Kansas City Chiefs vs. Las Vegas Raiders Odds and Game Pick (2020)
The Kansas City Chiefs have seemingly played flawless football for almost two full seasons. They have won 17 of their last 18 games and do not appear to have any sort of Super Bowl hangover that has plagued many teams over the years. However, the one team who has beaten the Chiefs during this span is the Las Vegas Raiders who won convincingly at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 5. Las Vegas needs a win to avoid falling three games back of the Chiefs in the AFC West. Do the Jon Gruden-led Raiders have the blueprint for beating the defending Super Bowl champions? Or will the revenge factor be too much for Las Vegas to overcome?
Get a sign-up bonus up to $1,000 at DraftKings Sportsbook >>
Details
- Opening Lines: DraftKings had the odds open as Chiefs -6.5; O/U 56.5
- Current Lines: Chiefs -8
- O/U: 56.5
- Location: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
- Start Time: 8:20 pm ET
- Television: NBC
- Last Meeting: October 11, 2020 – Raiders 40, Chiefs 32
|
KC
|
-8
-110
|
o56.5
-110
|
-375
|
|
| JOIN NOW |
LV
|
-+8
-110
|
u56.5
-110
|
+310
|
View consensus picks from top betting experts for Chiefs vs. Raiders >>
Overview
The Kansas City Chiefs enter this game off a bye week, and that is great news for Chiefs backers. Head coach Andy Reid is 18-3 SU in his coaching career off a bye week. In addition, the Chiefs are 29-3 SU and 22-9-1 ATS against divisional opponents since 2015. Kansas City’s +103 point differential is the best in the league. By comparison, the 6-3 Raiders have a point differential of just +14 which suggests they may not be as good as their record indicates. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes ranks second in the league in passer rating, fifth in passing yards, and has an absurd 25:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Meanwhile, the Chiefs defense remains an underrated unit as they rank sixth in the league allowing just 20.3 PPG.
The Las Vegas Raiders have proven they can win games in a variety of ways. In a game where wind made it impossible to throw, they grinded out a low-scoring defensive battle against the Browns on the road. In their win over the Chiefs in Week 5, Derek Carr threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns. In their latest win over the Broncos, the ground game ruled the day as Devontae Booker and Josh Jacobs combined for 193 yards and four touchdowns. What is somewhat concerning as they face Kansas City a second time is they rank tied for 31st in the league with just 11 sacks entering this week. Thus, if Patrick Mahomes is allowed to sit in the pocket uncontested for much of the game, he should be able to pick apart the Raiders secondary.
Trends
- The Chiefs have won 17 of their last 18 games.
- The Raiders are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against divisional opponents.
- The over is 5-1 in the last six games the Raiders have been underdogs.
Prop Bet (odds courtesy of FanDuel)
Pick: First Quarter Total UNDER 12.5 points (-114)
In wagering on the over for this prop, one is essentially committing to the fact that there will be two touchdowns scored in the first quarter. While these two teams combined for 72 points the last time they played, they only combined for ten first quarter points. I would bet that we see a similar situation play out this week. There is no denying that Andy Reid coached teams are great off bye weeks. However, maybe the week off has Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense not firing on all cylinders right away. In addition, the Raiders had three possessions in their first meeting that took up more than 20 total minutes of the game. I would bet that head coach Jon Gruden instills a similar ground-and-pound game plan with Derek Carr occasionally taking shots down the field, so as to keep the explosive Chiefs off the field as much as possible.
Bottom Line
Given that no team has been able to beat Kansas City twice over the last two seasons, I do not have much faith that Las Vegas can do it twice in six weeks. Before their 40-32 win in Week 5, the Raiders had lost 10 of their last 11 games to the Chiefs. In addition, seven of those ten losses came by at least 11 points.
In a year where only the top seed in each conference gets a bye in the playoffs, the Chiefs know they desperately need a win in order to keep pace with the undefeated Steelers for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Andy Reid is a wizard off bye weeks and will likely have a unique game plan in place to take advantage of Las Vegas’s weaknesses. Keep an eye on the statuses of offensive tackles Mitchell Schwartz and Mike Remmers who are both nursing injuries. However, even if they cannot play on Sunday the Raiders do not have the studs on defense to create enough pressure and take advantage of their absence. The Chiefs have been looking forward to this game ever since the Raiders’ victory lap around Arrowhead Stadium. Look for the Chiefs to take control of the AFC West with a big win on the road, and remind everyone that they are still the team to beat in the league.
View the top deposit bonuses and promo codes for each sportsbook >>
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our How To Bet and Sports Betting Strategy and Advice pages are for you. You can get started with our Sports Betting 101 Section — including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners — or head to more advanced sports betting strategy — like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread — to learn more.
Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.