Kansas City Chiefs (5-1 SU, 5-1 ATS) vs. Oakland Raiders (2-4 SU, 2-4 ATS)
Week 7 NFL
Date/Time: Thursday Night Football, October 19, 2017 at 8:30PM EST
Where: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California
TV: NFL Network
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: KC -3/OAK +3
Over/Under Total: 47
In AFC West action in week 7, the Kansas City Chiefs come to face the Oakland Raiders on Thursday Night Football. Neither team had a successful week 6. Kansas City lost their first game of the season and also failed to cover the spread for the first time in a 19-13 loss at home to the Steelers. They look to bounce back against a Raiders team that has already equaled their loss-total from last season, falling to 2-4 when a Chargers field goal gave them the 1-point win, 17-16.
In falling to 2-4, Oakland's loss on Sunday was really disheartening. Midway through the final quarter, Cordarrelle Patterson took an end-around 47 yards to the end zone, with a missed extra point kick ending up spelling the difference in the game. Derek Carr is back, which makes the Raiders infinitely better, but at 2-4, the margin for error is narrowing and more off-days like Sunday's will put one of the conference's top preseason choices out of contention. It was upsetting to see them lose a winnable game at home against a one-win division team that they had recently had the measure of.
Derek Carr did not have a great game on Sunday, as he returned from a back injury. He threw for just 171 yards and had two picks on the day. Last season, the Raiders had a big 1-2 punch at receiver with Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree both over 1000 yards. Adding Marshawn Lynch and Patterson, along with TE Jared Cook, seemed like it would upgrade the offense. But the time Carr has missed, an offensive line that is off its best form, and the lack of production of guys around Carr has rendered this offense a shadow of its prior self. Crabtree and Cooper have been quiet. Lynch's contributions have been relatively minor. They look to snap out of it before it's too late. What really hurts is the Raiders went from being a team that thrives late in games to a team that isn't playing great late.
As the offense goes with Oakland, so does the defense. They haven't even been that bad, giving up 20 or fewer points in 4 of their six games this season. But with the lack of support on the other side of the ball, their shortcomings are more-visible. Khalil Mack is a playmaking force at linebacker. The problem is getting other guys to contribute around him. Bruce Irvin had a sack on Sunday, but the problem in getting other players to step up has been a real one. They still haven't gotten an interception this season and a group that played so well late in games last season has not seen that trend continue in 2017.
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Kansas City looks to shake off their first loss of the season on Sunday. Normally, losing to a Steelers team at home when Pittsburgh hasn't been getting much right lately would be troubling, but they get a pass after a 5-0 start. A Kansas City offense that had found new life this season was stymied by a solid Steelers' defense. They nearly rallied back in the game, with some big plays by the Steelers' defense sealing the win. While they are still riding high atop the division at 5-1, they look to stop the bleeding this week against a team they handled twice last season, including a 26-10 win in Oakland.
The Chiefs offense is a lot better off than they were last season, but the Steelers' defense really played well on Sunday. Alex Smith wasn't bad with 246 yards and a TD, but the explosive run-games from rookie Kareem Hunt came to a stop on Sunday, as he had a mere 21 yards on the day, though he did have 89 receiving yards. DeAnthony Thomas' increased involvement gives them another burner, but on Sunday, the lack of big plays from Tyreek Hill (questionable) and Hunt, another subpar game from Travis Kelce, and a line that was at times dominated were hurdles that were too high to overcome. They look for some of that playmaking to resonate more this week against a Raiders defense that is far less-stout than what they faced on Sunday.
Even at their best, the Kansas City defense will give up production, often making big plays and coming with timely stout play to make up for it. While they only gave up 19 to the Steelers offense, they were run against fairly easily, while giving up an efficiently effective game to Ben Roethlisberger. Le'Veon Bell ran for 179 yards, with Antonio Brown pulling in eight catches for 155 yards. They got Dee Ford back in there and he responded with a sack. Marcus Peters had a sack, but the star corner seems less-stout in coverage this season, as he was exploited by Antonio Brown. They look for better against an Oakland team they gave up only 23 total points to in their two games last season.
It's an interesting game on a lot of levels. One could be justified in taking Oakland on the basis of this being Carr's second game back, with them being at home in what amounts to a must-win situation. Maybe it would have been better for the Raiders if the Chiefs won last week, as they will be looking to not drop consecutive games after the loss on Sunday. All told, I envision a competitive divisional game with an urgent Raiders team hanging in there for the cover.
Loot's Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I'm betting on the Oakland Raiders plus 3 points. Bet the Chiefs vs. Raiders game for FREE by taking advantage of a massive 100% sign-up bonus on your first deposit of $100 to $500 at GTBets!
