KC Chiefs will face a shell of a Raiders roster

The Las Vegas Raiders will be without Derek Carr and Chandler Jones for the final games of the season as they are shutting things down early.

The Las Vegas Raiders have made some tough decisions this week when it comes to the roster, their future, and what likely needs to begin to happen. To that end, they’ve decided to shut down Derek Carr with two games left in the regular season and send other players to injured reserve. It’s a series of moves that will change who the Kansas City Chiefs will see on the field in Week 18.

Instead of Carr on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers will face Jarrett Stidham under center as the Raiders evaluate the young talent they have on hand before making bigger decisions in the postseason. Stidham will also likely suit up to face K.C. in Week 18.

On Wednesday, the Raiders announced that two valuable defensive veterans would head to injured reserve to officially end their season. Pass rusher Chandler Jones was the big-ticket edge signed to make defenses respect someone other than Maxx Crosby. In addition, Denzel Perryman has been a steady tackler in the heart of the defense and led the team last year with 154 tackles in a Pro Bowl season.

Jones left Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third quarter with an elbow injury. For Perryman, it’s a shoulder injury that’s lingered.

The Chiefs are scheduled to take on the Denver Broncos in Week 17 and the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 18 in a back-to-back series that will close out the regular season. In the offseason, the string of games looked like a potentially exciting way to close out the AFC West race, but that competition has been over for several weeks, especially for these two teams.

The Raiders are technically still alive for a playoff spot, so it’s surprising to see them jettisoning veteran guys in this way, but they need the planets to align to technically make it happen. At this point, it’s hard to see them winning another game given they face the 49ers and Chiefs, which would mean they would likely finish with a 6-11 record.