THE STORY: The Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders have been bitter rivals dating to their days in the AFL. Too bad this game is essentially meaningless – except for a pair of unbeaten streaks that are on the line. The AFC West champion Chiefs, who are locked in as a No. 3 or 4 seed for the playoffs, can finish a perfect 8-0 at home with a victory. Oakland will be looking to complete a perfect 6-0 division record and end the season at .500. No NFL team has ever swept its division rivals and not made the playoffs. The Raiders are bidding to be the first.
TV: 1 p.m. EST, CBS
OPENING LINE: Chiefs -4, O/U 43.5
WEATHER: 39 degrees and sunny.
ABOUT THE CHIEFS (10-5): Having wrapped up the AFC West with last week’s 34-14 win over Tennessee, Chiefs coach Todd Haley faces the dilemma of going for the win and securing the No. 3 seed or opting to give some of his star players a rest. Hard to believe Haley would jeopardize quarterback Matt Cassel’s health in this one. When Cassel was sidelined by an appendectomy in Week 14, the results weren’t pretty: Kansas City managed just 67 total yards and was crushed by San Diego 31-0 – a loss that dropped backup Chiefs QB Brodie Croyle’s career record to 0-10.
ABOUT THE RAIDERS (7-8): After seven consecutive seasons of at least 11 losses, a .500 record is a big deal for Oakland. The Raiders may be playing to save head coach Tom Cable’s job and also would be looking to sweep the Chiefs for the first time since the 2001 season.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles is second in the league in rushing with 1,380 yards and is averaging an NFL-best 6.4 yards per carry. Wideout Dwayne Bowe leads the NFL with 15 touchdown receptions.
Raiders running back Darren McFadden will be aiming for his seventh 100-yard game of the season – and third in a row – and needs 43 yards to become the first Oakland running back to rush for 1,200 yards since 1997. Sebastian Janikowski booted four field goals last week to take over league lead with 32.
QUARTERBACKS: Only New England’s Tom Brady has a higher touchdown-to-interception ration than Cassel, his former backup with the Patriots. Cassel has thrown 27 scoring passes and been picked off just five times. He has won his last five starts, including last week’s 314-yard, three-touchdown performance.
Jason Campbell, in his first season with the Raiders following an offseason trade with Washington, has been in and out of the lineup. He played exceptionally well in a 38-31 loss at Jacksonville on Dec. 12, throwing for 324 yards and two scores, but couldn’t get his offense into the end zone until there was less than two minutes to play in last week’s 31-26 loss to Indianapolis.
RECENT HISTORY: Janikowski’s 33-yard field goal in overtime lifted the Raiders to a 23-20 win over the Chiefs in Week 9. Oakland has won its least three games in Kansas City.
KEY INJURIES: Raiders: Questionable – DE Richard Seymour (hamstring), RB Darren McFadden (toe), OT Langston Walker (head), WR Johnnie Lee Higgins (ankle); Chiefs: Questionable – Donald Washington (ankle).
LAST WORD: This could be the quickest game of the day featuring the league’s top two rushing offenses. Kansas City averages 167.5 yards per game while Oakland checks in at 152.3 ypg.