Week 18 game preview: No playoffs, no stakes, still plenty to watch for in Chiefs vs. Raiders
Whether it is Kelce’s last, Oladokun’s first win, Brashard Smith’s breakout, or Fulton saving his roster spot, there is still plenty to look for in Sunday’s finale.
With the postseason out of reach, the Kansas City Chiefs (6-10) enter the final week of the season in unfamiliar territory.
Instead of resting its starters for the stretch run or jockeying for a top seed in the AFC, the season will come to an unceremonious end against the Las Vegas Raiders (2-14) in a virtually meaningless football game.
The only thing Kansas City stands to gain this week is locking in a better position for the 2026 NFL Draft, in terms of their final record. It is not a position that they want to be in after 12 straight winning seasons, 10 straight playoff seasons, seven straight AFC Championship game appearances, and winning three of the last six Super Bowls.
But it is the position they are in, and there is reason for excitement about it, given they have been drafting in the 30-range the last several years.
“With (General Manager) Brett (Veach) and his crew doing it, that part’s exciting to see and what takes place,” head coach Andy Reid said. “Something to look forward to. 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.”
If the season ended today, the Chiefs would be picking 10th and would have a range of outcomes between 8 and 12, given the results from Week 18. KCSN’s Kent Swanson outlined the possibilities this week at KCSN.com, and even threw in some early mock draft selections.
Kent surveyed how Veach can wind up in a favorable position, even with a win over the Raiders, who are fighting for the number one overall selection, presumably to draft a franchise quarterback. The point is that Las Vegas wants that pick badly.
A final record of 7-10 is the likely outcome for Kansas City, who is favored by 5.5 points despite two straight poor offensive performances with quarterback Chris Oladokun at the helm. The last few games have not gone as they wanted, with the team on a five-game losing streak, but the coaching staff wants to leave 2025 on a high note.
“ … Here we are at the end of the year playing in this game that is important to us to finish strong, and it’s our job to do that – to coach strong, players to play strong and then in the end, win,” offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said. “I think the last several games didn’t go how we wanted, but we want to finish on a high note.”
Las Vegas has taken measures to ensure its best draft position. Their two best players, defensive end Maxx Crosby and tight end Brock Bowers, have been shut down for the season.
Quarterback Geno Smith, who was having a season to forget anyway, went down with a high ankle sprain in Week 17, leaving the Chiefs’ defense likely with a heavy dose of Kenny Pickett at quarterback. The Raiders have left the door open to Aidan O’Connell getting some snaps as well.
Before the recent roster shuffling, the Raiders were not faring well on either side of the ball. They rank 32nd in points per game and 25th in points allowed per game.
Tre Tucker, who has 666 yards and five touchdowns this season, will be their leading receiver, catching passes for Pickett or O’Connell. The next best statistical receiver is Jokobi Meyers, who has played for the Jacksonville Jaguars since Week 11, if that tells you anything.
2025’s sixth overall pick, running back Ashton Jeanty, has not been awful this season, but has hardly lived up to the billing. He has tallied 888 yards and five touchdowns at 3.7 yards per carry on the ground, to go along with 52 catches for 339 yards and five additional touchdowns through the air.
Without Crosby, it is defensive end Malcolm Koonce and defensive tackle Jonah Laulu who are the most significant threats along the defensive line. Each of them has four sacks on the season.
Jamal Adams is not the playmaker he once was, but he has fully converted to the Will linebacker role and is rated in the top third of the league at the position, according to PFF. He and cornerback Eric Stokes, who has zero interceptions on the season, are the only Raiders defenders graded above average.
Kansas City beat Las Vegas like a drum back in Week 7, outscoring them 31-0 while allowing just 95 yards of offense. The Raiders earned just three first downs and ran just 30 offensive plays that day.
As bad as Las Vegas is, these are not the same Chiefs.
Granted, they were going up against one of the best defenses in the NFL last week, but Oladokun threw for just 66 yards in the 20-13 loss to the Denver Broncos. The week prior, Kansas City lost to a team in the Raiders stratosphere, the Tennessee Titans.
The Chiefs are also finding ways to earn a higher draft selection, or are at least not grinding through injuries the way they usually would in December and January.
Aside from Quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew, who suffered major knee injuries, the Chiefs have placed several players on season-ending injured reserve in recent weeks.
That list includes wide receivers Rashee Rice (concussion) and Tyquan Thornton (concussion), right tackle Jawaan Taylor (triceps), linebacker Leo Chenal (shoulder), and cornerbacks Jaylen Watson (groin) and Trent McDuffie (knee).
Additionally, Reid said earlier this week he will hold right guard Trey Smith out after he’s gutted out an ankle injury for more than a month at this point.
Those are all for good reason, but it further cements the fact that they may not simply roll the Raiders as they did 11 weeks ago.
When the Chiefs have the ball, two players to watch are running back Brashard Smith and tight end Travis Kelce.
Smith flashed last week in more than one way. Curiously, he has not earned a carry since the Chiefs have been eliminated from the playoffs, but he found a way to make his mark in the passing and return game.
“He’s (Brashard Smith) a fast player,” Nagy said. “The next part for him is going to be just working through some of the protection side of it as a running back, but it’s all right there, and I’m really proud of him, and I think the ceiling is very high for him.”
He notched his first NFL touchdown last week against Denver when Oladokun found him in the flats before he broke a couple of tackles in the open field to reach the end zone. Additionally, he returned two kicks for 55 yards, with one going for 44. He also brought back three kick returns for a total of 76 yards.
“We’re always looking for new guys, that’s just the way life is with me in our special teams world,” special teams coordinator Dave Toub said. “He’s a guy that we’re going to have and that we’re excited about.”
As for Kelce, there is a chance this is his last in a Chiefs uniform. Leading the AFC in tight end receiving yards in his age-36 season is an incredible feat, and I expect Oladokun to find him as much as possible as he tries to earn his first win as an NFL quarterback.
Kelce has over 250 more yards than anyone else on the Chiefs roster, sitting at 73 receptions and 839 yards on the season. Cowboys great Jason Witten racked up 13,046 career yards, and Kelce sits 57 away from surpassing him. The team and Kelce have that number in mind with no playoff implications, I am sure.
Oladokun has not won Chiefs games, but has not lost them either. He has proven to be a game manager on minimal preparation, and it will not take much to beat the current state of the Raiders with 10 days’ worth of a gameplan.
“He’ll (Chris Oladokun) get a normal week in of work,” Reid said. “Look forward to seeing what he does with that. He did a nice job last week of getting everything together and organized in his mind and was able to manage the game well there.”
This will be Oladokun’s final showcase as he attempts to prove he is a capable backup, something that will be of utmost importance throughout the offseason and potentially a piece of 2026.
It appears all systems are go for Kansas City’s defense, who should roll out the same lineup it did against the Broncos on Christmas Day. The betting markets and a decent Chiefs defense facing a banged-up and putrid Raiders offense have the over-under set at 36.5, in what should be a low-scoring affair.
If there is something to watch on that side of the ball, it would be guys who are fighting to remain on the roster in 2026. Veterans like Kristian Fulton, who is coming off a stellar Week 17 performance, would be included.
Fulton nearly played more snaps last week than he had in the first 15 games altogether. Bo Nix targeted him five times, and Fulton only allowed one reception for 23 yards. He also registered three tackles and a team-high three pass breakups.
“I thought he (Kristian Fulton) played like he was healthy,” Reid said after the Broncos game. “(General Manager) Brett (Veach) brought him in here knowing that he was a good football player, but he hadn’t been able to stay healthy. He was able to get himself in a position now where he’s feeling better football-wise and get himself out there and play. But that’s what he is capable of doing.”
Other defenders that may or may not be playing their last in a Chiefs uniform include defensive end Mike Danna, linebacker Drue Tranquill, and safety Bryan Cook, but the front office likely already knows what they have in them.
All-pro defensive tackle and captain of the defense, Chris Jones, wants his unit to build towards one thing on Sunday.
“Momentum going into next year,” Jones said. “Unfortunately, this year wasn’t the year we planned, the outcome we were looking forward to, but we can build that momentum going into next year.”
Whether it is Kelce’s last, Oladokun’s first win, Brashard Smith’s breakout, or Fulton saving his roster spot, there is still plenty to look for in Sunday’s finale. Veach, Reid, and the brass, I am sure, are hoping Sunday gives them something to help guide them through the next eight or so months.
“There’s plenty to work on, so we’ll dive in and try to evaluate everything we possibly can and get it right,” Reid said. “That’s what we’re going to do. It is what it is here, but what we do is we work at the problems and make sure we fix them.”
Key injuries
Chiefs: Wide receiver Xavier Worthy has yet to practice this week due to illness and is listed as doubtful. Right guard Trey Smith (ankle) has not practiced and is listed as out, while defensive end George Karlaftis (rest), running back Isiah Pacheco (rest), and Jaylon Moore (knee) have been limited and are questionable. Defensive tackle Jerry Tillery was a late addition to the injury report and is listed as questionable for personal reasons.
Raiders: Defensive tackle Adam Butler (biceps), running back Raheem Mostert (knee/ankle), guard Dylan Parham (illness), and quarterback Geno Smith (shoulder) have not practiced this week.
Key game details
Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada
Date: Sunday, Jan 4
Kickoff: 3:25 p.m. CT
TV/Streaming: CBS
Broadcasters: Chris Lewis and Kyle Long
Radio: 96.5 The Fan
Head Referee: Clay Martin
Betting Line: Chiefs -5.5 | Moneyline: -285 | Over/Under: 36.5
Weather Forecast: The game will be played indoors