Chiefs vs. Raiders game preview: Joshua Jacobs is key for both teams

Travis Kelce’s is on pace to make history

One of the ironies of a season in which the Kansas City Chiefs offense was supposed to be prolific and lift an improved defense to the Super Bowl is that Travis Kelce has largely gone unnoticed in the headlines. Never quite the media darling, likely due to the number of weapons on offense the last few years and now the reigning MVP at quarterback, there’s no doubt that Kelce has had one of the greatest stretches for a tight end in the history of the NFL.

Kelce has surpassed the 1,000 yards receiving mark in each of the last three seasons averaging 90 catches, 1,166 yards receiving, and seven touchdowns. He’s currently on pace to pass the 1,000 yard receiving mark for the fourth consecutive season, something no tight end has ever done in NFL history. At this rate, his final totals would be 92 receptions for 1,212 yards receiving and 6 touchdowns.

Expectations for Kelce on Sunday should be high. In his last two contests against the Raiders, he’s been a favorite target of Mahomes averaging nearly 10 catches, 138 yards, and 2 touchdowns. With the Raiders depleted secondary, he should be up for a big game and he could possibly gain the 167 yards he needs to make history.

My Prediction – Chiefs 35, Raiders 21

This is pretty simple. The Chiefs are the better team here. They have a far more consistent coach in Andy Reid, someone who would never get blown out by an Adam Gase-led team like the Jets. They have a far superior quarterback, although they have that every week at this point. The list goes on and on. The Chiefs just have more talent at nearly every position.

What’s more, this Raiders team doesn’t provide much in the way of matchup problems for the Chiefs. Their receiving corp is mediocre, and now will be missing Hunter Renfrow following his rib injury. Their defense has struggled against the pass, something that the Chiefs happen to be very good at.

The one element that could provide a challenge is if Steve Spagnuolo is unable to contain Josh Jacobs. As I wrote earlier, Jacobs is a great player and is the engine that makes this Raiders offense go. When he is on, this offense is good. When he is contained, this offense becomes anemic.

In the first meeting, he had a very productive game rushing 12 times for 99 yards. It was arguably the reason the Raiders looked competitive with the Chiefs early on. Once Mahomes unleashed his full arsenal of throws in the second quarter, the Raiders were forced to abandon the run and attempt a shootout with the Chiefs.

This is the main challenge, and I think Spagnuolo has shown significant improvement over the course of 11 games in figuring out the run. I expect the Chiefs to hold Jacobs at bay and the final score will be much closer than the actual game.