The AFC West remains one of the weaker divisions in football right now. But the division as a whole has improved this season as compared to last. When the Kansas City Chiefs visit the Oakland Raiders, it'll be a game with a classic, intense rivalry with a lot at stake. The Raiders are currently 4-2 and in second place, and the Chiefs have rebounded with two straight wins after an ugly 0-3 start. So will it be the Chiefs or the Raiders on Sunday? The Raiders are still riding the emotions of the death of their owner, Al Davis. Davis was an icon and shaped everything about the Raiders organization. After the news of his passing, the Raiders were able to pull out a late win on the road, and then last weekend defended their home turf for the first time in his absence. They get another home date here, and the crowd should still be nice and geared up this game, particularly since it's a divisional rivalry game. Of course, the Raiders have been shaken up in terms of who's on the field as well. Starting QB Jason Campbell went down with a shoulder injury last weekend, and the team made a surprising and bold move to acquire Carson Palmer from the Bengals. They dealt a first round pick in the next draft, and another pick in 2013, in order to bring in Palmer to try to keep their offense together. At this time, it's unknown whether Palmer will be ready to play by this Sunday. It's unlikely he's the starter, although it's possible that he'll see some playing time. Either way, the Raiders offense will be heavily reliant on running back Darren McFadden to carry the load instead of the passing game. The Chiefs looked to be one of the absolute worst teams in the league through the first three weeks of the season. They were getting embarrassed and blown out every weekend en route to an 0-3 start. But since then, they've won two in a row, and seem to have some momentum behind them. Still, they are at -73 in terms of point differential, 2nd worse in the league, with only the winless Rams being any more awful in that regard. According to the official numbers, the Oakland Raiders are 4 point favorites at home against their rivals, the Chiefs. The over/under for the game is at 42 points. The only reason the spread is as close as it is, is the uncertainty at the quarterback position for the Raiders. One other factor to consider is whether they are going to be worn out after two emotional weeks on and off the field. Ultimately though, the Raiders have dominated the AFC West lately, and will continue to do so here. Having a shaky QB situation has never been easier for Oakland, now that McFadden has emerged as a consistent, top quality threat in the backfield. Take Oakland to win at home and cover the spread against the less hapless, but still bad, Chiefs.
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