Last Updated on December 29, 2010 9:50 pm by Anthony Rome
Raiders vs. Chiefs Preview
Kansas City, MO (AP) – While the Kansas City Chiefs are deserving AFC West champions, it’s hard not to argue that the Oakland Raiders have been the dominant force this season within the division.
The Chiefs have little to play for in Sunday’s finale at Arrowhead Stadium against the Raiders, who are bidding to finish 6-0 in division games.
According to latest NFL odds, oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Chiefs 3.5-point spread favorites for Sunday’s game against the Raiders. Current NFL Public Betting Information shows that 60% of more than 2,008 bets for this game have been placed on the Chiefs –3.5.
Kansas City (10-5) has earned its first AFC West crown since 2003 after beating Tennessee 34-14 last Sunday. Matt Cassel threw three touchdown passes and two of them went to Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles, who also rushed for 77 yards on 13 carries.
How much action Cassel, Charles and Pro Bowl receiver Dwayne Bowe receive Sunday is up in the air. The Chiefs cannot secure a first-round bye, will finish as the No. 3 or No. 4 seed and will face Pittsburgh, Baltimore or the Jets in a wild-card matchup next week.
Kansas City also is bidding to finish 8-0 at home for the first time since 2003.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” coach Todd Haley said. “We’re going to do what we think gives us the best chance to win. That’s where I’ll leave it for now.”
While the Chiefs are just 2-3 against the AFC West, Oakland (7-8) could become the first team to win every division game and miss the playoffs since the NFL went to divisions in 1967. The Raiders have not had a perfect AFC West mark since going 7-0 in 1976 – the year the franchise won its first Super Bowl.
Oakland is enjoying its best season since reaching the Super Bowl after the 2002 campaign, and has won three straight at Arrowhead Stadium. The Raiders, though, dropped all six non-division AFC games.
“It would be nice go in there and try to give them their first home loss and all that, sweep the division,” defensive lineman Tommy Kelly said. “It’s kind of hollow but, we achieved a goal but we didn’t get the ultimate goal. So that’s still kind of hard to swallow right there.”
These are the best rushing teams in the NFL, with Kansas City averaging 167.5 yards per game and Oakland 152.3. Charles is second in the league with 1,380 yards – 56 behind Houston’s Arian Foster – and is close to setting an NFL record.
Charles is the fourth running back in league history with at least 200 rushes to have a per-carry average of at least 6.0. He’s at 6.39, which is the second-best mark behind Hall of Famer Jim Brown’s 6.40 mark with Cleveland in 1963.
“Jamaal, he has developed,” Haley said. “It’s really an unbelievable development you’ve seen in him and you’ve got to give everybody credit.”
The Raiders limited Charles to 53 yards on 10 carries and held Thomas Jones to 32 yards on 19 rushes in their 23-20 overtime victory Nov. 7. Oakland’s Darren McFadden, 11th in the NFL with 1,157 yards rushing, carried 17 times for 89 yards.
The Chiefs have received numerous contributions on defense, most notably Tamba Hali’s career-high 12 sacks and rookie safety Eric Berry’s four interceptions. Kansas City is ranked 11th in total defense at 329.3 yards per game after finishing near the bottom of the league in 2009 in Haley’s first season.
“They’re all a bunch of guys who are developing each and every day,” Haley said. “You can see that. The coaches have done a terrific job last year and this year of helping in that process and the players themselves have done a terrific job. It feels good as the head coach to see some of these guys grow up before your eyes and become players before your eyes.”
The Raiders believe they are on a similar path, and will have to decide whether to bring back Tom Cable. The coach is in the final year of his contract, and Oakland holds an option for him to return for one season.
“It’s a process to get there,” Cable said. “This week is just the last step for this year, and that is to go out and win a game and finish the season 8-8, stop the losing record thing that has kind of been chasing this organization for a number of years as well as complete the sweep in the division. I think that would be a heck of a deal for our football team and launch us into the future and the next year.”
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