December 11, 2021

By Fred Liggett
Tribune Sports Writer

The march towards a sixth straight AFC West Division title continues this week for the Kansas City Chiefs who stay home to host rival Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs 22-9 win over Denver last week gave the team some breathing room as they enter the game with a two-game lead over the Raiders and Broncos. Last week’s win in primetime over the Broncos was a big one for the Chiefs players and fans but it was quickly put on a shelf as this is Raiders Week.

The Raiders come to Kansas City at 6-6 but still remain in the AFC playoff picture. The team is continuing to show life under interim head coach Rich Bisaccia who replaced Jon Gruden upon his sudden resignation earlier this season. Last week the Raiders came up short at home to Washington 17-15 to fall to .500. One of the bright spots for the silver and black has been the play of Darren Waller. Waller missed practice on Wednesday this week and is listed as day to day. The Raiders, much like the Chiefs, only play AFC teams the rest of the season and a healthy Waller will enhance a playoff bid.

The Chiefs coaching staff reviewed the team’s first game this year against the Raiders to get an idea of what adjustments need to be made for this rematch. There is a lot to like when watching film from the November 14th game. QB Patrick Mahomes threw for five touchdowns and was later named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Now with home field advantage the Chiefs look to duplicate the effort and the numbers from the first meeting.

Thanks to a five game winning streak and what fans are calling a “No Loss November,” the Chiefs are in prime position to not only win another division title but grab the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs. Last week the Chiefs offense scored as many touchdowns as their defense did, just one. No doubt the offense will look to repeat their output from November 14th and debate who should win player of the week honors. The Chiefs injury report shows CB Rashad Fenton and OL Lucas Niang as both players missed practice on Wednesday.

There are plenty of numbers that show how impressive the Chiefs record is against the AFC West since Head Coach Andy Reid’s arrival in KC. With a win this week Reid would join former coaches Marty Schottenheimer and Hank Stram with 100 regular season wins with the franchise. Thanks to the Chiefs defense, who has only given up nine points each of the last two games and a healthy offense, the Chiefs will get Reid that 100th win this week. Chiefs may not win by 27 points but will leave their home field with a victory. That’s What I REID Into It for this week.