Las Vegas @ Kansas City preview

Oakland at Kansas City

Last Meeting ( Oct 19, 2017 ) Kansas City 30, Oakland 31

Two of the three teams deadlocked atop the AFC West go head-to-head on Sunday, when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Oakland Raiders. The Chiefs have lost four games in a row and six of seven, while the Raiders have won two straight.

The Raiders, once three games behind the Chiefs, turned around their season with a wild 31-30 win over Kansas City in Week 7, scoring the winning touchdown on an untimed down on the last play. "These are hard-fought games," Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith told reporters. "They are close and they come down to the smallest of things. You scratch and you fight for all those little things. You anticipate it probably being a similar situation, coming down to the end of the game and who can make the play." The Chiefs will be without top cornerback Marcus Peters, who was suspended by the team following an outburst in the final minutes of last week’s 38-31 road loss to the New York Jets. Kansas City’s depleted secondary could catch a break, though, as Oakland receiver Amari Cooper, who torched the Chiefs for 210 yards and two touchdowns on 11 catches in the first meeting, is doubtful with an ankle injury.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Chiefs -4. O/U: 48.5

ABOUT THE RAIDERS (6-6): Oakland’s offense disappeared during a four-game losing streak early in the season but came roaring back with a season-high 505 total yards in the first meeting with Kansas City. Derek Carr threw for 417 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in that meeting and has passed for 670 yards with five TDs and no picks in his last two games against division rivals. The defense has been burned by strong passing attacks but has shut down the run, allowing more than 100 yards on the ground only once in the last seven games.

ABOUT THE CHIEFS (6-6): Kansas City snapped out of its offensive funk last week, but its defensive woes continued. Smith passed for 366 yards and four touchdowns while recording a career-best 70-yard run against the Jets, but rookie running back Kareem Hunt continued his dropoff with just 40 rushing yards and three receptions for 23 yards. The Chiefs’ biggest concerns are on defense, however, as they’ve allowed over 100 rushing yards in 11 of their 12 games and were torched for 331 passing yards last week.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Kansas City's Travis Kelce leads NFL tight ends in receptions (66) and receiving yards (871).

2. Oakland RB Marshawn Lynch rushed for 101 yards in last week’s 24-17 win over the New York Giants, his first 100-yard performance since Week 7 of the 2015 season while with Seattle.

3. Smith has thrown 17 touchdown passes and three interceptions in his last eight games against the Raiders.

PREDICTION: Chiefs 27, Raiders 24