With the battle for the playoff spots getting more and more intense with every passing week, the Oakland Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs will want to gain a firm hold on the AFC West by locking up a win in the Thursday Night Football game.
Both the Raiders and Chiefs are battling it out for top spot in the AFC West, with Oakland currently having the advantage at 10-2. The Kansas City Chiefs are 9-3, but can draw level with the Oakland Raiders with a home win at the Arrowhead Stadium.
So, it goes without saying that this is a really important matchup for both franchises. If Oakland win, they will pretty much lock up the division title, and if the Chiefs win, it will be one step closer to finishing atop the AFC West standings.
"You get ready, spend all of your energy studying the team and getting yourself to study the game plan, get ready to play," Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "Anything short of that I think, you're short-changing yourself, if you're worried about magnitudes of games and all of that stuff."
The two teams have already faced each other this season, back in Oakland, with the Chiefs coming away with a comprehensive 26-10 victory. That, no doubt, will give Kansas City a lot of confidence going into this TNF game, but it will also mean the Raiders will come into the contest with a point or two to prove.
"They obviously know you and you know them, especially repeat years here," Reid said when asked how different a game is when you play a franchise for the second time in a season. "I think execution becomes a big factor in games like this, not that it doesn't in all games, but especially when teams know each other fairly well."
Both the Oakland Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs are in sparkling form coming into this game. While the Raiders have won six in a row and nine of their last ten, the Chiefs have managed to pick up a "W" in seven of their last eight games. So, this really is a game between two AFC heavyweights of this season.
Raiders coach Jack Del Rio believes if his team are to come away from Kansas City with a victory, they need to be wary of the Chiefs' defense and special teams. "Some teams do a great job of taking the ball off you and things like that," Del Rio said. "Both of our teams are doing a great job in turnover ratio.
"That's one of the number one factors in winning football [games]. It's no surprise really that two teams with a lot of wins stacked up thus far are both taking the ball away and protecting themselves. That's what you have to do."
Where to Watch Live
Raiders @ Chiefs is scheduled for an 8.25pm ET (1.25am GMT, 6.55am IST). Live Streaming and TV information is below.
India: TV: Sony ESPN HD and Sony ESPN. Live Streaming: Sonyliv.
USA: TV: NBC. Live Streaming: NBC Sports live.
Canada: TV: Sportsnet 1. Live Streaming: Sportsnet Now.
UK: TV: Sky Sports 1. Live Streaming: Sky Go.
Australia: TV: ESPN. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
International: Live Streaming: NFL Gamepass and TNF on Twitter.
