The Kansas City Chiefs will meet the Oakland Raiders on the gridiron at O.co Coliseum in a primetime matchup tomorrow night in Oakland. Fans can watch online the Thursday Night Football via live stream - free for subscribers - below.
Despite the weird NFL scheduling, Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith told Terez Paylor of The Kansas City Star that the team, along with the Raiders (0-10), has adjusted to that reality.
"It's not the same (as a normal week), but it's an even playing field," Smith said. "Both teams are working on a short week and both teams have to deal with it, but obviously you are missing quite a few days there to put in more, to watch more film, get more rest, all of those things. But both teams deal with it."
The Chiefs (7-3) are currently tied with the Denver Broncos for first place atop the AFC West. However, they must first turn their focus on giving the Raiders another loss, which, if successful, would bring the number of consecutive defeats to 17.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid says that he has a strategy to deal with the time crunch. However, Paylor asked Reid if anything strange would happen due to the shortened time period.
"Anytime you play this game, there's a physical element," Reid said. "It's just a matter of the guys getting themselves back and being able to be physically ready to play. The mental part, they handle it and they get that part done. You're back to back in games here in four days. That's a tough deal."
According to Anthony Riccobono of International Business Times, Kansas City has both a great running game and stellar defense working in their favor against the Raiders. He noted that the Chiefs have allowed just 17.1 points per game, ranking the team second within the NFL.
"They're a good football team, a well-coached football team, a physical team," Oakland interim coach Tony Sparano said of the Chiefs.
According to the Associated Press, Oakland has averaged 276.4 yards, making it the worst offensive team in the league. The Raiders, in their last three games, have averaged 15.2 points overall and gained 227 yards per game.
On the other hand, AP reports that Kansas City ranks eighth with 326.0 yards allowed per game and first with 201.6 through the air. Unlike the Raiders, they haven't allowed a 300-yard passing performance yet.
"They've got a great front - a big, physical bunch of guys," Sparano said. "They get after you pretty good."
However, it's not all doom and gloom for Sparano. According to the Associated Press, he has been encouraged by the steady progress made by rookie Derek Carr, despite failing to reach the 200-yard passing mark in the past three contests.
"There's a lot for every quarterback to get ready for, especially with a talented defense like Kansas City has," Carr said. "It just puts more on your plate and you just knock it out in the time that we do have."
Unlike other typical NFL matchups, the Chiefs and Raiders have a historic rivalry that dates back to the 1960s. According to an article posted on the official Raiders blog, their matchups have featured "games with playoff and Super Bowl implications, memorable last-minute drives, and a fair share of skirmishes."
The Raiders article also noted that it would be the 111th regular season meeting between the Raiders and Chiefs. Both teams will meet again Dec. 14 in Kansas City for the 112th time.
The Week 12 game will be aired on NFL Network tomorrow at 8:25 p.m. ET. Viewers can also access the game via the NFL Game Rewind website, although it cannot be seen in real time simultaneously.
