The Kansas City Chiefs enter their Week 13 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders at 10-1. They responded to their first loss to the Buffalo Bills by nearly blowing a game to the Carolina Panthers. Spencer Shrader hit the game-winning kick in the final minutes to secure the tenth win. Now, they have a matchup with a division rival in turmoil. Before the matchup against the Raiders, we’ll make our Chiefs Week 13 bold predictions.
The Chiefs will get a big assist from two injured players returning for this game. Running back Isiah Pacheco and defensive lineman Charles Omenihu will be back, making both sides of the ball deeper. Shrader is the only significant injury from the Panthers game and Matthew Wright has joined the practice squad. They have a slight lead over the Bills for the top seed in the AFC so every game is important down the stretch.
The second-ever Black Friday NFL game features a classic AFL rivalry. Before the game, let’s look at the Chiefs’ Week 13 predictions.
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Patrick Mahomes cracks 300 total yards
The Chiefs have struggled on offense this season but had a solid game against the Panthers last week. It should be a turning point for Patrick Mahomes and the offense moving forward. The Raiders have been poor on defense lately and the Chiefs appear to be taking a step forward. That should combine for a 300-yard game for Mahomes on Friday.
Mahomes has only one game with 300 passing yards but has two other games with 300 total yards. The team has gone through injuries all season but is as healthy now as they can possibly be. While Kareem Hunt has been solid keeping the run game steady, he has not made much of a difference in the passing game. Pacheco will help there for the remainder of the season.
Without Patrick Mahomes playing at the top of his game, the Chiefs will not win their third straight Super Bowl. He picked it up towards the end of last season after losing to the Raiders on Christmas Day. He cannot afford another loss to Antonio Pierce and Aidan O’Connell so this game will be a classic Mahomes performance.
Isiah Pacheco and DeAndre Hopkins score touchdowns
The Chiefs have gotten touchdowns from a lot of different players this season. Between Rashee Rice’s injury, the ascension of Noah Gray, and the return of Kareem Hunt, there have been some obscure touchdown scorers. This week will not be one of those with Pacheco coming back. The running back and DeAndre Hopkins will both score touchdowns in this game.
Pacheco should be fed in the red zone to commemorate his return to Arrowhead. When he went down in September, it looked like his season might be over. He has recovered from the broken leg and is ready to roll for the stretch run. This is the most important part of the season for Kansas City and they have their running back for it.
Hopkins scored his first touchdown since Week 9 on Sunday, which was an important score for Kansas City. As Xavier Worthy continues to work through his rough start, Hopkins must be the top target in the red zone. Travis Kelce could be as well, but he has not been great this season. While Hopkins is older, he still has the skills to score in this game.
The Chiefs win by double digits
After slipping up against the Raiders last season, the Chiefs will not lose to their division rivals again. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes should cook up a perfect offensive game plan to destroy a floundering Raiders team. With Aidan O’Connell back at quarterback, the defense should get back on the right track after two tough weeks. This is a get-right game for the Chiefs and they must take advantage.
The Chiefs host the Raiders at 3 p.m. on Black Friday on Prime Video. Kansas City is a 12.5-point favorite, -820 on the money line, and the over/under is 42.5, per FanDuel.
