Kansas City @ Las Vegas preview
RingCentral Coliseum
Last Meeting ( Dec 30, 2018 ) Oakland 3, Kansas City 35
The Kansas City Chiefs saw their season flash before them when star quarterback Patrick Mahomes sprained his ankle in Week 1, but the reigning MVP says he will be ready to play Sunday. Mahomes and the Chiefs hit the road in Week 2 for an AFC West showdown with the Oakland Raiders.
The Chiefs' high-powered offense will be without one of its top weapons, as star receiver Tyreek Hill is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a sternoclavicular joint injury (the spot where the clavicle meets the sternum), but Raiders coach Jon Gruden still is wary of Kansas City’s offense. “(Rookie Mecole Hardman) is gonna be fast and dynamic. Sammy Watkins is healthy. ... (Travis) Kelce is still Kelce. They’ve added (LeSean) Shady McCoy. They’re a problem,” Gruden said in a teleconference. “I’m getting a headache talking about it.” The Raiders had their share of headaches on the eve of the season with the saga leading up to Antonio Brown’s release, but they capped a whirlwind Week 1 with a 24-16 home win over Denver on Monday night. The Chiefs have won three straight meetings, but they narrowly escaped with a 40-33 victory in their visit to Oakland last season.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Kansas City -7. O/U: 53.5
ABOUT THE CHIEFS (1-0): Even without Hill, Kansas City’s offense has plenty of prowess with Mahomes throwing to Watkins (nine catches, 198 yards, three touchdowns in Week 1) and Kelce. Damien Williams and recent acquisition McCoy split time in the backfield, and the latter is expected to take on a bigger role after averaging 8.1 yards on 10 carries last week. The secondary still is a concern for the Chiefs, who surrendered 347 passing yards in a 40-26 win at Jacksonville and were picked apart by rookie Gardner Minshew in the second half.
ABOUT THE RAIDERS (1-0): Oakland did an excellent job of protecting Derek Carr against Denver, as the team did not surrender a sack. Carr found a new favorite target in Tyrell Williams, who snagged six passes for 105 yards and a touchdown, and rookie Josh Jacobs rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns. The Raiders were able to wreak havoc in the backfield against the Broncos, collecting three sacks and five tackles for loss, but they’ll have a bigger challenge this week.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Chiefs have scored 25 or more points in an NFL-record 22 consecutive games.
2. Mahomes has thrown at least two touchdown passes in 12 straight contests.
3. Jacobs was the first player since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2001 to record at least 100 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in his NFL debut.
PREDICTION: Chiefs 34, Raiders 24