January 7, 2023

By Fred Liggett
sports.lstribune08@gmail.com

Thanks to the NFL schedule makers Kansas City Chiefs fans didn’t have to wait a full seven days for this Raiders week to reach game day. News came out on New Year’s night that the Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders game had been flexed to Saturday, Jan. 7 kickoff at 3:30 p.m. While the game will be on a different day than normal the Chiefs will be looking for a normal result as they currently enjoy a four game winning streak vs the Raiders.

For the second week in a row the Chiefs play a AFC West Division rival that is looking forward to a busy off season. Last week the Chiefs entertained Denver who had fired their head coach during the week. This time the Chiefs visit a team who recently told their franchise quarterback Derek Carr to go home. They are going with Jarrett Stidham the final two weeks of the season.

The Raiders are faring a bit better than the last place Broncos as the Raiders sit at 6-10 entering the final week of the season. QB Derek Carr threw for 3,522 yards before his campaign ended. The Raiders offense still has the impressive Josh Jacobs at running back who has rushed for 1,608 yards to this point. Both Stidham and Jacobs are among seven Raiders players on the injured list but they are expected to start against the Chiefs.

The Chiefs came to work on Wednesday and provided fans and media the good news that WR Mecole Hardman is expected to make his return to the lineup this week. Then came the injury report with some not so good news that the Chiefs may be without a few players in Vegas. PK Harrison Butker missed practice while CB L’Jarius Sneed, OG Joe Thuney and WR Skyy Moore were all limited participants.

The last time these two teams met it was a Monday night affair in Kansas City with the Chiefs prevailing 30-29. While the Raiders haven’t won many of these games believe it or not they have been in nine straight games with just a single score difference.

Last week the Chiefs beat a head coach in his first game in that role, this week the Chiefs look to wrap up the first season of the Josh McDaniels era in Vegas with a loss. Thanks to the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs still within reach expect the Chiefs effort to be good enough to win another close one against the Raiders. That’s What I REID Into It for this week.