Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Complete Week 15 Preview for Kansas City

The Kansas City Chiefs look to snap a three-game losing streak against the Oakland Raiders, the same team that handed the Chiefs their first loss in this streak while also earning its first win of the season.

The Raiders have won two of their last three games, both of them coming at home. However, they look to capture their first win of the season on the road. Can they do it against at Arrowhead against a Chiefs team they already defeated? Given how Kansas City has played lately, whether it is at home or on the road, it certainly is possible.

Kansas City's offense has scored fewer points through the three-game skid, while the Raiders, Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals managed to pick up wins and beat the Chiefs in many ways.

For the Chiefs, the entire team knows the playoffs essentially begin this Sunday. In order for them to make it into the playoffs without relying on anyone else, simply win out and they're in. But given the way the team has performed the last three weeks, it is easier said than done.

Here is the full preview and the keys for the Chiefs to snap the streak.

Week 14 Recap

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Let's get one thing clear, as this has been a hot topic throughout the week: The Arizona Cardinals won this game fair and square. I watched NFL Network this week, and the panel did a good job of explaining that the officials made the right call for offensive pass interference on Anthony Fasano and had the right call on Travis Kelce's fumble.

Bottom line—the officials did not hurt the Chiefs. They hurt themselves. 

Despite suffering an ankle injury in the game, running back Jamaal Charles returned to the game and scored his second touchdown of the first half. Although he was the only player who scored a touchdown for the Chiefs, head coach Andy Reid continues to give him fewer touches.

After holding a 14-6 lead, the Chiefs hurt themselves in many ways and made it easy for the Cardinals to create an 11-0 comeback run in the second half to win the game.

News and Notes

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Jamaal Charles blames refs; NFL supports officiating

Earlier this week, we published a piece in which Charles said to the media earlier this week that he puts this loss on the officials. Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk reported earlier this week that the league's head of officiating defended the crew in the Chiefs vs. Cardinals game. Vice President of NFL Officiating Dean Blandino told NFL Network that Kelce's fumble was indeed a fumble as he lost possession on the way down.

Eric Berry diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma

The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Monday afternoon that Chiefs safety Eric Berry has been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. Christopher R. Flowers, MD, director of the Emory Lymphoma Program at Emory's Winship Cancer Institute, said that the diagnosis is "very treatable and potentially curable" with the right approach.

Chiefs make playoffs if they win out

As I said in the opening slide, the Chiefs, despite being one game behind in the wild-card race, have the luxury of controlling their own destiny and can make the playoffs by winning out. Adam Teicher of ESPN.com wrote that the Chiefs can do it by winning their last three games. Due to the fact that the Chiefs play the San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers, who both possess a wild-card spot in the AFC, the Chiefs have an opportunity to run the table.

Injury Report

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Name	Pos.	Injury	Game Status
Abdullah, Husain	DB	Foot	-
Avery, Donnie	WR	Groin	-
Bailey, Allen	DE	Concussion	-
Charles, Jamaal	RB	Knee/Ankle	-
Fasano, Anthony	TE	Knee	-
Gaines, Phillip	CB	Concussion	-
Hali, Tamba	LB	Knee	-
Hemingway, Junior	WR	Concussion	-
Johnson, James-Michael	LB	Back/Knee	-
Mays, Joe	ILB	Knee	-
Owens, Chris	CB	Knee	-
Smith, Sean	CB	Groin	-

Through the midway point, no player is 100 percent healthy. In December, the Chiefs, like any team, are beginning to have some starters miss games.

Defensive end Allen Bailey is likely to miss his second straight game due to a concussion.

Although Charles, Fasano and outside linebacker Tamba Hali have missed some time this week, they are likely to end up playing. Even dealing with an injury, Charles remains the most productive player on the team.

Injury report courtesy of KCChiefs.com

X-Factor and Key Matchups

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OLB Justin Houston vs. RT Khalif Barnes

Justin Houston earned the team's only sack in the first meeting against the Oakland Raiders four weeks ago. Through 10 starts, Barnes has played like a Pro Bowl right tackle, allowing just 1.5 sacks, according to STATS, LLC. Barnes' only full sack allowed came against Houston in the previous meeting.

Houston hopes to beat him again and get to rookie quarterback Derek Carr to help prevent the Raiders from succeeding.

Unknown Raiders running back vs. Chiefs run defense

Through the last three games, the Chiefs have dropped from 20th to 31st in stopping the run, all because Latavius Murray, C.J. Anderson and Kerwynn Williams ran all over the Chiefs. And yes, they went from unknowns to heroes for the way they gashed through the Chiefs. All of those running backs had either one or fewer 100-yard rushing games prior to facing the Chiefs.

The Raiders won't be shy about using Murray again as he helped the Raiders get off to a 14-0 start against the Chiefs, going for more than 100 yards and scoring a pair of touchdowns off four carries. The Raiders have rookie George Atkinson listed as the No. 4 running back on the depth chart. At this rate, it would not be a surprise if Atkinson had a good game against the Chiefs. 

Earlier this week in a press conference, a reporter told Reid (not really a question) that the Chiefs let a "no-name running back" run all over the defense. Reid gave a short, vague answer and moved on.

RB Jamaal Charles vs. Raiders defense

You hate to rely on one player. But with Kelce being inconsistent lately, who do the Chiefs really have outside of Charles? There is a reason why Charles is going to lead the league in touchdowns for the second consecutive season. He currently leads the NFL with 14. 

Reid has limited Charles on his touches and has to feed him the ball against a weak Raiders defense.

X-Factor: Jamaal Charles

Even on a bad day or when hurt, Charles continues to be the most productive player on the offense. He has shown his toughness and continues to beat some of the best defenses in the league. 

The lack of activity from the rest of the offense is one thing, but Charles has proved his skills, which is why he's the league's current touchdown leader while also the reigning champion in the same category. 

Prediction

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I have given Reid the benefit of the doubt the past three weeks, expecting him to fix his coaching woes and give Charles the ball. However, that has not been the case.

Through the last three games, Charles' touches have gone from 23 to 14 to 12. Yes, he was hurt and missed part of the first half on Sunday but still got very few touches for a guy who played a lot of snaps in the second half and got very few touches. Yet Charles scored twice on 12 touches against the Cardinals.

Each week, I keep thinking that Reid, given his experience, will finally realize what he is doing wrong and start feeding the ball to Charles. But I have been proved wrong each time.

I have gone back and forth on this game, and like everyone else, it is telling that this game will come down to how Reid wants to coach.

Considering the Raiders ran the ball well against the Chiefs, expect them to do it early and get off to a hot start. This will force the Chiefs to shy away from the running game, and Reid, for some reason, has excluded Charles from the plan anytime the team is trailing.

It is hard to trust Reid, given that for three weeks, he has made the same mistake and has not recovered.

You would hope that he avoids this error for a fourth straight week, especially against the Raiders. If Reid does not pull through with his play calls and coaching, no one will trust him, and Kansas City's playoff chances will plummet. 

You have to assume Reid can rebound against the Raiders at home. If he doesn't, the meltdown on social media and sports talk radio in Kansas City will blow up.

Prediction: Chiefs 21, Raiders 13