Chiefs vs. Raiders Preview: Will KC Secure Week 8 Win Against AFC West Rivals?

The Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders' Week 8 matchup is a rivalry renewed, and there's plenty to account for entering Sunday's game.

Dec 25, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, left, stands next to head coach Andy Ried on field against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs are hitting the road for the second game in a row and this time, there's a rivalry contest waiting for them on Sunday.

Week 8 sees the back-to-back Super Bowl champions head to Las Vegas for a game against the Raiders. This is the first meeting between both sides since Christmas Day of 2023, when Antonio Pierce's squad upset Kansas City but ultimately helped them turn around their season. Since then, it's been smooth sailing for the Chiefs (minus some injuries) and the Raiders have struggled to find their footing. The road team is heavily favored this weekend, although it's safe to assume they won't overlook their AFC West foes.

How does Kansas City match up with Las Vegas, and how could Sunday afternoon's game unfold? Let's preview Week 8 and outline everything there is to know.

Notable player changes for Raiders during the offseason

Gains: QB Gardner Minshew, DT Christian Wilkins, RB Alexander Mattison, OG Cody Whitehair, TE Brock Bowers, OG Jackson Powers-Johnson

Losses: WR Davante Adams (in-season), QB Jimmy Garoppolo, RB Josh Jacobs, WR Hunter Renfrow, CB Amik Robertson, DT Jerry Tillery

Raiders offensive breakdown: One of football's worst units

After bringing in Luke Getsy to command the offense and signing Minshew to compete with Aidan O'Connell for the starting quarterback job, Las Vegas was optimistic that its offense would take off. Anything but that has taken place through seven games, and O'Connell is now on the injured reserve list. That leaves Minshew to lead a unit that ranks 31st in EPA per play this year per SumerSports. That includes a No. 26 ranking in the passing game and a dead-last slotting in the run game.

When passing, the Raiders simply don't have a ton going for them. Their quarterbacks have been blitzed more than any team in the NFL and despite his reputation as a gunslinger, Minshew hasn't fared well at all outside the pocket. He's also performing poorly even when undisturbed, which is a testament to his struggles. Las Vegas turns the ball over more often than anyone, with Minshew being a big-time culprit. Outside of Brock Bowers (more on him later) and Jakobi Meyers (who's been banged up), there isn't much there for an offense that ranks 28th in efficiency on third downs and explosive play rate.

Things somehow look even worse when shifting to the run. The Raiders are 32nd in success rate there, as well as 30th in yards before contact per attempt. Alexander Mattison and Zamir White have respective 3.6 and 3.2 yard-per-carry averages. Las Vegas will get into 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) at the No. 6 clip in football, but they're last in EPA/play. When the Raiders keep the ball on the ground, look for man/duo concepts and relatively heavy outside zone usage mixed in.

Raiders defensive breakdown: Secretly scrappy?

It's hard to look at a Pierce-coached team and not expect them to avoid bottoming out on defense. That's exactly what Las Vegas is on track for right now, ranking 18th in EPA/play (17th against the pass, 22nd against the run) entering Week 8. That side of the ball has thrived on third downs, ranking second in efficiency. This may set up for a David and Goliath situation on Sunday, as the Chiefs' offense is top-five in those scenarios.

Coverage-wise, the Raiders rank in the middle of the pack in Cover 1 (21%) and Cover 3 (30%) usage. Contrary to most of the NFL, they go to quarters coverage less than 10% of the time. Their bread and butter is Cover 0 (11% mark ranks first in football) and Cover 2 (17% is a top-10 figure). The former might not be a great idea against Patrick Mahomes; the latter is a safer choice.

While respectable, this Raiders defense can be gotten. They allow the fifth-most post-catch EPA per attempt, which fits directly into what Kansas City loves to do. Additionally, Las Vegas blitzes more than all but four teams. Again, that's a poor decision when facing Mahomes. Despite that blitz rate, they're 25th in pressure percentage. Finally, missed tackles are a thorn in the Raiders' side. They lead the league with 75, which tops all of football by 17 miscues – a glaring red flag.

Players to watch in Chiefs vs. Raiders

Las Vegas: TE Brock Bowers, DE Maxx Crosby

Bowers, the No. 13 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, has gotten off to an excellent start to his NFL career. He's already up to 47 receptions and 477 yards in seven games. The former Georgia standout is averaging over three yards per route run against two-high coverage shells, something very few players are able to match right now. Kansas City is a top-two usage team in two-high. Defensively, Crosby is one of the game's premier pass rushers and always ups his level of play against the Chiefs. Mahomes and Andy Reid are quite aware of the Pro Bowler's ability to wreck a game.

Kansas City: WR DeAndre Hopkins, CB Nazeeh Johnson

The Chiefs shocked the football world by trading for DeAndre Hopkins on Wednesday, a move that was officially announced on Thursday morning. The veteran wideout has a chance to play this weekend and while he'll be very new to the system, his understanding of route concepts and his ability to feast in late-down or red zone situations should help Kansas City a ton if he's on the field. On defense, Johnson is expected to replace the injured Jaylen Watson. Andy Reid is confident in his ability to do so, although he'll have to prove worthy of getting the promotion. Luckily for him, there isn't a ton to compete with in terms of weapons for Las Vegas.

Week 8 score prediction: 24-13 Chiefs

Kansas City has hovered around being 10-point favorites this week, which is something they would've been able to cover in each of their last two contests. Talent-wise and coaching-wise, this isn't a close battle. In typical Chiefs fashion, though, Reid could dial some things back on offense and prevent an outright slaughter of his opponent. Expect a solid, yet unspectacular output from that unit and a thorough one from Steve Spagnuolo's group. The champs rise to 7-0 with a relatively low-stress win in Vegas.

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