Chiefs vs Raiders: Kansas City predicted to roll over Oakland

After the Chiefs cruised past the Jaguars last week, our writer predictions for Week 2 have the Chiefs beating the Raiders soundly.

To open up their NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs took care of business last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The final score was 40-26, although a garbage-time touchdown made the final result closer than the game was. The Chiefs were in control from start to finish and made light work of the Jaguars.

Though easy, their win was not without some loss. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was sacked early on in the game and hurt his ankle. While he came back into the game and played through the injury, he was clearly limited. Head coach Andy Reid labeled the injury as an ankle sprain. The injury thankfully is not significant, as Mahomes has been able to practice without problem and will be good to go this Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.

Another major injury the Chiefs suffered was to wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Hill sustained a sternoclavicular injury during the game and will have to miss 4-6 weeks. This means that the Chiefs will have to rely more on wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who had a spectacular game against the Jaguars.

Watkins was the leading receiver with 9 catches for 198 yards and 3 touchdowns. Behind him was Travis Kelce with 3 catches for 88 yards. Despite the injuries, the Chiefs offense was able to roll easily past the Jaguars.

Now, they are preparing for their Week 2 matchup against the Oakland Raiders. This will likely be the Chiefs’ last time visiting Oakland Coliseum, as the Raiders plan to move to Las Vegas next season.

The Raiders looked good last week against the Denver Broncos, but Patrick Mahomes, even while injured, is certainly a better quarterback than Derek Carr. The Chiefs should take care of business in Oakland easily, and our writers here at Arrowhead Addict obviously believe that. The average prediction for the Chiefs score was 37.7 compared to just 19.5 for the Raiders.

Let’s take a look at our full writer predictions:

Drew Brooks: Chiefs 38, Raiders 13

The Chiefs took care of the Jaguars easily, putting up a casual 40 points without Tyreek Hill and with a hobbled Patrick Mahomes. I expect them to have a very easy time with the Raiders, especially now that they’ve had a week to create a game plan without Hill.  Damien Williams should be used in the passing game and LeSean McCoy in the rushing game a lot more than last week, and I also expect to see rookie wide receiver Mecole Hardman earn some targets as well.

Matt Conner: Chiefs 30, Raiders 10

I think this turns into a nice win for the defense as well as another (yawn) 30-point effort for the offense. I’m just not at all a believer that the Raiders can shut down the Broncos defenders like they did—as if Kolton Miller took a tremendous leap forward. I think a team with a nice offensive lead can get aggressive and add pressure and dissolve whatever silly notions they’re starting to believe in Oakland. This is a last place franchise until proven otherwise.

Jalon Dodson: Chiefs 34, Raiders 14

This is one of those games that will have an emphasis on divisional rival. The Chiefs don’t like the Raiders, and the Raiders don’t like the Chiefs. LeSean McCoy, new to the rivalry, will end up stealing the show from Damien Williams and have at least 15 carries. Patrick Mahomes will throw for over 300 yards and show everyone one thing: no Tyreek, no problem.

Greg Florkowski: Chiefs 35, Raiders 28

The Chiefs are going to look to continue their offensive dominance against a very confident Raiders team. Patrick Mahomes will rely heavily on Travis Kelce and LeSean McCoy will lead all Chiefs running backs in Week 2. The Chiefs defense will struggle against Josh Jacobs, but it won’t be enough for an Oakland win.

Lyle Graversen: Chiefs 41, Raiders 24

The Raiders looked much better than expected Monday night against the Broncos, but now they have to face the best offense in the NFL on a short week with some key injuries to their secondary. The Raiders keep it respectable but ultimately can’t keep pace with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.

Jacob Harris: Chiefs 45, Raiders 28

Easy win. No sweat. On to Baltimore.

Scott Loring: Chiefs 33, Raiders 9

Everything we saw on Monday Night Football was a fluke. Derek Carr will struggle to do anything and the Chiefs defense will keep the Raiders out of the end zone. LeSean McCoy and Travis Kelce star in this one as the Chiefs win in a romp.

Jordan Mannix: Chiefs 42, Raiders 20

The Raiders capped off a wacky offseason with a good win against a divisional foe. However, the Broncos are likely going to be one of the 10 worst teams in the league. The Chiefs should easily win there final game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Ellen Mathis: Chiefs 34, Raiders 28

The Raiders looked impressive last week against an aging Broncos defense, but have had some key injuries that will be tough to overcome —specifically to their secondary. However, the Chiefs have their own injury concerns with Tyreek Hill being out this week. I think this game will ultimately be closer than originally predicted, but the Raiders won’t be able to hang with the high-powered offense even with Hill’s absence.

Byron Smith: Chiefs 56, Raiders 14

Oakland is confident after beating Denver, but this week goes to the Chiefs. Expect a huge game for Travis Kelce as the Raiders try to double team Sammy Watkins all game. LeSean McCoy should also have a nice game, as the Raiders allowed Denver to rush for over 100 yards in Week 1. This team gave up zero sacks last week against Von Miller and Bradley Chubb so expect a quieter night than expected for the d-line, but it could be a good night for a secondary in need of redemption.

Grant Tuttle: Chiefs 31, Raiders 27

Oakland will put up more of a fight than Chiefs fans are expecting. With a pretty stellar performance in Denver, the Raiders looked like a scrappy team. That being said, look for Travis Kelce to have a huge game and for Frank Clark to make a huge sack or two. The Chiefs show some grit and get the win in an ugly one.

Farzin Vousoughian: Chiefs 28, Raiders 24

If Patrick Mahomes’ ankle is still bothering him, don’t be surprised if he goes for more quick, short passes to Travis Kelce. Kansas City’s running game may be featured more than we are used to seeing.

Thomas Welte: Chiefs 43, Raiders 14

The Raiders beat the Broncos and looked much improved from last year, even with the Antonio Brown drama. The Chiefs could be walking into a trap game. Then again, the Chiefs could remind everyone that the Oakland Raiders are, well, the Raiders, and trounce them at home. Chiefs win behind 4 Mahomes TDs and a defensive TD.