Turnover struggles plague both the Chiefs and Raiders heading into Week 8

Statistics will not always tell the full story. The NFL is a week-to-week league and can deceive our thoughts at any moment on a given team. But as always, there are some notable trends to monitor going into specific matchups. That is once again true in the case of this Sunday's AFC West showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders.

Kansas City is looking to move to 7-0 and 2-0 in division play. Meanwhile, the Raiders are just 2-5 at the bottom of the AFC West. Las Vegas is already 0-2 in division play. Injuries and the departure of Davante Adams via trade have already affected the Raiders heavily. It will be a long and dreadful finish for the silver and black if things do not change soon.

What are some interesting statistical notes to monitor entering Chiefs vs. Raiders? Here are three key stats going into Sunday's affair.

Both Teams Holding Poor Turnover Differentials

Neither team enters Sunday with a positive turnover differential. The Chiefs have seen some interceptions stack up from their offensive unit. However, Patrick Mahomes is not completely putting the ball up for danger in some of those giveaways. On the other hand, Kansas City's defense had a hat trick of interceptions on defense in San Francisco last week. So far, the Chiefs have a turnover differential of -3 with 10 giveaways and seven takeaways, according to The Football Database.

The Raiders have been pretty abysmal when it comes to turnovers so far this season. The Football Database shows that they have have the worst turnover differential right now, which sits at -13. It is not just that they are giving it away at an alarming rate. This Vegas defensive unit has been drastically searching for takeaways much more than most teams through seven games. The Raiders' 16 giveaways are the most in the NFL. They are tied with the Jaguars and the Titans for the second-fewest takeaways in the league with three. Only the Eagles' two takeaways are lower right now.

Chiefs Hold Massive Advantage Over Raiders In Scoring Defense

It is likely no surprise that the Chiefs hold a massive advantage over the Raiders in scoring defense. As displayed by Team Rankings, Kansas City is currently 5th in opponent points per game (17.2). Las Vegas, on the other hand, sits 29th in that category. The Raiders have allowed an average of 26.1 opponent points per game this season.

However, how these two defenses have performed more recently is even more different. If you look at the last four games for Kansas City, the Chiefs have allowed no more than 18 points in any of that quartet of contests. Opponents have averaged just 14.5 points against the Chiefs in those last four. As for the Raiders, they have allowed 86 points in their last three games, which adds up to a whopping 28.7 points allowed per game in that trio. If you just go on roughly the last month, opponents are averaging right around double the amount of points against the Raiders, compared to what they are scoring against the Chiefs.

Ability To Convert On Third Down

The Chiefs have had a stranglehold on division opponents in the Patrick Mahomes era. But obviously, rivals will look to make this their Super Bowl when getting a chance to take the top dog down. Las Vegas is determined to make Kansas City sweat. And as we know in any NFL division contest, things may not go as expected. It can also end up closer than the experts think.

If the game is to remain close on Sunday, third down conversion percentage is likely to be a key aspect. Which team's defense can consistently get off the field on the money downs? So far, it has been a hard time for defenses trying to slow down the Chiefs on third down. Kansas City's offense ranks 4th in the NFL in third down conversion percentage (45.33 percent), via Team Rankings. Elsewhere, Las Vegas' offense ranks just 28th in the league in third down conversion percentage (31.11 percent). That is a pretty stark contrast when breaking down the percentages.