Kansas City Chiefs vs Las Vegas Raiders Week 18: The Raiders New QB Might Provide the Missing Spark

• The Kansas City Chiefs have beaten their last ten AFC West opponents

• The Las Vegas Raiders are now starting backup QB Jarrett Stidham under center

• Watch Chiefs vs Raiders live on Saturday, January 7, 2023, at 4:30 PM ET on ESPN

Chiefs vs Raiders Week 17 Odds

Chiefs vs Raiders Week 17 Picks

POINT SPREAD: Las Vegas Raiders +9.5 (-110) at Caesars

POINTS TOTAL: Over 51.5 (-110) at BetMGM 

SPECIAL: Highest Scoring Quarter – 4th Quarter (+300) at WynnBet

POINT SPREAD: Las Vegas Raiders +9.5 (-110) at Caesars

This NFL Week 18 Saturday game one of a doubleheader is an AFC West battle between the playoff-bound Kansas City Chiefs and the postseason-eliminated Las Vegas Raiders, these Chiefs needing another win to keep their number one AFC playoff seed (and the accompanying bye week) facing the Raiders with their newest QB under center, third-year player Jarrett Stidham.

The Raiders have lost two games in a row but starting a new QB might provide the spark this team has been missing, with Stidham’s Week 17 performance (23/34, 365 yds, 3 TDs, 2 INTs) almost good enough to help earn an overtime win over the 49ers, this a tough two-game stretch for any team to face, but we like Las Vegas to cover since they are getting so many points (+9.5).

The Chiefs will no doubt win this game – the oddsmakers tell us that KC has won each of their last 10 games against AFC West opponents – and HC Andy Reid and his protégé QB Patrick Mahomes now have enough tape on Stidham to game plan his demise, but at home in Vegas during the final week of the regular season, expect Raiders HC Josh McDaniels to pull out all the stops.

POINTS TOTAL: Over 51.5 (-110) at BetMGM

Even though the Raiders have only won six games this season, their offense has enough playmakers – WRs Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow, TE Darren Waller, RB Josh Jacobs – to be decent scorers, this season averaging 23.9 points per game while the Chiefs offense led by QB Mahomes is averaging a league-best 29.1 points per game, that combined total of 53 points just over what this bet allows.

The sportsbooks say that each of the KC Chiefs' last seven road games against AFC West opponents have gone over the total points line, another sign to go that way on this Week 18 bet, though a decent case for the under can be made if this becomes a defensive fight since these two teams allow a combined average of 44 points per game, well under what the oddsmakers predict.

Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada is an indoor venue so the winter weather will not be a factor in this game, but injuries could affect how these teams score, so be sure to check the reports before you place your wager, right now with the Chiefs posting three players as questionable to suit up for this game and the Raiders listing two players as game-time decisions including RB Zamir White (ankle).

SPECIAL: Highest Scoring Quarter – 4th Quarter (+300) at WynnBet 

For sports gamblers looking to try something a bit different, WynnBet is offering this interesting Week 18 special where the bettor must guess which of the four quarters of the game (if any) will be the highest scoring, meaning the two teams combine for the most points during that fifteen-minute stretch, each option paying out based on a different set of odds.

We are going to take the fourth quarter for this bet since these end-of-season games tend to get exciting right at the finish, so a $100 bet would pay out $300 to the winners if the fourth quarter ended up being the one with the most scoring, these two teams both with something to gain here – the Chiefs to keep their #1 playoff seed and the Raiders to end a tough season with a win.

One fun matchup to watch in this game will be Raiders WR Davante Adams, arguably one of the best at his position in the league with 95 receptions for 1,443 yards and 14 TDs, who will face two rookie Kansas City CBs – Joshua Williams and Trent McDuffie – both part of a Chiefs secondary filled with plenty of young talent being developed by DC Steve Spagnuolo and his crew of coaches.

How to Watch Chiefs vs Raiders

• What: Kansas City Chiefs vs Las Vegas Raiders

• Where: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV

• When: Saturday, January 7, 2023, at 4:30 PM ET

• How: ESPN, ABC, ESPN+