Capsule preview of Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs

OAKLAND RAIDERS (10-2) AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (9-3)

* KICKOFF: 5:25 p.m. Thursday, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.

* LINE: Chiefs -3; total 46.

* TV: KSNV-3, NFL Network. RADIO: KWWN (1100 AM, 100.9 FM), KXST-AM (1140), KXTE-FM (107.5).

* MATCHUPS TO WATCH

— Raiders RT Austin Howard vs. Chiefs OLBs Justin Houston, Tamba Hali and Dee Ford. Houston has made a big splash since returning from a knee injury, looking like one of the NFL’s top edge rushers in the past two games. Helping compensate for Houston’s absence, Ford has 10 sacks this season. If that were not enough, Hali is still formidable on the other side. Howard is solid but probably the most susceptible to a pass rush of the Raiders’ linemen. Oakland will scheme to get Howard help and might even insert Menelik Watson, originally the projected starter, though he has battled injuries. Backs and tight ends will also be involved for a team that considers Job 1 keeping QB Derek Carr clean.

— Chiefs pass protection vs. Raiders DE/pass rusher Khalil Mack. In their first meeting this year, the Chiefs protected QB Alex Smith, who was sacked only once in 23 passing plays. Going into that game, Smith was knocked down 13 times in the first four games. Mack had that lone sack last time and comes into this rematch with 10 sacks, including at least one in each of the past seven games, and 28 over 43 games in his three-season career. Kansas City’s pass protection broke down in the victory over Denver, allowing six sacks of Smith, but yielded only one to Atlanta.

— Chiefs TE Travis Kelce vs. Raiders SS Nate Allen. Kelce is one of the NFL’s top receiving threats, but he caught only three passes for 32 yards in the first meeting. At that point, first-round draft pick Karl Joseph was the starter, but Joseph is sidelined with a toe injury. Allen, who had an interception against Buffalo, will step in. The Raiders have had issues guarding the tight end for the last two seasons, and Kelce’s 65 catches for 815 yards are worthy of concern.

* PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Chiefs RB Spencer Ware. When it became apparent RB Jamaal Charles was not returning from a torn ACL, Ware became the focal point of the Chiefs’ running game. That was a key factor in Kansas City’s victory over Oakland in October when Ware ran for 131 yards on 24 carries. But that was the only game this season a Chiefs back topped 100 yards rushing. Since then, Ware has not run for more than 77 yards. After sitting out a game while in the NFL’s concussion protocol, in the past three weeks he carried 47 times for only 194 yards (4.1 yards per carry) with no touchdowns. A lot of the Chiefs’ problems on offense (third down, red zone, pass protection) can be solved with a more consistent running game. That means Ware.

* PICK: Raiders 35-32.