Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka made it very clear that the team isn’t overlooking the Oakland Raiders in Week 17.
In case you’re wondering whether or not the Kansas City Chiefs have somehow already turned the page to the postseason since they punched their playoff ticket weeks ago, there’s no need to worry about Week 17.
The Chiefs have a lot on the line this week. If they win against the Oakland Raiders, they will lay claim to the first overall seed in the AFC as well as the AFC West title for the third straight year—an extension of the franchise record set last season. However, the Chiefs have also lost their last two games to the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Chargers, going 0-for-2 in their attempts to finish off the regular season with the aforementioned honors. At some point, fans have to wonder whether or not the Chiefs are focused.
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Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka says they are locked in on their next opponent, the Oakland Raiders. Kafka addressed reporters this week leading up to the team’s final home game of the regular season and addressed any concerns about the team overlooking their next opponent.
"“We have one game to play this week against Oakland. That’s the only thing we’re focused on right now. This is the biggest game of the year for us. We’re approaching it that way from a mental standpoint and physically too, getting ourselves in shape so we can play our best four quarters of football.”"
Jon Gruden, head coach of the Oakland Raiders, has made it quite clear that he’s quite excited to face the Chiefs this week in hopes of upsetting their postseason positioning. The teams already despise each other as longtime divisional rivals, and the Raiders would love nothing more than to play spoiler on the Chiefs playoff hopes by forcing them to take a longer route on the road rather than enjoying a bye week and home-field advantage.
The Chiefs defeated the Raiders 40-33 earlier this month at Oakland, a game that ended up much closer than expected given the Raiders basement-dwelling position in the standings. The Raiders also have recent wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos so there’s some real momentum for Derek Carr and company.
Fortunately, the Chiefs are “focused wholeheartedly” on the Raiders, per Kafka, and the talent differential should be enough for K.C. to walk away with their 12th win of the season.