Chiefs Look to Extend Winning Streak on Thursday Night Football

Kansas City Opened as a 6.5-point Road Favorite at Oakland.

NFL Week 12 will get underway in Oakland as the Kansas City Chiefs (7-3) visit the Raiders (0-10) on Thursday Night Football. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook opened the game with Kansas City as a 6.5-point favorite with a total of 43. KC has since moved to -7 with the total dropping slightly to 42.5 (click here to check latest NFL odds).

The Chiefs come into this game on fire. They are 5-0 straight-up and against the spread over their last five games, with four of them finishing "under" the total. This is the first meeting between these two AFC West rivals this season. Kansas City covered the spread in both of last year's games between the teams, winning by an average of 21 points.

The KC defense is going to make this a very difficult game for the Raiders to win. The Chiefs have been extremely impressive, currently ranked eighth overall in total defense. They are also first in the league against the pass, allowing just 201.6 passing yards per game. Expect NFL sack leader Justin Houston (12) to really get after Raiders rookie quarterback Derek Carr, as the team loves turning him loose in passing situations.

Offensively, Kansas City will remain conservative in nature, relying on the run with their all-purpose back Jamaal Charles. Don't expect Chiefs QB Alex Smith to test the defense deep very often. They like to attack the opposition with the short passing game while relying on play-action when they do decide to take shots downfield.

The Raiders need to get a win soon, otherwise they will be in serious danger of becoming the second team in league history to go 0-16, joining the Detroit Lions. The Oakland offense has been an absolute joke all season long. The team currently ranks last in the league in total offense with just 276.4 yards per game and last in points scored with 15.2 points per game. With poor numbers like that, it is no surprise this team is winless. If the Raiders cannot keep the defense honest by establishing the run and mixing things up on offense, they are going to be in trouble against this red-hot KC team.

Oakland's defense has not been as embarrassing as the offense this season. While not great, the Raiders are close to the middle of the pack, currently ranked 18th in total defense. The problem is that they really struggle to keep teams out of the end zone, ranking 27th in points allowed with 26.5 per game.

This is simply not a good spot for struggling Oakland team. Kansas City is on a tremendous roll right now and is not likely to lose this one while battling for the AFC West crown with the Denver Broncos. But money can still be made on this game if you bet wisely.

Here are a few NFL betting trends to look at before kickoff: The "under" is 16-6-1 in the last 23 games versus AFC West opponents for the Chiefs and 7-2 in the past 9 meetings at Oakland; the underdog is also 11-3 ATS in the previous 14 games between these two rivals.

Click here for NFL picks from the Don Best handicappers.