and 13 targets.
The Chiefs are 8-2 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 home games.
