LAS VEGAS (AP) — For a game between teams with losing records to end the regular season, there is quite a bit at stake — especially for the Raiders.
Las Vegas is in position for the top pick in next year's draft, a potentially franchise-altering selection the Raiders would clinch with a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The Raiders are guaranteed at least the No. 2 choice and could get the top pick even with a victory.
That's not at the top of coach Pete Carroll's mind nor his players, and regardless of the outcome this weekend, there figures to be plenty of change in Las Vegas (2-14), which brings in a 10-game losing streak. That change could include Carroll after just one season in charge.
He is a noted optimist and speaks about the future of the club as if he's going to oversee where it goes from here, and owner Mark Davis hasn't spoken publicly about his intentions in recent weeks.
“We’re playing Kansas City. They won the freaking division for 10 years straight or whatever it is,” Carroll said. “It’ll be fun to play them. Fun to go against (Chiefs coach) Andy (Reid). There’s no reason for us to think about anything other than playing ball. So, from the locker room, that’s what I said to them afterward, that we got one week to do something special.”
This is new territory for the Chiefs (6-10), who not only have ruled the AFC West since 2016, they have appeared five of the past six Super Bowls, winning the Lombardi Trophy three times during that span as the decade's dominant franchise.
The 67-year-old Reid ended any speculation about his future this past week, saying he plans to return next season. He'll have to find a way to get Kansas City back into contention, and getting a healthy Patrick Mahomes back early next season will be a good place to start.
The Chiefs will have a top-15 pick in the draft to assist general manager Brett Veach in his efforts to put talent around their star quarterback.
“Something to look forward to,” Reid said. “It’s not where you want to be, but it is where we are, and we’ve got good people doing the picking, headed by Brett.”
Chiefs quarterback Chris Oladokun will make his second NFL start. The backup to Mahomes and former Raider Gardner Minshew, both out with torn knee ligaments, was just 13 of 22 for 66 yards with a touchdown last week against Denver, though he did make a couple of nice plays with his legs.
Oladokun got only a couple of days to prepare for the Thursday night matchup, so perhaps 11 days to get ready for Las Vegas will help.
“We’ll get the normal week in of work and look forward to seeing what he does with that,” Reid said. “He did a nice job last week of getting everything together and organizing and was able to manage the game well."
An ankle injury probably will keep quarterback Geno Smith on the sideline, meaning he might have played his final game for the Raiders.
Kenny Pickett has been ahead of Aidan O'Connell on the depth chart, but Carroll said he expected both to play. Pickett will start.
“I don’t think that (Smith's) going to be able to make that recovery,” Carroll said. “We wish that he could, and I hate closing the door on any opportunity, but it’s going to be really hard for him.”
Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby wasn't pleased about being shut down last week, leaving the facility on Friday.
He returned on Monday, and while he still isn't thrilled about not playing anymore this season, Crosby said on the “Let's Go” podcast with Jim Gray that he's looking ahead to his upcoming knee surgery.
“You can look at it as, ‘Damn, I got to do this again and it’s getting old,’” Crosby said. “Or you can say, ‘No, this is an opportunity. I can improve.’”
The Chiefs expect to start Esa Pole, Kingsley Suamataia, Creed Humphrey, Mike Caliendo and Chu Godrick from left to right along the offensive line on Sunday. That would be their fifth and sixth offensive tackles and the backup right guard. And that brings the total games missed because of injuries by their starting offensive line to 35 this season.
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