Chiefs vs. Raiders: Can Oakland break through Thursday night?
The Oakland Raiders, 0-10 so far this season, are hosting the Kansas City Chiefs. Might the Raiders win their first game?
Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Khalil Mack, right, stands over San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers while celebrating his sack of Rivers during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, in San Diego.
Gregory Bull/AP
Coming into Thursday night's NFL encounter, the Oakland Raiders have yet to crack the win column during the 2014 campaign. On paper, playing the Kansas City Chiefs – winners of five straight – doesn't bode well for the Raiders to stop their 16-game losing streak which dates back to November of last year, when they beat the Texans in Houston.
The Raiders haven't had a 100-yard rusher in any of their games this season. The closest they've come was Darren McFadden's 80 yards on 14 carries in a 31-28 loss to the San Diego Chargers on October 12.
Rookie quarterback Derek Carr has thrown for 300 yards in a game once, racking up 328 yards in a 23-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns back on October 26. His touchdown pass to interception ratio currently stands at 13 to 9.
The Raiders are last in the NFL in total offense, averaging 15 points and 276 yards per game. They are the fifth-worst scoring defense in the NFL, tied with the New York Jets, giving up just over 26 points per contest.
From a historical standpoint, Oakland's worst season was 1962 – their third season in existence in the American Football League – where they won once in a 14-game schedule. More recently, they went 2-14 in 2006.
The last NFL team to go winless was the 2008 Detroit Lions, who went 0-16.
In the Raiders' favor is the fact that seven home teams in the prior ten Thursday night games this season have won. As a matter of fact, one of Oakland's four victories last season technically took place on a 'Thursday Night NFL Special Edition' that occurred on Sunday night, Oct. 6, when the Raiders defeated the Chargers. The game had to be pushed back due to an Oakland Athletics American League baseball playoff game the day before in Oakland.
Other than that, just about everything else works in favor of the Chiefs: more effective quarterback, dynamic running back, and a defense which has not allowed a rushing touchdown this season. But they still have to play 60 minutes Thursday night and, as we have seen time and time again, anything can happen under the bright lights of prime-time NFL football.
The game will be on the NFL Network at 8:25 p.m. Eastern time.