NFL: Kansas City Chiefs vs Oakland Raiders matchup analysis

This is a very strong rivalry who started in the AFL and continued strong for all those decades, that's why the Raiders will travel to KC to 1 target only "Eliminate the Chiefs from the playoffs contention", they already partially do that when they defeated the Chiefs on their 1st meeting this season shocking the world and achieve the 1st win of their season and that ended a losing streak that has been long more than a year.

On the other side the Chiefs know that they can't fail and this will be a weight that could conditionate them, so they have to react to it and be aggressive, they have to get the lead early to estabilish their game plan. The key for the Raiders to win the game is stop or at least limit Charles especially don't let him to run outside where is lethal, this would let Smith the pass the ball from obvious situations where he is not good and with the lack of targets to his WRs the choice would be limited to the TE Kelce becoming too predictable. For the Chiefs the key will be provide good holes to run the ball and be effective on running game to open up chances of play actions and screens where they are good and confortable and on defense they need to force turnovers even despite the huge absences among their best defensive players.

Now I'll analyze the game's matchups role by role estabilishing who has the edge:

QB: KC, the experience of Smith to manage pressure situations will help the home team

RBs: KC, Charles and Davis are a very very good duo but on the other side they have 2 potential superstars in MJD and McFadden along with the surprising Murray

WRs: OAK, for 2 reasons Carr pass more than Smith to them and because the Raiders a way deeper in this department

TEs: KC, Kelce is having a great season a way more better than Rivera

O-line: TIE

D-line: OAK, very slight edge because Tuck and Smith still good and on the other side even if Poe is great especially vs the runs they continue to miss DeVito.

LBs: KC, Hali and Houston are amazing and even if Mack and Moore are becoming very good they can't matchup what's argubly the best OLB duo in the NFL

CBs: KC, even thanks to the great pass rush provided by the front 7 Smith and Gaines are playing very good surely better than Heyden and Brown

Ss: OAK, Woodson stil can play and KC miss too much the Berry absence

STs: KC, they have a very solid core who can make very good returns

My final result prediction is: 27 Chiefs 23 Raiders with Charles as the MVP and Tuck as the X factor who can stop Charles of the edge and even rush the passes.