No one is more aware of the position of the Las Vegas Raiders than the Raiders themselves. With three losses in their last four games, the Raiders have fallen from holding a close first-place edge in the AFC West to falling away from the race for a postseason spot entirely in a very competitive AFC.
At present, the Chiefs are 8-4 and lead the division with the Los Angeles Chargers close behind at a game back. The Raiders are tied with the Denver Broncos at the bottom of the West at 6-6 apiece which means this game will either breathe some serious life into the Raiders’ sails or bury them in the basement with very little chances for any hopes going forward.
For the Chiefs, it’s likely a delicious proposition to be able to place a stake in the hopes of a hated rival and they have all the confidence coming in. Not only is it a home game at Arrowhead Stadium, but the Chiefs just beat the Raiders by 27 points only a few weeks ago. The team has also won five straight games overall with the knowledge that their next few games could help them put away a division title after starting the season in the AFC West basement through the first two months of the year.
The Raiders’ backs are against the wall, however, which often inspires players to rise above their circumstances when everything is on the table. It might help them to try to find hope in a few places. We’ve got a read on some lines of hope that the Raiders are likely trying to claim leading up to the game. Unfortunately for them, these are all false hopes despite what they’d like to believe.